Bishop's Magazine Spring/Summer 2017

BISHOP’S A MAGAZINE FOR THE BISHOP’S SCHOOL FAMILY AND FRIENDS SPRING/SUMMER 2017

The Bishop’s School 7607 La Jolla Boulevard La Jolla, California 92037-4799

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID The Bishop’s School

Open Doors, Open Minds United States Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera

St. Mary’s Chapel 100th Anniversary

Parents of alumni, if your child no longer maintains an address at your home, please provide an updated address to the Alumni Office. (858) 875-0505 • Fax (858) 456-2681 • tbsalumni@bishops.com

New Beginnings Class of 2017 Commencement

table of contents FEATURES

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Open Doors, Open Minds U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera spends a week on campus as the 2017 Endowed Scholar-in-Residence.

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BISHOP’S A magazine for The Bishop’s School family and friends

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Spring/Summer 2017 2016 • Vol. 14, 13, No. No. 22

Credits Editor Suzanne Weiner Managing Editor Keri Peckham Contributing Writers JeffreyJones Zach J. Carmel ’01 Kathy Day Melissa Kenyon ZachPeckham Keri Jones ’01 MelissaJ.Kenyon Trisha Ratledge Keri Tash Joe Peckham TrishaScott Jared J. Ratledge Tesler Joe Tash Weiner Suzanne Jared Scott Diane Y. Welch Tesler Suzanne Weiner Graphic Design Diane Y. Welch Design Perspective Graphic Design Contributing Photographers Design Perspective John Bell, Touch A Life Photography Contributing Melissa Kenyon Photographers MelissaMason Pablo Kenyon PabloPeckham Keri Mason Dave Siccardi Michael Samale Michael Spengler The Bishop’s Katelyn ZamudioSchool ’17 Head of School Aimeclaire Roche

St. Mary’s Chapel: Still New After 100 Years As the chapel program evolves, it still provides a space for all.

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One Alumnus, Many Medals Paralympian Roy Perkins ’08 returns as Endowed Leadership Lecture Series speaker.

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bishop’s profile: Parents Fund Success Co-chairs Laurie Ellsworth and Lake Price share their recipe for success.

14 Bishop’s Athletes Travel Different

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The Bishop’s School

Assistant Head of School and Head Advancement of School Chief Officer Aimeclaire Roche John A. Trifiletti AssistantofHead of School and Director Alumni Relations Chief Advancement Officer Sarah Garro John A. Trifiletti

Roads to Find the Right Fit

Coaches and counselors help lead the way for Knights wanting to play at the next level.

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Bishop’s published two times a year Director ofis Alumni Relations by Sarah TheGarro Bishop’s School.

Center Stage with Arnell Powell ’94

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Alumnus and actor opens up about his time at Bishop’s and his career.

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faculty focus: Dr. Jeff Geoghegan Department chair shares his love of making history come alive.

20 New Beginnings Class of 2017 Commencement

22 bishop’s buzz

24 Knight in Havana The auction brings a Cuban buzz and a comedy club to campus to raise funds for financial aid and faculty professional growth.

25 family matters: class notes

Letters: We welcome your comments.

Bishop’s is published two times a year Please send letters for possible publication

by The Bishop’s School. to weiners@bishops.com or contact us at (858) Letters:875-0735.

We welcome your comments.

Please send letters for possible publication The Bishop’s School to weiners@bishops.com or contact us at 7607 La Jolla Boulevard (858) 875-0735.

La Jolla, CA 92037-4799 The Bishop’s School Phone: (858) 459-4021 7607 La Jolla Boulevard Fax: (858) 459-3914 La Jolla, CA 92037-4799 www.bishops.com Phone: (858) 459-4021 Mission Statement Fax: (858) 459-3914 The Bishop’s School is an academic www.bishops.com community pursuing intellectual, artistic, and Mission athletic Statement excellence in the context of Thethe Bishop’s Episcopal School tradition. is an academic We are dedicated communitytopursuing offering the intellectual, highest quality artistic, education and athletictoexcellence a diverse student in the context body and of the to Episcopal fostering integrity, tradition.imagination, We are moral dedicated responsibility to offeringand the commitment highest quality to education serving the to alarger diverse community. student body and to fostering integrity, imagination, moral responsibility and commitment Cover Photo to serving thePhotographer larger community.

Pablo Mason From the Editor: We apologize for omitting the name Cindy Weiler from the board of trustees list in the fall/winter 2015 issue of Bishop’s.

Mrs. Weiler is a current trustee and serves as the board’s secretary. Please note: Craig Higgs ’62 is the board’s legal counsel.

SusanBlack Joan Howell Mallory ’72

For 32 years, Joan Black served The Bishop’s School as a teacher, department chair and dean of faculty. When she arrived in 1984 she witnessed the School’s efforts toward building the endowment; recognizing the generosity of those who made the growth possible and appreciating the opportunities that were available for deserving students.

As Joan and her husband Tom were considering what type of testamentary gift to put in place for The Bishop’s School, Joan’s retirement plan worked perfectly as part of the strategy.

We all want security for the future, which is why we are told to plan for retirement. Most of us hold retirement savings in assets such as IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s and pensions. If you are like many people, you’ve held these assets for a long time and have seen them grow. Because of the way these funds are distributed,

qualified nonprofit organizations are not subject to income

you likely will not use all of your retirement money during your

tax, you can be assured that the entire amount left in the

lifetime. So, the question for many individuals is, “What will

retirement plan will be put to good use.

I do with my unspent retirement savings?”

There are a number of ways that you can include your retirement plan as part of your gifting strategy. One of

Tom and I appreciate all that the School offers in academics, athletics and the arts, and are strongly committed to supporting The Bishop’s School’s Financial Aid Program.

the easiest ways is to make a gift of all or part of your retirement assets through your estate with a bequest.

A beneficiary designation is another option and for large plans, a testamentary charitable remainder unitrust can be established to receive the retirement assets upon your

Unfortunately, the problem with giving unspent retirement savings to family members (other than your surviving spouse) is

death, providing income for non-charitable beneficiaries before ultimately distributing to charity.

that the majority of your savings will be taxed. First, your estate

For more information on planned giving, visit

will pay tax on the asset and then your family members will pay

our planned giving page at www.bishops.com or

tax at their ordinary income rate resulting in very little of your

contact John A. Trifiletti, chief advancement officer,

remaining money actually going to the family member. Since

at (858) 875-0851, trifilettij@bishops.com.

Bishop’s magazine features glimpses of people who, by walking the halls of the School, are changing its face forever.

on the quad with AC

Mid-twentieth century religious author Stanley Pritchard once penned a thoughtful prayer for children and educators: God of truth and love, we ask Your blessing on those who feed the hearts, train the bodies, nurture the spirits and engage the minds of children. May they grip the imagination of those whom they teach and support, encouraging children to question, to explore, to create and to judge for themselves. And may our children learn how to send their roots down in the soil of life’s enduring values…that they may grow up strong in body, and mind and spirit.

Our Chaplain, The Rev. Brian Fidler shared this prayer in chapel this fall, and I take its words to heart, particularly as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the dedication of St. Mary’s Chapel. What better place to pose thoughtful questions and explore the experiences of one another. A century after its dedication, chapel remains an enduring part of the lives of all Bishop’s students and alumni—a place where, together, we feel nurture and support. commend the work of Bishop’s community members who feed hearts and minds so thoughtfully.

In the care of stalwart teachers like Dr. Jeff Geoghegan, Endowed Scholar-in-Residence and U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera and alumnus Roy Perkins ’08, from the students of our own Chapel Council to effervescent volunteers Lake Price and Laurie Ellsworth, young people are growing up strong in body, mind and spirit every day on the Bishop’s campus.

As you read of happenings on campus this winter and spring, know that we have enjoyed a fruitful year in every corner at Bishop’s, and our students have been very busy exploring and creating!

Sincerely,

Aimeclaire Roche Head of School

Above photo: Head of School Aimeclaire Roche and Endowed Scholar-in-Residence Juan Felipe Herrera

1 on the quad with AC

Pritchard’s words apply far outside St. Mary’s Chapel, too. As you will read in these pages, we

OPEN DOORS, OPEN MINDS

U.S. poet laureate urges Bishop’s students to find their own voices

By Joe Tash

J

uan Felipe Herrera sets the scene from more than 60 years ago when, as a first grader who spoke no English, he plucked up his courage and walked into an elementary school in Logan Heights, randomly picked a classroom and opened the door.

“That became my whole life,” Mr. Herrera tells a Bishop’s all-school assembly.

“I have a Ph.D. in opening doors.”

Mr. Herrera, the first Latino United States poet laureate, spent a week with the Bishop’s community through the School’s Endowed Scholar-in-Residence Program.

During his weeklong residency in January, he gave lectures, taught classes and met with students and faculty, during office hours and at impromptu meal time gatherings. The poet, academic and activist came to the School as part of an annual series of scholars who have each spent a full week at Bishop’s since the program was launched in 2007 with a $1 million gift from an anonymous Bishop’s family.

Mr. Herrera has published 30 books including poetry, young adult novels and collections for children. And he is likely the first scholar-in residence to break out a harmonica and play a tune during his talk to the Bishop’s student body.

With his soft-spoken, friendly demeanor, Mr. Herrera, who sports a salt and-pepper goatee, black-framed glasses and a blue fedora hat, made for a welcoming figure, whether talking before a large gathering or meeting in smaller groups around campus.

Julieta Torres-Worstell, chair of Bishop’s World Languages Department, which proposed Mr. Herrera as a scholar, shares that, “He’s very playful and willing to get his audience involved.” At times during his talks, he encouraged the audience to

Opposite page: Mr. Herrera and the Class of 2022

Open Doors, Open Minds 4

repeat his poetry, creating a call-and response cadence that made larger rooms feel more like an intimate venue.

One of Mr. Herrera’s main themes, Julieta says, is that students should find their own unique voice and share it with others. “Everybody has a voice that’s worth listening to, and your voice is worth sharing with the world. I thought his message was great for the kids and even for the adults,” she says.

“It was a wonderful experience to have the U.S. poet laureate here with us.

It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Adam Davis, English and poetry teacher, whose class met with Mr. Herrera twice.

While someone in such a distinguished position could have been stuffy and serious, Mr. Herrera didn’t come off that way. “He was focused on making poetry inclusive rather than exclusive. We felt like we were creating with him. He’s a man of the people,” says Adam.

Mr. Herrera is the son of migrant farm workers. Until he was six, his family lived in California’s Central Valley, working in the fields. Later, they came to San Diego, where he attended elementary school, junior high and high school. The family moved often, making it difficult for the young Juan Felipe to make friends. While his father was a man of few words, his mother was a “supreme storyteller and natural teacher,” which is one of the influences that led him to a writer’s life. He particularly recalls looking through a family photo album with his mother, who told him tales of relatives that stretched back to the late 1800s.

Mr. Herrera’s personal story, his rise from the fields of California to national prominence, inspired Gabi Tenorio ’17, herself the granddaughter of migrant farm workers. “I aspire to be like him.

He’s such an inspiration to a Mexican American Latina girl like me. He reminded me how much I can accomplish.”

After high school, Mr. Herrera studied at UCLA and Stanford, and later at the famed writer’s workshop at the University of Iowa. In 2015, he retired from a teaching career at Cal State Fresno and UC Riverside. He was named

“Your friends, and your associates, and the people around you, and the environment that you live in, and the speakers around you—the speakers around you—and the communicators around you, are the poetry makers.

If your mother tells you stories, she is a poetry maker.

If your father says stories, he is a poetry maker.

If your grandma tells you stories, she is a poetry maker.

And that’s who forms our poetics.”

— Juan Felipe Herrera

California poet laureate in 2012 and U.S. poet laureate in 2015. In April, he will complete his second year in the national post, an appointment made by the Librarian of Congress.

According to the Library of Congress, the poet laureate “serves as the nation’s official lightning rod for the poetic impulse of Americans. During his or her term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.”

Jett Liu ’17, who had lunch with Mr. Herrera during his visit and enjoyed a one-on-one conversation, said he was impressed by the poet’s originality and refusal to conform to society’s expectations. “Mr. Herrera was a needed reminder that individuality outshines conformity. I need to look at myself more, who I want to be and the passions I want to pursue.”

Mr. Herrera also had something to teach the students about the creative process. “It was a refreshing perspective,

that creating art is for the pure joy, but at the same time there is a lot of social urgency in his work. We were able to see both sides of that,” says Alex Tsai ’17.

“He gave me a fresh perspective on what I consider art to be. His work suggests that art can really be anything that strikes your fancy. It’s about enjoying the process.”

Sofia Rubio ’19, who went to see Mr. Herrera speak and read several times, and also joined him for meals, says she found his work “hauntingly beautiful.” Her encounters with the poet laureate also encouraged Sofia to get out of her comfort zone with her own writing. “You don’t need to have a solid idea of what you want to talk about. You just have to launch yourself into it and be brave enough to do it or else you’ll never get started with anything.”

Mr. Herrera, who moves easily from English to Spanish both when speaking and in his poetry, led students through a number of poetry writing exercises.

In one, he taught students how to make

And now you and me and everybody else here is On a bus to nowhere you got it?

Pero por eso nos venimos para salir de la nada But that’s why we came to leave all that nothing behind.”

teacher’s delight, for students to be that open and willing to do that much, and participate. It’s beautiful. I love it.

I wish I would have gone to this school, it’s amazing.”

Mr. Herrera’s work encompasses a broad range of topics, from joyful life celebrations to social commentary on difficult topics such as war, genocide, race and immigration. In one poem, “Borderbus,” Mr. Herrera writes about a conversation between two women who have been picked up by U.S. border officers and are being taken on a bus to a detention center: “Where are we going I am telling you I came from Honduras We haven’t eaten anything and where are we going to sleep I don’t want to talk about it just tell them That you came from nowhere I came from nowhere And we crossed the border from nowhere

5 Open Doors, Open Minds

a “serape poem” with colorful designs and words, which he said was a first time experiment. In another class, he had students act out a scene from a play, and in still another, he led them through an exercise of creating a list of many different types of words, and then had them pick words from the list to incorporate into poems.

Mr. Herrera encouraged students to express themselves with spontaneity.

“Believe in yourself, you have a beautiful voice. Scribble, create, experiment,” he tells the students at the all-school assembly. “Slap it on paper like you throw spaghetti on a wall. Send it out. Just make sure it’s spell-checked.”

Mr. Herrera says his Bishop’s residency marked the first time he has spent a full week visiting one school.

He was impressed, with the School community, including students, teachers, administrators and the campus itself. Students eagerly threw themselves into the creative writing experiments he devised, which he said is “a visiting

Mr. Herrera read from his 2013 book, Senegal Taxi, at an evening community lecture on campus. The book is about the war in Darfur, told through the voices of three Sudanese children. A reviewer of the book wrote, “It’s rare that a book of this kind is so moving and immediate. Herrera has the unusual capacity to write convincing political poems that are as personally felt as poems can be.”

As his two-year tenure as poet laureate nears its end this spring, Mr. Herrera is looking forward to the next chapter of his life. He lives in Fresno, and he plans to spend more time with his family, including thirteen grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren. He wants to play music with them and teach them Spanish.

He’ll also stay connected to poetry and writing through the “Laureate Lab,” an experimental poetry center at Cal State Fresno, which is open to both students and the public. Poetry, says Mr. Herrera, should not be like a rare flower kept under glass, but something shared with others. “You have to get it out there,” he says. “You create it and you give it away, and people respond.”

One of his professors at the University of Iowa, Marvin Bell, liked to say that no one knows exactly what a poem is, because there is no universally accepted definition.

But Mr. Herrera, the poet, seems to have thought a lot about the meaning of his craft. “It’s the heart of the people, it’s the song of the people, it’s the freedom shout of the people,” Mr. Herrera says.

“It’s a delight of connecting thought with all thought. It’s expanding the human condition. It’s a place of silence and peace. It’s the delight of writing, it’s philosophical inquiry and reflection, and it’s a language unto its own at the same time. And we all share it.”

St. Mary’s Chapel: Still New After

100 Years

By Zach Jones ’01

St. Mary’s Chapel: Still New After 100 Years 6

O

n a campus rich with architectural history, perhaps no building at The Bishop’s School links the students of the present to the ones of the past like St. Mary’s Chapel. Nestled at the junction of two of the School’s oldest buildings, Gilman and Bentham halls, the chapel has welcomed students to worship since World War I, reunited them during reunion weekends and brought more than 300 couples together in marriage.

Originally commissioned by Isabel Johnson—wife of School founder Bishop Joseph H. Johnson—in memory of her mother, St. Mary’s is a rarity among the School’s early buildings, designed not by architect Irving Gill but by Carleton Monroe Winslow.

It was dedicated on February 15, 1917.

In the 100 years since, gathering in this small space has become one of the most iconic shared experiences in Bishop’s life—an experience which The Rt. Rev. James Mathes, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, referenced in the opening of his Collect during February’s Evensong 100th anniversary service: “O God, we give

thanks for holy dwellings of grace and beauty where we join with you in sacred moments that consecrate our lives and give them meaning.”

When Bishop’s Chaplain Brian Fidler arrived in La Jolla six years ago, he says it was clear that the chapel’s tradition and centrality in student life was as strong as ever. “When Head of School Aimeclaire Roche brought me on, she saw that as a wonderful opportunity for the community to take a step back and ask what the chapel program means at this point in time,” Brian says.

“We spent six to eight months in a kind of discernment process, and the result of that you can see quite easily.”

The primary result was a codifying of the chapel program’s mission, a statement of five chapel attributes which are detailed on the School’s website. “It was really just a matter of clarifying very specific language that we were going to hold up and say ‘This is who we are,’” Brian says, “and if you come to Bishop’s, this is what you can expect.”

But keeping the chapel a place that is both relevant and nourishing for

a community that explicitly invites students of all faith backgrounds has been about more than merely articulating a mission statement. Central to a modern chapel program that can effectively serve the Bishop’s community is, in a word, students.

Students like senior Amber Ray and sophomore Nathan Wu, both members of the School’s Chapel Council, who serve as representatives for their respective

Opposite page: Rev. Brian Fidler welcomes students to chapel; above: sixth and seventh grade chapel

classes. They are empowered to exchange ideas with each other and Brian about how chapel services should look, from details of ritual to the content of the weekly message. The council has invited a wide range of speakers, from on campus personalities like teachers and administrators, to the associate rector from Amber’s church and The Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., the founder of Homeboy Industries (a Los Angeles

based gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program).

“Having people (speak in chapel) who students don’t interface with on a day-to-day basis is interesting,” says Amber, who was recruited to the council in eighth grade and has contributed regularly since. “You get used to seeing people on campus, but it can be more engaging when you have somebody you don’t know coming to speak.”

Designing a chapel service that meets the needs of a wide swath of students is a delicate balance of consistency and variety. As Nathan points out, “Chapel means different things to different people.”

For some, scripture is less important than serenity, a chance to be enveloped in a meditative atmosphere in the midst of an otherwise demanding schedule.

“Chapel for them represents a quiet

CHAPEL ATTRIBUTES • Welcoming the Individual and the Community • Spiritually Meaningful and Morally Substantive • Intellectually Thoughtful • Service Oriented

St. Mary’s Chapel: Still New After 100 Years 8

• Reliant upon Ritual

place and a space in the day when they can step away from the busyness of their lives,” Brian says. “That in and of itself might not be an overtly religious statement, but it’s a deeply spiritual one.”

On the other hand, students like Amber and Nathan, who were raised in church traditions of their own, find value in the chapel’s weekly offering of liturgy and prayer.

Brian says the nature of an Episcopal education makes it possible to maintain both tradition and innovation in a way that is epitomized by one of the five chapel attributes, “Welcoming the Individual and the Community.”

Chapel talks have ranged from a discussion of the plight of European Jews during the Holocaust and its relationship to modern discussions of immigration and sanctuary, to Nathan’s own talk about his experiences with community service and the opportunities available for his schoolmates. “My family went on our first medical mission to Haiti in December 2014, when I was in eighth grade,” he says. “We loved it so much, so I shared what we did there—we set up mobile clinics that were able to see 1,700 patients within a week. We took two trips

in 2015—to the Philippines over spring break and back to Haiti in December.”

As the community service representative for his class, Nathan says a chapel service was a great venue to plant the seeds of service in some of the School’s younger students. “Those are big community service opportunities and not realistic for an average ninth grader, so then I talked about local community service opportunities. I’m glad I got to share it with eighth- and ninth-graders, who are pretty young. Hopefully as they go through their upper school years they can attach themselves to an organization and be passionate about community service.”

In some ways, the centennial of St. Mary’s Chapel is bathed in beautiful symmetry, and as Brian points out, “People of faith don’t

believe in coincidences.”

Bishop Mathes—who also serves as the chairman of the School’s Board of Trustees by virtue of his role as bishop—will join the Virginia Theological Seminary later this year.

Thus, one of his final duties in his special position at the School was to celebrate the dedication of one of its most iconic buildings.

Another key participant in the celebratory Evensong service was Steven Townsend, the pastor for music ministries at nearby St. James by-the-Sea, who will retire from that position this year. Steven has been the catalyst for regular Evensong services at St. Mary’s over the years, and he directed the music during February’s anniversary service, including the Bishop’s Singers.

100 years into its life, St. Mary’s continues to be a physical bridge between students past and present— lined as it is with the names of graduates who have come before. But Brian says there is a special bond for current students, who have a voice in how the chapel program is run on a weekly basis.

He calls the relationship between Bishop’s and the Episcopal Church’s

San Diego Diocese “probably the healthiest I’ve experienced in my 34 years” as a school chaplain. He credits Head of School Aimeclaire Roche with committing to the centrality of the chapel in student life, and the students for rising to the task of making it their own.

“The more they have a sense of ownership in the place, then the more it reflects their lives and their needs for that place,” he says. “It really has become so expected that this is simply a student-run kind of enterprise, and I think that we’ve gotten to the point that it’s no longer novel—that’s just what is. The chapel is not just my space, it is our space.”

Opposite page: The Rt. Rev. James Mathes, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, and The Rev. Brian Fidler, chaplain at The Bishop’s School; this page, above: Evensong held in celebration of the dedication of St. Mary’s Chapel. Right: Some of the students involved on the Chapel Council include (front row) Jamie Dyvig ’17, Juliette Levy ’22, Athena Hernandez ’23, Ashley LaBrucherie ’23, Eve Paris ’23; (middle row) Drew Kessler ’21, Hady Shahbaz ’18, Sabrina Webster ’21, Shane Uribe ’18; (back row) The Rev. Brian Fidler, Amber Ray ’17, Sayeh Kohani ’18, Nathan Wu ’19, Maya Buckley ’22, Daniel Ardjmand ’19.

E NDOWED L E A D E R S H I P L E C T U R E S E R I E S

One Alumnus, Many Medals

By Diane Y. Welch

One Alumnus, Many Medals 10

I

t is the morning of Feb. 28, and stormy rain pelts the Bishop’s campus. Students dash to the Eva May Fleet Athletic Center with hoodies zipped and heads covered—their “free dress” attire a deliberate departure from the traditional plaid skirts, khakis and polo shirts. The all-school assembly begins Acceptance Week, organized by the School’s Peer Support Group. And although the school uniform is absent this day, excitement and pride couldn’t be more present.

For the packed audience in the gymnasium, heightened chatter soon hushes as all eyes and ears focus intently on a lone figure, Roy Perkins Jr. ’08 who stands solid and unwavering at the podium, unnerved by the attention and ready to give his presentation as part of the School’s Endowed Leadership Lecture Series (ELLS), a program that brings exemplary leaders to campus to share their stories.

Roy, who was born without hands and feet, is a swimming champion. He has 14 medals to his credit, including his most recent gold medal for 50-meter butterfly, awarded at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Paralympic Games.

Roy’s moving and entertaining presentation evoked both awe and laughter and began with a video tracing his infant and toddler years with his first prosthetic legs. It shows him as a confident child playing soccer and ultimately captures his crowning achievement as he wins gold in the butterfly event at the Rio Paralympic Games.

His mom, Jana Perkins, was determined to give her little boy every chance and advantage of other kids, says Roy. Consequently, he was enrolled in a variety of sports from a young age and his competitive spirit emerged. “My

mom never made me feel that I was different. Her only rule was that I had to try a sport at least once before I said I couldn’t do it.”

Roy first came to Bishop’s in middle school when his family moved to Del Mar. “Initially I was pretty terrified, but one thing I don’t have memories of is a feeling of being unaccepted,” he recalls.

It was made clear to him that the School would accommodate his needs “but they wouldn’t give me any shortcuts. They treated me like any other student.”

His life took a definitive turn when his parents enrolled him in swim lessons “so I wouldn’t die in the ocean,” he jokes. “But I ended up really liking it.”

Eventually, he trained in the pool five or six days a week, along with weight training. “I honestly got sick of it sometimes, but I always had a goal in mind. I trained for 12 years straight.”

Roy told the students that right now he is “finally taking a break.”

Roy’s determination has resulted in world championship status. He is a three-time Paralympian, competing in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games winning 11 medals: two gold, five silver and four bronze. He has also competed in other international swim events garnering an additional 14 medals.

Roy has set the world standard in the S5 swimming disability classification.

Opposite page, top: Roy Perkins ’08 and Head of School Aimeclaire Roche; bottom: Peer Support Group. This page: Roy receiving the 2017 Challenged Athlete of the Year award from Jim Laslavic.

they are and learn to accept instead of discriminate.”

During each grade-level chapel, science teacher Julie Zedalis shared her experience of having a son with Down syndrome and during each class meeting, a student spoke of experiencing a feeling of being accepted or unaccepted.

In one of the week’s activities Peer Support passed out oversized puzzle pieces to faculty, staff and advisors encouraging them to decorate the pieces to evoke kindness and acceptance. The pieces were then gathered to create a giant 100-piece puzzle on the terrace.

“We also decorated tennis balls together,” says group member Tyler Roberts ’18. “This was part of a game where everyone passed around the balls all day to unite the community in a seemingly insignificant but very meaningful way.”

The week rounded out with students placing Post-it notes on each student’s locker on campus. “Sure, one might not take to heart a ‘you have the best smile I’ve ever seen,’ sticky note from a random peer supporter, but it reinforces the importance of self-acceptance,” Tyler remarks.

Caroline is awed by the fact that Roy was a Bishop’s student. “He studied and trained here as merely a student like me.

He showed many of us that it is possible to achieve great things while under the academic pressure we face and that anyone can go on to inspire and bring pride to your country.”

The ELLS lecture closes as Roy is awarded a medal of another kind.

“Welcome back to Bishop’s,” says Head of School Aimeclaire Roche. “I’m very proud to offer the Bishop’s Medal to Roy not only for his Paralympic medals, for his representation of the USA as well as The Bishop’s School, but also for his wisdom and example to us all.”

Listening to Roy’s presentation gives Caroline immense pride to be a Bishop’s student. “It has opened up my mind to see the great potential in all of my classmates and myself.”

11 One Alumnus, Many Medals

In 2008 he was the co-recipient of the Challenged Athlete of the Year award by the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Prior to that accolade he was named the 2006 Challenged Athlete of the Year by the San Diego Hall of Champions, an award he was given again in 2017.

The Peer Support Group that brought Roy to school comprises 13 upper school students who organize and promote events and outreach on campus to show support, kindness and acceptance of their peers, says school counselor Megan Cooper Broderick ’98, who facilitated the week’s activities.

Led by unofficial president, Cassidy Ball ’17, peer support students get together to talk about big issues to help ease the stress and tensions that may occur on campus, says group member Caroline Maywood ’18.

The idea of acceptance evolved from progressive actions among the students regarding prejudice toward gender, ethnicity and race, says Caroline. “With the current climate in the United States, violence and hate crimes could possibly impact the sentiments of students here, so we wanted to come up with a week where everyone was free to be who

bishop’s profile

Parents Fund Success Dynamic duo leads the charge.

bishop’s profile | Parents Fund Success 12

By Joe Tash

W

ith participation rates that have hovered between 95 and 99 percent over the past five years, the Parents Fund at The Bishop’s School, a part of the School’s Annual Giving Campaign, is so successful that it would be hard to improve upon. And one of the driving forces behind that success is the teamwork of Laurie Ellsworth and Lake Price, who are in the midst of a two-year commitment as co-chairs of the annual fundraising effort.

“This school year we have a 99 percent participation rate, that’s pretty awesome,” says Gale Hill, senior director of advancement at Bishop’s.

A crucial ingredient of this type of success is the work of the co-chairs, in this case, Laurie and Lake. The two have

Lake Price and Laurie Ellsworth; Members of the Parents Fund class teams promote Giving Tuesday.

known each other since their children went to preschool together. Later, they both volunteered to make calls to parents in their children’s classes for the Parents Fund and have now worked their way up to leadership positions.

The contribution of the co-chairs, says Gale, “is everything. They’re the ones who really get those teams together. The School couldn’t do it without having strong leadership. It’s really critical, their level of involvement, commitment and passion.”

The volunteer effort consists of parent callers, divided into teams linked to the grade level of their children. Each grade level team has a team captain. The volunteers gather in a room at Bishop’s for three or four evenings in the fall to reach out to the 650+ current families in the Bishop’s community, and the goal is to contact every family. The volunteers place calls from their cell phones, or send texts or emails to Bishop’s families.

Laurie and Lake said the calling nights

“We try to emphasize how important it is to be involved with the School at whatever level you can.” purposes, from bringing in speakers when an unplanned opportunity arises, to attracting and keeping top teachers, to fixing something that breaks unexpectedly on campus.

The money creates a budgetary cushion for Head of School Aimeclaire Roche, giving her “the flexibility and resources to make decisions when an unexpected need or opportunity comes up,” says Laurie, without disrupting the School’s ongoing, budgeted programs.

Parents Fund contributions also provide “intellectual snacks” for the students, by providing for speakers or enrichment activities that are outside of the regular academic program covered by tuition.

Laurie and Lake each have two children at the School, and one of their motivations for volunteering is their appreciation for what Bishop’s offers its students. “The faculty create an intellectually curious environment, it’s really amazing,” says Lake.

His sons are Sterling ’21 and Oliver ’23.

With a background in high-tech product management, for the past three or four years, Lake has been a stay-at-home dad.

His wife, Barbara, is an executive with Scripps Healthcare. Lake and his family love to travel, and recent destinations have included Myanmar and Morocco.

They also frequently visit his family’s farm in Missouri.

Laurie and her family, including Nicole ’21 and Erin ’23, also enjoy traveling, whether it’s across the country to Charleston, South Carolina or to Europe. Her background is in marketing, with an emphasis on branding and strategic planning, and she also worked as a television news video editor. Her husband, Tom, is an entrepreneur in the boating industry. When she’s not volunteering at Bishop’s, Laurie’s passion is her horse and the equestrian sport of dressage, a hobby she shares with her older daughter. Her younger daughter is

Oliver ’23, Lake, Barbara and Sterling ’21 Price

Nicole ’21, Tom, Erin ’23 and Laurie Ellsworth

an avid soccer player.

Both Lake and Laurie stress that the work they do with the Parents Fund is intended to directly benefit every child who attends The Bishop’s School, by enriching and broadening their experiences. “The Parents Fund is a platform for all parents to come together and help our students.”

13 bishop’s profile | Parents Fund Success

are fun evenings for the volunteers, who get in the spirit by enjoying dinner as they work to raise funds for Bishop’s.

The amount of money pledged by each family is not the focus; rather it is to have as many families as possible take part in the fundraising, which fills a gap between the cost of providing an education at Bishop’s and the amount received in tuition.

Parent contributions amount to 77 percent of the funds raised during the Annual Giving Campaign, and the School relies on those funds to cover about 8 percent of its budget or a gap of approximately $2,000 per student.

Unrestricted gifts to annual giving play a critical role in filling this gap.

“We try to emphasize how important it is to be involved with the School at whatever level you can,” says Lake, as parent participation equates with support for the School and its mission.

“We want parents to participate at whatever level they are comfortable with.”

Laurie says she first became involved when her daughter was in sixth grade, making calls as part of her grade-level team. The next year, she became a team captain, followed this year by her assuming the role of Parents Fund co-chair. “It’s sharing enthusiasm about the School. It comes very easily,” Laurie says of her volunteer role. “We’re parents reaching out to parents, so there’s a real authenticity to the communication that’s happening.”

Lake says his experience during last fall’s Parents Fund campaign was fantastic. “Laurie and I get the troops excited and recruit the team captains.

Beyond that our awesome volunteers take over, and we are there for moral support.” He also credits the School staff with doing the heavy lifting.

Money raised through the Parents Fund campaign is used for a variety of

Bishop’s Athletes Travel Different Roads to Find the Right Fit

By Zach Jones ’01

Bishop’s Athletes Travel Different Roads to Find the Right Fit 14

B

efore she started doing her own research, Sabrina Moreno ’15 had never heard of Guilford College, and they’d never heard of her, either.

As it turns out, this small liberal arts college founded by Quakers felt like her experience at Bishop’s, something she was eager to recreate. And to Guilford softball coach Dennis Shores, Sabrina looked like the kind of player who doesn’t just show up on campus in Greensboro, North Carolina every day.

“I was looking for small private schools, because Bishop’s gave me that amazing opportunity to have a small student-to-teacher ratio, so I knew that’s what I wanted in college,” she says.

“My coach said that he was done (recruiting), but as soon as I sent him my softball information he said, ‘We can find room for you.’”

The softball team added a great hitter, and Sabrina found a college home where she says she’d still be happy as a student even if she never played another game.

For Bishop’s Director of Athletics

Joel Allen, it’s that kind of perfect match between school and player that should be the goal for every prospective college athlete.

Many students’ dreams of playing a sport in college begin with the top echelon Division I programs they see on TV, but evolve over the course of the college application process.

AJ Jezierski is one of four college counselors on campus and begins working with students midway through their sophomore year. He estimates that about 20 percent of them have at least a conversation about playing a sport at the next level, but a lot can happen in the time between those early discussions and the day a student decides where to pursue the next phase of his or her education.

“We have a lot of students who love playing sports, but realize they’re not going to be able to do it at the University of Georgia,” he says. “But they might be able to do it at a Division III level or a smaller school that’s a little off the beaten path.”

That’s not to say that counselors or coaches try to steer Bishop’s athletes away from big-time college sports, especially if competing on the biggest stage is a priority.

As Joel puts it,

“I’m not a dream crusher. The process of finding the best fit for our student athletes—whether that’s at a big school or a small school, Division I or Division III —is one I enjoy.”

What Joel stresses is a realistic approach to the process, which means an understanding of which doors may open (or close) depending on which school a student chooses.

“These schools, depending on the division, scholarship or non-scholarship, the amount of commitment changes dramatically,” he says. “If you go to Harvard, and you’re going to play football there, you’re probably not going to run track. The coach may say you can try out for the baseball team, but it’s not happening. Now, if you want to go to Amherst, a Division III school, they have eight games and no spring ball for football. You can be on the track team, the baseball team, whatever you like, and they’re going to support it 100 percent.”

For Richard Hagestad ’16, it was the very promise of commitment and the challenge of competing against the country’s top recruits that drew him to a walk-on opportunity on the University of Southern California football team, eschewing offers to play at schools like Cornell University and Lafayette College.

His father John attended USC, and his brother Stewart (golf) and cousin J.B. Green (football, volleyball) both played sports there, so Richard felt like he knew the place. As for the year-round grind of a Pac-12 football program, he says it’s both challenging and, oddly freeing.

“I want to be a part of the team, number one,” he says. “I want to have the structure as part of my school experience—working out every day, getting up at 5 every morning for workouts in the winter and all that stuff.

I’m going to push my comfort zone

Opposite page, bottom: AJ Jezierski, Stephanie Plowden ’17; this page, left: Joel Allen, Justin Woodley ’17

“They have this opportunity to play college baseball, football, basketball, soccer, whatever it may be… and it may be at a school that they’ve heard about for the first time in the college counseling office, and not one they’ve seen on March Madness or in a still want to be at the school? And here, the answer is yes, for sure.”

An appreciation for that total picture—the trade-offs, the sacrifices, the opportunities that come with every choice—that’s the concept that Bishop’s coaches and counselors alike stress to students as they navigate the college process.

An open dialogue with his students’ coaches gives AJ a clearer picture of their recruiting options, allowing him to introduce them to schools (and athletic programs) they may never have considered.

“We’re trying to remind the students that regardless of their recruitability, there’s more out there than just the sport,” he says. “So, if they’re going to pursue playing sports at the next level, they need to also be thinking about what they’re going to be doing in the classroom.”

Joel says the School’s mission is to be “preparatory” in every sense, readying students for everything that lies ahead, both on and off the field.

“Our job as coaches is really just to instill a love for the game, to build a

huge bowl game.”

program that somewhat represents what it may look like at a collegiate level,” he says. “It’s the same thing we do in the classroom—we’re doing our best to have our biology class represent what that class may look like at the next level.”

This fall, dozens of student-athletes will trade the comforts of Bishop’s to continue their careers at colleges across the country. If all goes according to plan, they’ll find a fit as perfect as the one they just left.

College counseling and athletics recently hosted “College Bound Athlete Night” which provides expert advice about the college recruiting process. Watch the video of the panel discussion at www.bishops.com/athleticsnews.

15 Bishop’s Athletes Travel Different Roads to Find the Right Fit

really hard and see what happens, see how much I can max out my own football potential, and there’s no better place to do it.”

At the same time, his pursuit of an athletic challenge has brought him to a place where he can enjoy a college experience without football as well.

“There are a lot of walk-ons who stop playing—I’m still playing, still like it, love the game—but I might want to study abroad,” Richard says. “At that point, I might not be able to keep playing. Without football, would I

CENTER

STAGE with

Arnell Powell ’94

By Trisha J. Ratledge

Alumni Profile: Arnell Powell 16

A

A Bishop’s alumnus talks acting, authenticity and the arts.

rnell Powell ’94 carries powerful lessons from The Bishop’s School not only in his acting career, but in life, including one he discovered on stage of the School’s black box theatre: the importance of developing—and trusting—his own voice.

In a scene he performed at Bishop’s from the play “‘Master Harold’… and the Boys,” Arnell recalls his character being humiliated by another character. “I was just furious,” Arnell says. “The emotions that I felt and that came through on stage as I was telling the story were really appreciated. People were excited about it. The stage felt like a safe place for me to be more fully myself, to connect with people on a deeper level, on an authentic level.”

A successful working actor today, Arnell has a thriving career in theatre, television, film and commercials.

His portfolio includes roles in such theatrical productions as the national tour of “Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk” and the lead in “King Lear” for the Classical Theatre of Harlem;

recurring roles in several television series, including “Drop Dead Diva,” “Switched at Birth” and “The Mick;” as well as film roles in “The Conjuring,” “Hidden Figures” and the recently completed “Soul Ties.” His many commercial roles have included spots for Gogurt, Jimmy Dean, State Farm, Kellogg’s and Disney Parks.

As a freshman at Bishop’s, Arnell first developed his interest in acting in a drama class taught by Courtney Flanagan. “It was the one extracurricular thing that I did consistently from that point on,” he says. “I knew early on where my passion was.”

It was also a means to find his way and his sense of self in an unfamiliar environment. An African-American student with fewer peers on campus at the time, the School was a “foreign place to me culturally,” he says. “On stage, I could experience the full depth and breadth of my emotions and people understood me in a way that they didn’t when I was walking around as Arnell.”

While famously challenging, the academic rigor at Bishop’s was a blessing, says Arnell, and more than 20 years after graduating, he can easily tick off faculty names and the lessons that still resonate in his life, from memorizing The Canterbury Tales in Gideon Rappaport’s class and using phonetic markers to clarify Middle English pronunciation to dissecting complex literature themes in Watson Branch’s class.

“What that left me with was how literature can bear your endless inquiries into the text,” Arnell says.

“You will constantly uncover answers, and that’s very helpful when you are trying to build a character, when you are trying to tell the story authentically as you think the playwright would want you to tell the story.”

Some lessons were a bit more painful, such as when Arnell was late to a rehearsal for “West Side Story” because he was picking up shoes for the Jet Song dance number. He was cut from the dance. “It really taught me in one fell swoop the importance of being on time in life and especially in the theatre,” he says.

operations with their walkie-talkies where the fate of the world hangs in the balance of their spy missions.

“We take it very seriously,” he says playfully.

Arnell is about to embark on a new chapter this summer when he and his fiancée, Jameelah Harris, a college nursing instructor and special education school nurse, plan to get married. They share a love for community service, outdoor activities and, not surprisingly, the theatre.

Thinking about the professional legacy he will leave behind many years from now, Arnell is considering projects that are more personal in nature, perhaps autobiographical.

“My voice is unique and multifaceted and that’s due in large part to my time at Bishop’s because I had to learn how to navigate a world that was different from mine,” he says, describing how he adapted his behavior, his speech and even his appearance to

reflect the community he was in, whether it was his church or his classroom. While successful, he still stood out. “That was excruciating during those years, but I’m grateful for it, because I think I have a really good ability to exist in both of those worlds with ease.”

In time, he learned that he needed instead to project his authentic self no matter where he is. It’s part of a broader lesson he shares with others today.

“When I talk to kids about going into acting, the one thing I want to convey to them is that it’s so important to understand the value in your voice.

“In 20 years, you are going to come to that conclusion anyway, but how much have you given up along the way on your path to discovering that? How much have you given away and how much have you conformed in an attempt to be something other than authentic? That principle transcends the business of acting and is applicable to any career. The thing that makes you, you is the thing that will bring you success if you just stay true to it.”

tle s Opposite page, left: Former Headmaster a f C a e Michael Teitelman awards Arnell Powell l n e his diploma in 1994; inset photo: Arnell in Bishop’s production of “Hamlet.” h Gre h t r i This page: Arnell and daughter Zora B c t s a o B d e h c ad t i o es r w R u S g d e Fi s R e n l e s e I d ng i Th d r & i a u i j H l iv n o z o D z rs C i d e a R e n e h o o T D m p y e n Dro ed r o e rd r H s a e t e i p s p i T s e h Tw t Whi ul s r o e S s nd o U h G he r S. a T .

I ht B . g i C e . s th N nd i g n H i s Rai .

E.R e es tic v s i u w e J se as u C o Cold erate H e

OWN—Greenleaf | slick politician

Lifetime—Drop Dead Diva | judge

Still credits from: http://arnellpowellactor.com

Upcoming Motion Picture 2018—Soul Ties | Uncle Cleo

17 Center Stage with Arnell Powell ’94

Arnell’s growth as an actor continued in undergraduate studies at New York University and then in the NYU Graduate Acting program, but still his thoughts were not on a career. However, he caught the interest of a manager from his performance in NYU’s graduate acting showcase and, as a new NYU MFA graduate, he was able to get appointments when he went to Los Angeles. He started booking commercials—often as an affable dad—and before he knew it, he was making a living as an actor.

The decision to turn this pursuit into his career is one he continues to make every day, he says, laughing.

“This rides alongside you in life,” Arnell adds, turning serious. “It’s a career, but it’s so incredibly personal. The thing that you are working on is yourself.”

Just like his commercial persona, Arnell has a real-life role as an affable dad to his 10-year-old daughter, Zora.

In their spare time, they take on covert

faculty focus

Dr. Jeff Geoghegan Brings the teaching of history into the 21st century

faculty focus | Dr. Jeff Geoghegan 18

By Jared Scott Tesler

D

r. Jeff Geoghegan finds tremendous fulfillment in getting—and keeping—eleventh and twelfth grade students of The Bishop’s School interested and engaged in history.

“History is ultimately our story, allowing us to better understand who we are and how we got to where we are today. As a result, history is inherently interesting, providing students an opportunity to learn not only about the past but about themselves,” says Jeff, who studied modern ideologies and social theory in college, and ancient civilizations and cultures in graduate school.

One of Jeff ’s goals as a teacher is to assist students in making these connections between the past and the present, between the human narrative of history and their own story. Another goal is to foster understanding and empathy in the way students view the lives and times of historical figures.

Rather than simply reading about Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, or Kit Carson and the Oregon Trail, or even Al Capone and the Roaring Twenties, students in Jeff ’s Advanced Placement United States History classes actually meet these individuals—when Jeff dresses up as these historic figures. Students, too,

are assigned roles as they debate difficult decisions during times of crisis, just like those who came before them, such as whether or not to join the American Revolution or how best to rebuild the nation following the Civil War. “It’s easy to pass judgment on people from the past, especially with the perspective of history. However, to genuinely seek to understand historical figures, even to empathize with them, makes not only for better history but better humanity,” he says. “By studying the past, we gain insight and perspective into who we are as humans and how we might address our present and future challenges.”

Over the course of his career, Jeff has authored three books—one of which, The Bible for Dummies, has been translated into Spanish, Dutch, German and Portuguese—as well as book chapters, book reviews and conference papers. Since arriving at Bishop’s in 2008, he has sat on numerous committees, including the Head of Middle School Search Committee, and he served as co-chair of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Committee. During this year’s spring break, in the midst of Winter Storm Stella, he volunteered his time as a chaperone on the eighth grade East Coast trip, shepherding 72 students as they journeyed through Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. At the heart of Jeff ’s own past, present and future is his family, which includes his wife, Jannetta, and three children (ages 21, 19 and 14). Bishop’s alumnus Nathaniel ’13 studied abroad in Scotland during his junior year at San Diego State University and received his bachelor’s degree in English.

Brittany, who left Bishop’s to pursue a career in ballet, spent her senior year at San Francisco Ballet School and currently attends San Diego Miramar College. Abigail is an eighth-grader at The Classical Academy in Escondido, where she enjoys musical performance, student government and playing volleyball. “She, much to her dad’s delight, also loves history,” shares Jeff, whose other interests include running, hiking and reading.

Above: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Jeff in his classroom during Dr. Rice’s visit to Bishop’s in 2012; below: Jeff, Abigail, Brittany, Jannetta and Nathan ’13 Geoghegan

Having studied nearly a dozen languages during his academic career, the social sciences savant has also visited various parts of the world including Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Holland, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Scotland and Turkey. Through the Jacobs Prize for Faculty Enrichment, in 2012 the entire Geoghegan clan had the opportunity to travel to England, France and Italy, ultimately heightening Jeff ’s historical and cultural awareness.

This Jacobs Prize experience deepened Jeff ’s understanding of these countries and, as a consequence, enriched his classroom teaching. In fact, he still uses photos from that trip to show students the people and places about which they are learning.

At Bishop’s, aside from “remarkable, extremely motivated students who sincerely care about their education and each other,” Jeff takes pride and joy in the genuine sense of community and connectedness that permeates the campus.

“I wanted to be in a place where I felt connected to a community, where I could teach students at a high level of intellectual engagement while at the same time getting to know them as individuals outside of the classroom, whether coaching them in sports, watching them in artistic performances and academic competitions or getting to know their families. This type of community, which is the hallmark of Bishop’s, is unique, and fulfilling for me professionally and personally.”

19 faculty focus | Dr. Jeff Geoghegan

Also a teacher of Advanced Placement Comparative Government and Politics, Jeff draws upon the worldwide phenomenon of award-winning playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical “Hamilton” to further illustrate his philosophy: “Beyond its compelling storyline and remarkable music, it brings people from the past to life on stage in such a way that we are forced to reckon with them as people, with all their complexities and contradictions. In the process, we discover that they are not so different from us and that, given the same circumstances, we may have thought or acted in very similar ways. That’s the power of history: it helps us to better understand and learn from our own humanity by seeing the humanity in others, whether past or present.”

As chair of Bishop’s History and Social Sciences Department, Jeff has helped organize weeklong campus visits from Dr. Douglas Brinkley and Dr. Robert Dallek, both presidential historians and best-selling authors, as part of the Endowed Scholar-in Residence Program. He has also done his fair share of lecturing—from local, national and international speaking engagements to his current post as adjunct professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Diego, where he teaches a course that delves into the origins and development of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He even appeared on the History Channel’s six-part documentary series ”Bible Secrets Revealed.”

What feels like the end is actually the beginning.

Class of 2017 Commencement 20

Congratulations to the Class of 2017!

138 789

grads

offers of admission to

213

colleges and universities

Attending

29 14

69

different colleges

Cum Laude Society Inductees National Merit Finalists

bishop’s buzz FACULTY

ALUMNI

An article that Ashley Hurlock,

Jane Adams ’87, a member of

science department, co-authored

the Bishop’s Board of Trustees

for her master’s thesis at

and a biotechnology law attorney

Chapman University has been

with Cooley LLP in San Diego,

published in the Journal of

was profiled in the 2017

STEM Education: Innovations

Best Lawyers, a peer-review

and Research. n Jay Zhao,

publication. Jane was listed

mathematics department, was

as a Best Lawyers “Lawyer of

invited by the University of

the Year” in 2014 for her work

Rochester to present a one-hour

in biotechnology law.

bishop’s buzz 22

talk at its Algebra and Number

Salvation Army Women’s

Bishop’s team (“Bishbots”) and

Auxiliary. Congratulations to

the School are grateful to the

Susan Hoehn (Adrienne Hoehn

Ellen Browning Scripps

Sherman ’97, Ted Hoehn ’01), Yolanda Walther-Meade (Elsa Walther-Meade Collins ’98) and Joani Wafer (Charles ’04, Christina ’05 and Patrick ’07 Wafer).

NEWS Bishop’s hosted its first robotics competition on Jan. 22 that

Foundation and its Executive Director Douglas Dawson for underwriting support of the robotics program and this competition. n Darlene Davies, a member of the Head of School Trust, was one of six women inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame. For over three decades Darlene has documented the stories of individuals and

Seminar and by Duke University

PARENTS OF ALUMNI

to present a one-hour talk at

Best Lawyers, a peer-review

teams to the campus. Played in

institutions, including the past

its Number Theory Seminar.

publication, has named James

the Eva May Fleet Athletic Center,

five years spent as the official

n The San Diego County Art

Hill (Katherine Hill Reischl ’01,

the contest took place on two,

historian of the Old Globe. n

Education Association has

Travis ’06 and Julia ’10 Hill) the

12’ x 12’ fields where the student

Sydney Gerlach ’20, who played

selected Elizabeth Wepsic,

“2017 Bankruptcy Lawyer of the

teams used the robots they built

Anne Frank in the School’s

visual arts department chair,

Year.” Jim is a partner at the

to hurl foam stars and cubes

February production, is the

to jury the sculptural arts

firm, Sullivan Hill Lewin Rez &

section of the Youth Art

Engel. n In March, three parents

team was coached by robotics

Exhibition at the San Diego

of alumni were recognized as

teacher, Evan Pruitt, a member

Art Institute this year.

Angels of Dedication by the

of the science department. The

attracted 28 Southern California

across a fence into the opposing teams’ territory. The Bishop’s

daughter of Alison Gerlach ’89, who also played the role of Anne while at Bishop’s. Courtney Flanagan, Bishop’s theatre teacher, directed both Alison and Sydney. n The Jacobs family created the Jacobs Prize in 2009 as a way to enrich Bishop’s faculty in a most unique manner.

Teachers who apply for and receive the prize can use it for any purpose during the summer or school holidays. Whether traveling to parts of the world about which they may teach, but have never visited, or taking a personal passion to the next level, the Jacobs Prize has enriched 28 faculty members with a variety of opportunities.

For Ben Duehr, a member of the science department, the Jacobs Prize gave him and Jill Ann, his wife, the opportunity to recreate their 2006 honeymoon in St. Lucia. With the prize in

WEBNews Bishop’s Online

https://www.facebook.com/the.bishops.school/

https://www.instagram.com/the_bishops_school/ https://www.youtube.com/BishopsSchool

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thebishopsschool/ Ben and Jill Ann Duehr

hand, the Duehrs spent the

accomplishments. Arriving in

week of Thanksgiving 2016

2000 as a mathematics and

family—husband Andrew,

innovations I helped support in

in St. Lucia, celebrating their

economics teacher, Binney has

son JP (age 11) and daughter

many departments. The math

tenth wedding anniversary and

touched virtually every area of

Nilla (age 7) leave San Diego

curriculum has evolved over

enjoying the warm Caribbean

student life on campus.

they will leave behind 20 years

time, including the development

of friendships.

of the first enriched course using

water. Since they had explored

In 2006, she left the

When Binney and her

classroom and served as the

this trip was focused on scuba

assistant dean of students, dean

professionally at Bishop’s, and

2002. I see a commitment

diving as often as they could

of student life and also wore the

I’ve been supported personally

in that department to a problem

(which turned out to be five days).

director of financial aid hat for

by friends on and off the

centered pedagogical approach.

four years. In 2009, she turned

campus,” Binney says.

And more recently, I’m excited

biology,” Ben says, “it was

her attention and focus to the

particularly interesting to visit the

academic side of student life

favorite place on campus: the

courses we’ve developed in

same dive sites 10+ years later

and became the dean of studies

Quad, “especially the view of

the humanities. I hope it’s

and compare the life and health

involved with course scheduling

the tower. It reminds me of the

a trend for the future.”

of the reefs over time.”

and chairing the academic

wedding Andrew and I had in

steering committee.

the chapel back in 2001.”

The weather was perfect and

And, she’ll leave behind her

Exeter problem sets back in

about the interdisciplinary

the time out at sea, diving peacefully in the different coral reefs, refreshed Ben and Jill Ann. “The trip was an opportunity for us to reconnect without the daily responsibilities of family and work. It was great to be together, alone, for the week and to remind ourselves we really do love each other (still).” n When Dean of

Binney Caffrey

Studies Binney Caffrey leaves Bishop’s in June to become the head of school at The Pine School in Hobe Sound, Florida, she will take with her a stellar list of classroom and administrative

Submit information for Bishop’s Buzz to weiners@bishops.com

23 bishop’s buzz

the island during their first visit,

“Since we both teach marine

“I’ve been nurtured

“I’m really proud of curricular

By Suzanne Weiner

Knight in Havana 24

T

he campus shimmered in tones of gold, red and purple on April 8 at Knight in Havana, the annual auction that supports the School’s Financial Aid and Faculty Professional Growth Programs.

This year’s event featured a silent auction, wine auction and a sit-down dinner, as well as a live auction of exceptional items. New this year was the Comedy Club following dinner and featuring comedians Chris Garcia and three-time Emmy winner Louie Anderson.

Co-chaired by Jennifer Greenfield (Rachel ’19), Sherry Manoogian (Ricky ’19) and Haeyoung Tang (Justin ’20, Julian ’22) the auction nets approximately $1 million in direct support of these crucial programs, allowing the School to foster a community focused on diversity, enrichment and growth.

“Our donors enable us to provide financial aid to students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend our School and funding for faculty enrichment programs to support our faculty,” says Haeyoung.

Tamika Lipford, a member of the Class of 2005, San Diego State University graduate and captain in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, spoke about the impact Bishop’s had on her life.

“I am now a prosecutor at Fort Hood, Texas,” Tamika says. “I know without a doubt, I was shaped and molded to be successful in whatever I set my mind to because of my time spent at The Bishop’s School.” The spirited direct gifts made to financial aid that followed Tamika’s presentation were a testament to the confidence the guests have in the School.

“Our theme, Knight in Havana, is a celebration of the generous supporters of Bishop’s,” says Jennifer.

“I want the community to know that participating in the auction goes beyond just getting us to the event finish line,” says Sherry. “This journey unites us and provides a sense of purpose.”

“We are thrilled that the auction provides 100 percent of the funding for our teachers to participate in enrichment and educational opportunities throughout the year,” add the co-chairs. “They return to the classroom refreshed and enthused, benefitting every student.”

The Bishop’s School and the 2017 auction chairs are deeply grateful to the following underwriters who made generous commitments to Knight in Havana.

Salsa Doug Kimmelman Sherry and Richard Manoogian Kevin Tang

Mambo First Republic Bank

Cha-Cha-Cha Rochelle and William Bold Lisette and Michael Farrell Alexandra and Greg Johnson Moradi M.D. Parma Family Foundation Ann and Philip White

Hustle DeAnne and Al Aguirre Destiny Innovations & Supply Kristi Jaska and Peter Nolan Duane and Susan Brown Lawson ’71

Guaguanco Jill and Paul Cluskey Anne and Lawrence McCarthy Madhumathy and Raghu Sugavanam

Pachanga Jayne Atkinson Thomas Basaites Amy and Brian Dyson Elizabeth and Stephen Estey La Jolla Chevron Amalia and Jonathan Myer ’87 Julia and Bradley Peck Deborah Warmbrodt

Clockwise from the top: Haeyoung Tang, Sherry Manoogian, Aimeclaire Roche, Jennifer Greenfield; auction attendees raise their bid paddles; Capt.

Tamika Lipford ’05; silent auction; Louie Anderson; Regina Buckley wins the auction puppy, Mambo; Max Webb, Sheila Ferguson, Dina and Gregg Buckley

table of contents FEATURES

2

Open Doors, Open Minds U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera spends a week on campus as the 2017 Endowed Scholar-in-Residence.

6

BISHOP’S A magazine for The Bishop’s School family and friends

2

Spring/Summer 2017 2016 • Vol. 14, 13, No. No. 22

Credits Editor Suzanne Weiner Managing Editor Keri Peckham Contributing Writers JeffreyJones Zach J. Carmel ’01 Kathy Day Melissa Kenyon ZachPeckham Keri Jones ’01 MelissaJ.Kenyon Trisha Ratledge Keri Tash Joe Peckham TrishaScott Jared J. Ratledge Tesler Joe Tash Weiner Suzanne Jared Scott Diane Y. Welch Tesler Suzanne Weiner Graphic Design Diane Y. Welch Design Perspective Graphic Design Contributing Photographers Design Perspective John Bell, Touch A Life Photography Contributing Melissa Kenyon Photographers MelissaMason Pablo Kenyon PabloPeckham Keri Mason Dave Siccardi Michael Samale Michael Spengler The Bishop’s Katelyn ZamudioSchool ’17 Head of School Aimeclaire Roche

St. Mary’s Chapel: Still New After 100 Years As the chapel program evolves, it still provides a space for all.

10

One Alumnus, Many Medals Paralympian Roy Perkins ’08 returns as Endowed Leadership Lecture Series speaker.

12

bishop’s profile: Parents Fund Success Co-chairs Laurie Ellsworth and Lake Price share their recipe for success.

14 Bishop’s Athletes Travel Different

6

The Bishop’s School

Assistant Head of School and Head Advancement of School Chief Officer Aimeclaire Roche John A. Trifiletti AssistantofHead of School and Director Alumni Relations Chief Advancement Officer Sarah Garro John A. Trifiletti

Roads to Find the Right Fit

Coaches and counselors help lead the way for Knights wanting to play at the next level.

16

Bishop’s published two times a year Director ofis Alumni Relations by Sarah TheGarro Bishop’s School.

Center Stage with Arnell Powell ’94

10

Alumnus and actor opens up about his time at Bishop’s and his career.

18

faculty focus: Dr. Jeff Geoghegan Department chair shares his love of making history come alive.

20 New Beginnings Class of 2017 Commencement

22 bishop’s buzz

24 Knight in Havana The auction brings a Cuban buzz and a comedy club to campus to raise funds for financial aid and faculty professional growth.

25 family matters: class notes

Letters: We welcome your comments.

Bishop’s is published two times a year Please send letters for possible publication

by The Bishop’s School. to weiners@bishops.com or contact us at (858) Letters:875-0735.

We welcome your comments.

Please send letters for possible publication The Bishop’s School to weiners@bishops.com or contact us at 7607 La Jolla Boulevard (858) 875-0735.

La Jolla, CA 92037-4799 The Bishop’s School Phone: (858) 459-4021 7607 La Jolla Boulevard Fax: (858) 459-3914 La Jolla, CA 92037-4799 www.bishops.com Phone: (858) 459-4021 Mission Statement Fax: (858) 459-3914 The Bishop’s School is an academic www.bishops.com community pursuing intellectual, artistic, and Mission athletic Statement excellence in the context of Thethe Bishop’s Episcopal School tradition. is an academic We are dedicated communitytopursuing offering the intellectual, highest quality artistic, education and athletictoexcellence a diverse student in the context body and of the to Episcopal fostering integrity, tradition.imagination, We are moral dedicated responsibility to offeringand the commitment highest quality to education serving the to alarger diverse community. student body and to fostering integrity, imagination, moral responsibility and commitment Cover Photo to serving thePhotographer larger community.

Pablo Mason From the Editor: We apologize for omitting the name Cindy Weiler from the board of trustees list in the fall/winter 2015 issue of Bishop’s.

Mrs. Weiler is a current trustee and serves as the board’s secretary. Please note: Craig Higgs ’62 is the board’s legal counsel.

SusanBlack Joan Howell Mallory ’72

For 32 years, Joan Black served The Bishop’s School as a teacher, department chair and dean of faculty. When she arrived in 1984 she witnessed the School’s efforts toward building the endowment; recognizing the generosity of those who made the growth possible and appreciating the opportunities that were available for deserving students.

As Joan and her husband Tom were considering what type of testamentary gift to put in place for The Bishop’s School, Joan’s retirement plan worked perfectly as part of the strategy.

We all want security for the future, which is why we are told to plan for retirement. Most of us hold retirement savings in assets such as IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s and pensions. If you are like many people, you’ve held these assets for a long time and have seen them grow. Because of the way these funds are distributed,

qualified nonprofit organizations are not subject to income

you likely will not use all of your retirement money during your

tax, you can be assured that the entire amount left in the

lifetime. So, the question for many individuals is, “What will

retirement plan will be put to good use.

I do with my unspent retirement savings?”

There are a number of ways that you can include your retirement plan as part of your gifting strategy. One of

Tom and I appreciate all that the School offers in academics, athletics and the arts, and are strongly committed to supporting The Bishop’s School’s Financial Aid Program.

the easiest ways is to make a gift of all or part of your retirement assets through your estate with a bequest.

A beneficiary designation is another option and for large plans, a testamentary charitable remainder unitrust can be established to receive the retirement assets upon your

Unfortunately, the problem with giving unspent retirement savings to family members (other than your surviving spouse) is

death, providing income for non-charitable beneficiaries before ultimately distributing to charity.

that the majority of your savings will be taxed. First, your estate

For more information on planned giving, visit

will pay tax on the asset and then your family members will pay

our planned giving page at www.bishops.com or

tax at their ordinary income rate resulting in very little of your

contact John A. Trifiletti, chief advancement officer,

remaining money actually going to the family member. Since

at (858) 875-0851, trifilettij@bishops.com.

Bishop’s magazine features glimpses of people who, by walking the halls of the School, are changing its face forever.

BISHOP’S A MAGAZINE FOR THE BISHOP’S SCHOOL FAMILY AND FRIENDS SPRING/SUMMER 2017

The Bishop’s School 7607 La Jolla Boulevard La Jolla, California 92037-4799

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID The Bishop’s School

Open Doors, Open Minds United States Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera

St. Mary’s Chapel 100th Anniversary

Parents of alumni, if your child no longer maintains an address at your home, please provide an updated address to the Alumni Office. (858) 875-0505 • Fax (858) 456-2681 • tbsalumni@bishops.com

New Beginnings Class of 2017 Commencement