The Blake School
Maxine Kaye Bédat ʼ01 unravels fast fashion
Harnessing the happiness of Highcroft
Jonathan Kirsch ʼ90 mobilizes medicine
Editor
Kristin Stouffer
Managing Editor
Tracy GrimmGraphic Designer
Cate
HubbardThanks to the many Blake community members who have contributed to this publication.
Mission
Blake engages students with a dynamic, academically challenging education in a diverse and supportive community committed to pluralism and a common set of values. Students pursue an integrated program of academic, artistic and athletic activities, preparing for college, lifelong learning and purposeful lives as community and global citizens.
Core Values
Respect
Love of Learning Integrity
Courage
Commitment to Pluralism
A vibrant learning environment springs from a diverse school community. For this reason, Blake seeks and values students, families and employees with a wide range of backgrounds, identities and life experiences. Individually and collectively, we strive for understanding across differences in an inclusive environment where everyone can belong, contribute and thrive.
Why Cyrus?
Cyrus Northrop played a formative role in one of Blake's founding institutions. In 1915, Northrop Collegiate School was named in his honor to recognize Dr. Northrop's achievements as a nationally regarded educator and as president of the University of Minnesota. His legacy of educational excellence continues at Blake today.
cyrus@blakeschool.org
At first glance, the contents of this issue of Cyrus may seem disparate and disconnected. Our cover story focuses on the clothing industry, the In Photos section on the history of our Highcroft campus and the Q&A on clinical health care. These features are connected, however, by the people behind the stories.
Maxine Bédat ’01 (pages 6–11) immersed herself into the world of fast fashion, emerged with an indictment of its environmental failings and took steps toward policy change. After coming up short when looking at options for their childrens’ education, Highcroft’s founders and teachers (pages 12–17) created a new type of school for young learners. Jonathan Kirsch ’90 (pages 18–19) realized that sometimes preventive care needs to cross pre-existing boundaries and meet patients where they are.
These are people who have endeavored to see the big picture, identify what’s lacking and offer creative solutions to address the gap. Ultimately their work benefits us all, whether it's through greener goods, evolving education or accessible health care.
I wish you well and thank you for being a part of the Blake community.
Anne E. Stavney, Ph.D. Head of School
The cast of the Middle School musical “Newsies Jr.” met virtually with the cast of “Newsies Jr.” at MS 836 in Brooklyn, New York, where Blake theater teacher Kyle Geissler's graduate school classmate teaches. The two casts enjoyed a meet and greet and performed numbers from each others’ productions for one another.
Minneapolis Public Schools
Blake campus pre-kindergartners visited their peers on the Highcroft campus to play together in the snow and share their favorite indoor activities. In anticipation of unification, Lower School classes have come together this year for grade-level campus visits and field trips. By the end of the year, each grade will have come together at least once.
After nearly a quarter century of serving students and aspiring educators, LearningWorks at Blake is now Breakthrough Minneapolis at Blake. The public-private partnership —which offers academic courses to high-achieving
middle school students and real-world teaching experiences to high school and college students—has been a member of the Breakthrough Collaborative since 2005. “Operating as Breakthrough Minneapolis at Blake not only more accurately reflects the nature of the program, it positions it for stronger recognition and support among educators, students, alumni and partners both locally and nationally,” says Head of School Anne Stavney.
The Equity Lab, which is led by Blake’s Office of Equity and Community Engagement, welcomed award-winning speaker Nick Tucker to two
events. First, Tucker came to campus to speak with all Middle and Upper School students about the importance of processing emotions to be a more resilient person. He shared his personal experiences as a child and adolescent living with a loving mother who battled addiction and illness to finding stability and love in a caring foster family. And he talked about his journey to confront unresolved feelings of grief and guilt to become who he is today. In a virtual follow-up visit, the wider Blake community was invited to hear Tucker speak about a walk he took across America. Through stories from his time on the road in 16 states, he revealed what he discovered about humanity and how overcoming any challenge can be accomplished one step at a time.
To observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is a national day of service, third graders made lanterns for women from Afghanistan who are new to Minnesota. The students chose lanterns to communicate
kindness, welcome and hope.
The creations decorated tables at a social event for the women hosted by Blake community partner Alight; participants could then bring the lanterns home to enjoy.
ACADEMIC
A new elective gives students an audience with administrators to make recommendations
for improving school culture, policy and practice. In the course, Identities and Representation, students work together to identify a need in the Upper School. This fall, students focused on diversity in curriculum, school climate and mental health. After conducting research that included student surveys, interviews with peers and administrators and analysis of aspirational schools, students developed a thesis-type research paper. Then they presented recommendations to Head of School Anne Stavney, Upper School Director Joe Ruggiero, Assistant Upper School Director Sarah Warren and Upper School counselor Jill Rabinovitz. The class is part of the Student Participatory Action Research Collaborative (SPARC), a program through the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Blake is one of 10 independent schools
The Middle and Upper School Chinese classes kicked off the Year of the Rabbit with a community Lunar New Year celebration that included a dragon dance and a variety of other student performances. Following the show, everyone headed outside to light sparklers and ended the night enjoying delicious dumplings.
nationwide to be a member. This spring, eight Blake students traveled to Penn to present their research and findings to administrators from all the SPARC schools.
Students in Brian Lukkasson's Popular Music in the United States class visited Paisley Park, Prince's home and studio in
Chanhassen, to learn more about the iconic musician's importance and influence on popular music. In this new course, students explore the development and evolution of popular music influences in the U.S. through the lens of social and political movements, researching the birth and expansion of rock and roll, soul, funk and hip-hop to current musical releases.
A seventh grade field study of the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War gave students a firsthand understanding of how the event is remembered today. Over two days, the class visited four sites—Historic Fort Snelling, Oheywahi/Pilot Knob, Traverse de Sioux treaty site and Hoċokata Ti (Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community)—while keeping a field journal, asking questions, writing reflections and sketching throughout the trip. When they returned to the classroom, students used their notes and experiences to create a travelog synthesizing their investigation of land policies embedded in founding documents, treaties and the practices of early settler colonialists. The students analyzed how these stories compare and intersect with historical and contemporary narratives of Indigenous communities.
and have found the following about HIP students: 98% develop healthier relationships with other students, 97% experience increased sense of belonging at school, 98% report an improvement in their mental health and 96% report an increase of empathy. PK-12 Director of Counseling Erin Adams, who sponsors the student-led program, says students find a lot of meaning in hearing health information from peers, and HIP offers peer educators the opportunity to grow their knowledge and leadership skills.
traditional political lines, the topic presented a challenge for students to put aside preconceived notions of “liberal” and “conservative” when considering the education disparities and opportunity gaps that have existed for decades in Minnesota.
Through a new program at Blake, ninth graders are learning about critical health topics—such as depression, eating disorders, obesity, anxiety, suicide, stress, bullying and abuse—from juniors and seniors. The Health Information Program (HIP), used to tremendous success in schools nationwide, launched at Blake with 22 peer health educators
who have trained to deliver eight lessons throughout the school year. In addition, they provide resources through a campus-wide health campaign. HIP partners with ImpactED, a leading research institute at the University of Pennsylvania,
During an Upper School-wide discussion, retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page and President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Neel Kashkari told students that hiding in Minnesota’s relatively strong educational averages are some extraordinary disparities. Over the past three years, Page and Kashkari have partnered on the proposed Page Amendment, which would enshrine education as a civil right in the state constitution and make providing quality education to all children a “paramount duty.” The two— who see the issue with different lenses: economic (Kashkari) and justice (Page)—presented the Steiner Lecture, held every two years for the Upper School community to provoke discussion around real-world issues. Because the Page Amendment’s supporters and opponents haven't cut along
Middle School students and teachers kicked off the school year with a Harry Potter-style sorting ceremony to launch the division’s new house system. Each student went on stage, reached into a sealed box and, amid much cheering and excitement, pulled out a wristband that indicated which house they will belong to throughout their Middle School years. The four houses are each based on one of Blake’s core values—courage, integrity, love of learning and respect—and include students from every grade, as well as teachers and administrators. This year, students have led challenges that demonstrate the core values, earning points for their house.
Seventh grade English students in the midst of a mini journalism unit had the opportunity to workshop their writing with the editorial staff of the student newspaper, the Spectrum. The Upper School students shared their expertise with the aspiring young journalists.
With the new Early Learning Center going up before their eyes, many students have had the opportunity to meet the people behind its construction. As part of Construction Inclusion Week, a national program that seeks to improve inclusion and diversity in the industry, Mortenson planned hands-on activities and talked with Blake third graders about their jobs—including field engineer, project engineer, project manager, superintendent, masonry foreman, carpenter and integrated construction coordinator— and how they’re contributing to Blake’s newest building.
Band, choir and orchestra students spent four days in Chicago for the long-awaited return of the Upper School music tour. After a four-year hiatus, Blake musicians were back on the road for a trip that included: performing alongside
the North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Illinois, and in the main hall of Chicago’s Field Museum; seeing the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play the live score to the first Harry Potter movie; visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden and attending the Broadway musical “The Lion King” at Cadillac Palace Theatre.
When the Early Learning Center (ELC) opens for the 2023–24 school year, Blake will become home to the state’s first fossil-fuel-free non-collegiate educational building. Here’s how Blake and architectural design partner HGA will achieve this distinction.
Rather than burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal, the ELC will run on 100% renewable energy.
Through deep wells and a loop of pipes, a geothermal system will harvest the stable underground temperatures—about 55°F year-round—to heat and cool the ELC.
Materials are sourced to limit the carbon footprint. The frame is constructed with a Minnesotamade glued laminated timber from recycled wood. Outdoor structures will repurpose oldgrowth trees and sit adjacent to rain gardens and native, pollinator-friendly plantings.
Tapping into the idea that humans have an innate affinity for nature, biophilic design promotes large windows and skylights, natural ventilation, easy access to the outdoors, patterns and colors found in nature and more.
Maxine Kaye Bédat’s book Unraveled sheds light on shady sustainability claims and labor practices across the fashion industry. Now, her nonprofit New Standard Institute is successfully navigating politics to pass policies that could dramatically lessen the harmful impacts of the global apparel business.
It’s early November, and Maxine Bédat is visiting the Mall of America on a weekend afternoon.
North America’s largest indoor marketplace is teeming with teens and tourists. Long lines snake from the registers and fitting rooms, including those at fast-fashion retailer H&M, where display tables are heaped with piles of fuzzy hats, knit scarves, buttoned vests, fur-trimmed coats, embossed belts and embroidered tops— all for sale at surprisingly cheap prices. Happy shoppers scoop up deals by the armful.
Bédat unfurls a pair of jeans and frowns. “Look at that,” she says, pointing at the tag. The material is a blend: 99 percent recycled cotton and 1 percent elastane. But only single-material fabrics can be recycled; clothing made from blends ultimately goes into a landfill or is burned. “These are made of recycled material, which is great,” Bédat notes, “but they can’t be recycled.”
She returns the jeans to their pile and picks up a black sequined dress made of poly-
ester. Manufactured in China, it was undoubtedly assembled on an industrial production line, Bédat says, passed among roughly 20 workers (mostly women) who cut the fabric, sewed each seam and attached the sequins, zippers and tags in a series of steps carefully analyzed by managers to maximize daily production.
Despite the number of hands that have touched the dress, the quality is questionable. “You can tell it’s just really fast construction,” Bédat says. “And feel that. There’s nothing about this that would make me want to wear it all night, or more than once.”
Nothing at H&M earns Bédat’s approval, but it’s not because she only wears Prada or prefers hand-stitched garments made from organic hemp. Today, she’s wearing jeans and a crisp white shirt with the collar popped. At Blake, her classmates voted her Best Dressed. She likes clothes. In high school, the highlight of one family trip to New York City was the chance to visit the very first H&M store in America.
But a sojourn in Africa, a stint as an entrepreneur and conversations with dozens of people around the globe ultimately led Bédat to look beyond the glitzy surface of fashion. Her recent book, Unraveled, examines what the New York Times called the “dark underbelly” of the clothing industry, spotlighting the environmental problems and unfair labor practices that have mushroomed as the industry has grown. The New Standard Institute (NSI), which she founded in 2019, has made a name for itself in policy circles with significant legislation in the pipeline that could transform the apparel business. Increasingly, she is invited to speak at fashion industry events and sought out as a trusted unbiased source by journalists writing about sustainability in fashion.
“She’s a forceful voice,” says Eric Dayton ʼ99, who got to know Bédat during his own adventures running the Minneapolis menswear retailer Askov Finlayson. “She’s not afraid to call out the underperformers whose claims don’t match up with reality.
She’s a critical player in this moment where everyone in fashion is trying to figure out how to make actual change.”
One of three daughters born to South African immigrants, Bédat grew up in Medicine Lake and eventually moved to New York City to enroll at Columbia University. After earning a bachelor’s in political science and economics, she entered law school, graduating in 2012.
Law suited her (“It was about facts, thinking clearly”), but firm life was not in her future. She spent one summer during school in Arusha, Tanzania working at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for the United Nations. The work consumed her days, but she often meandered through the city’s markets during her downtime, stopping to buy gifts for friends and talk to artisans. The conversations made her realize the close connections between global trade, development and environmental issues.
The experience sparked an idea. In 2013, she and Soraya Darabi ʼ01 launched Zady, an online fashion company dedicated to sourcing ethically produced items made from sustainable materials. The brand was featured in Fast Company and became known as “The Whole Foods of Fashion.” But tracing the origins of many products—essential to Zady’s mission—proved challenging. “We could figure out, for example, where an apparel item was cut and sewn, but there wasn’t any information before that.” Where did the material come from? Who grew the cotton that went into a pair of jeans? What chemicals were used in the manufacturing? “There were gaps in the story we wanted to tell,” Bédat says.
Bédat sensed she wasn’t the only one who wanted answers. Consumers cared, and apparel industry execs were beginning to follow their lead, labeling products as “eco friendly” and “climate conscious.” But transparency in the supply chain
was lacking, and answers from manufacturers were vague. In 2018, Bédat and Darabi closed Zady, and the next year Bédat launched NSI, a nonprofit that uses “data and the power of citizens to turn the fashion
Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment. The book’s narrative traces the path of a pair of jeans from inception to disposal. The research would take Bédat across the United States and around the world.
fictional. Bédat fills her books with hard facts and figures. She goes in search of real people and relates their actual experiences—as well as her own. The tone is accessible and personal, at times even funny. “I really tried not to be preachy,” she says. “I was learning along with everybody else.”
industry into a force for good.”
The organization collects industry research and advocates for policy changes related to its mission.
But starting a nonprofit wasn’t enough. Bédat still lacked answers to many of the sourcing questions that had bedeviled her before. In 2018, she embarked on a fact-finding tour that would lead to a book,
In a 2021 review of Unraveled, New York Times writer Vanessa Friedman wrote, “The book is the latest in a growing genre of nonfiction: the consumption horror story. It’s as scary as any adult tale Roald Dahl ever wrote.”
Most shocking, perhaps, is that Unraveled’s revelations about the apparel industry aren’t
Bédat begins her exploration with a visit to a cotton farm near Lubbock, Texas. Most jeans are made of cotton (or cotton blends), and Texas produces nearly half of America’s cotton. Cotton has a complicated history. For nearly a century, U.S. production hinged on slave labor, and nowadays cotton crops depend heavily on extensive pesticide use, which can pollute water, degrade the environment and affect human health. To produce the cotton used in a single pair of jeans requires nearly a pound of chemicals, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
In Unraveled’s opening chapter, Bédat visits farmer Carl Pepper, who started farming cotton organically in
“I REALLY TRIED NOT TO BE PREACHY. I WAS LEARNING ALONG WITH EVERYBODY ELSE.”Maxine Kaye Bédat ʼ01 Photo: Bogdana Ferguson
1992. Pepper went organic after his father, who spent decades applying chemicals to his own cotton fields, died of cancer. Pepper knows pesticide-free farming also improves soil health, but doing the right thing for human health and the environment isn’t always easy, he admits: “I am a numbers guy, and the numbers have to work.”
Most U.S. cotton, once harvested and ginned, is packed into huge bales and shipped to China, so tracing the path
of cotton from a single farm is almost impossible. But Bédat tries her best, flying to Shaoxing, near Shanghai, to tour a factory where cotton is cleaned, spun, woven, dyed and finished into textiles. The operation is almost fully mechanized.
“Production in China is cheap,” Bédat writes, “because they use cheap energy” in the form of coal. China isn’t the only country that uses fossil fuels to generate power, but global fashion’s reliance on Chinese-
made textiles means the impact is magnified dramatically.
Most Americans never see the direct environmental impacts that have come with moving manufacturing work from the United States and other places to China, but Bédat glimpses the problems firsthand when she hires a fixer to gain access to a less reputable factory in Guangdong. “Something told me this place wasn’t regularly inspected,” she writes, after encountering piles of jeans that
“certainly would have been in violation of any fire code” and pipes leaking chemicals into an adjacent river.
Months later, Bédat touches down in Bangladesh to see how clothing is stitched together. As the apparel industry has sought to keep labor costs low, production has quickly migrated from China, where the middle class is growing and wages are rising, to countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Ethiopia. Facto-
“I LOVED THE WHOLE WRITING PROCESS…BUT I’M NOT PRIMARILY AN AUTHOR. I’M TRYING TO DO THINGS THAT WILL CREATE CHANGE, AND POLICY IS THE ULTIMATE WAY TO MAKE CHANGE.”
ries in these places now provide jobs for thousands of women like Rima, a 36-year-old garment worker who lives with her family in a Dhaka slum. Rima spends eight to 10 hours a day executing “machinelike maneuvers” and feels constant pressure to keep up with the speed of production at her job. Rima says she has great hopes for her child’s future, but she feels depressed and unhappy about her own life and work. “The factory feels like a cage,” she tells Bédat through an interpreter.
Unraveled explores the channels that drive distribution and the forces that fuel consumption in the apparel industry. And just when Bédat thinks she can lay her story to rest by donating her representative jeans to a second-hand shop or sending them to a recycling facility, she makes a discovery that would give any of us pause: most of our clothing ends up in a landfill on another continent. In Ghana, Bédat tries not to breathe the smoke as discarded clothing burns in a dump outside of Accra.
Unraveled ends on a happy note—of sorts. This is a system we built, Bédat reminds readers, and we can unbuild it. “Whether we admit it to ourselves or not, the clothing we choose to purchase has an impact,” she writes, “so it’s up to us to demand that the industry behind what we wear and our government, which sets the rules of trade, get out of the way in allowing the planet and its people to thrive.”
Bédat enjoyed writing Unraveled but has no immediate plans for a second book. “I loved the whole writing process: the research, meeting people, putting things together,” she says. “But I’m not primarily an author. I’m trying to do things that will create change, and policy is the ultimate way to make change.”
Many of the changes Bédat would like to see are embodied in the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act, introduced in the New York legislature in January 2022. Bédat’s NSI has taken a lead in shaping the bill and lobbying
for its passage. The legislation would essentially require all global apparel and footwear companies doing business in New York with more than $100 million in yearly revenues to significantly reduce their harmful environmental and labor impact, including requiring companies to reduce the climate emissions in their operations to be in line with the Paris Agreement.
“I’ve never seen a piece of regulation that would lift the floor this far,” says Kenneth Pucker, a retired Timberland executive and NSI advisor. “Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen the industry making lots of claims about sustainability while the damage is going up right alongside it. The bill has the ability to bend the curve down, at least on carbon emissions.”
Pucker applauds Bédat for bringing companies like Eileen Fisher and Reformation, as well as nonprofits like the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council, to the table. Because the NSI is funded by individual donations, not by the industry, the information
and ideas it provides can’t be dismissed as part of any particular corporate agenda.
Unraveled and the Fashion Act have given her a higher profile, but Bédat is careful not to portray herself as a model of sustainability. She doesn’t promote particular brands or endorse individual companies. “My journey has changed the way I consume things,” she says, “but I’m not a perfectly sustainable consumer. I’m a woman who wants to fit in like anyone else. Just being more aware of what goes into something, though, it makes you more thoughtful.”
Awareness, Bédat hopes, will also spur others to take action. “Nobody is there to solve the problem. It is us,” she says. “I don’t like being called an environmentalist or a labor activist. I’m just someone who saw these things and reacted like a normal person.”
“MY JOURNEY HAS CHANGED THE WAY I CONSUME THINGS, BUT I’M NOT A PERFECTLY SUSTAINABLE CONSUMER. I’M A WOMAN WHO WANTS TO FIT IN LIKE ANYONE ELSE. JUST BEING MORE AWARE OF WHAT GOES INTO SOMETHING, THOUGH, IT MAKES YOU MORE THOUGHTFUL.”
“
H IGHCROFT IS A HAPPY PLACE,” AN EARLY ADMISSIONS BROCHURE FOR THE COZY WAYZATA CAMPUS TOUTED. FROM ITS FIRST DAYS, HIGHCROFT HAS SPARKED JOY AND A SPIRIT OF WARMTH AND BELONGING FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
Launched in June 2020, the program brings U of M health professionals and students from multiple disciplines into communities where long-standing racial and social injustices have created barriers to care. Kirsch’s experiences working in Latin America and with migrant farmworkers in the U.S. informs his leadership for this nascent model of medicine.
Question: Mobile health care is relatively uncommon in the U.S. How did the U of M decide to launch the Mobile Health Initiative (MHI)?
Answer: The school had an interest in creating local work experiences with global populations for residents and students. Because I have provided medical services to migrant and Latin American farmworkers, I was asked to set up a program. After running it as a volunteer for six years, funding came in from Otto Bremer Trust, and we were able to purchase a mobile unit and hire a small staff.
Q: What services does MHI provide?
A: We focus mostly on preventable diseases, like
kidney failure, diabetes and heart disease. We do a lot of lab tests where we screen in the field and get results right away. It’s called point-of-care testing, and if you do a lot of it, you can link patients to the care they need. For instance, we’ll screen 100 people or more in a day for diabetes. Often there’ll be 10 or 15 who are diabetic and didn’t know it. So we’ll educate 85 people on wellness and self care and link 15 to medical care to control their diabetes. A lot of our efforts are in working with people with substance use disorder, which is a rapidly growing population that includes a lot of deaths from overdoses.
Q: Can you talk about the role community partnerships play in MHI’s success?
A: It’s clear there's a lot of mistrust and anger from people who feel they’ve been left out of their own care. Engaging with communities to meet the needs of their own people goes a long way
toward building trust. Our hope is that by working with community-based organizations, more patients will seek preventive care so they don’t, for instance, go on dialysis in 10 years or have a heart attack or lose a foot. In my work in the U of M medical center, I see these complications every day, and they are almost all preventable.
Q: How does MHI serve as an educational program for U of M students?
A: In developing this program, we focused on making it very learner friendly. MHI includes undergraduates, medical students, residents and pharmacy students. Often medical care is dependent on these learners. So we want to help them have [learning] experiences because it can be life changing. That happened to me: I had experiences as a medical student that convinced me to work with underserved communities.
Q: Are other schools taking up this mobile health model?
A: There are some health systems that do it to some degree, but not many and not connected with universities. This model is in the early phases, and it’s got a lot of room to grow. Its strength allows us to be adaptable. For instance, we rapidly mobilized teams to provide screening and care linkage for over 1,200 Afghan evacuees after the government collapsed and organized it all within weeks.
Q: What excites you about the work you’re doing through MHI?
A: Seeing students and colleagues get excited about mobile health. We're used to the rigid, top-down, controlled environment of a clinic or a hospital, which is important in many cases. But what really excites me is early detection— finding preventable diseases before they become a problem. When we sit in our ivory tower and say, “All right, we're gonna
wait until things get really bad. And when they do, we're here.” that model is just not very public health-oriented, and it hurts populations that have barriers—people who don't speak English or don't trust the medical system, people who don't have money or jobs where they can get off to seek care. Why do marginalized or underserved populations do worse with particular diseases? Largely, I think, it’s lack of prevention and early detection. Seeing medical students, undergraduates and residents get excited about [prevention and early detection] has been awesome. We've had students present their work all over the country, and I like to believe this will influence their career trajectories.
Do you know Blake alumni doing interesting work? Let us know at cyrus@blakeschool.org.
“IT’S CLEAR THERE'S A LOT OF MISTRUST AND ANGER FROM PEOPLE WHO FEEL THEY’VE BEEN LEFT OUT OF THEIR OWN CARE. ENGAGING WITH COMMUNITIES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THEIR OWN PEOPLE GOES A LONG WAY TOWARD BUILDING TRUST.”
(Milkweed Editions)
The Echo Chamber examines our endlessly self-referential age of selfies, televised wars and manufactured celebrity, gazing into the many kinds of damage it produces and the truths obscured beneath its polished surface. Michael Bazzett cements his status as one of our great poetic fools—the comedian who delivers uncomfortable silence, who sheds layers of disguises to reveal light underneath, who smuggles wisdom within “rage-mothered laughter.” Late-stage capitalism, history and death: all are subject to his gaze. By turns searing, compassionate and darkly humorous, this collection of poems holds up the broken mirror of myth to our present-day selves.
JULIA MEECH ’59
(Japanese Art Society of America)
Peer-reviewed Impressions publishes original contributions from a global community of specialists for an audience of scholars, research librarians and connoisseurs. The journal is sent annually to members of the Japanese Art Society of America, which was founded in 1973 by a small group of ukiyo-e print collectors in and around New York City. Edited by Julia Meech, the journal has received numerous awards for best design by Graphic Design USA. In 2022, the 43rd edition of Impressions (part one of a double issue) was selected for recognition among nearly 7,000 entries in the prestigious American Inhouse Design Awards.
MELISSA DUNN ANDERSON ’73
(Poppy Anna Press)
Prof Notes offers a behindthe-scenes look at the quirky and delightful world of higher education. Melissa Anderson finds humor and insight in the details of everyday academic life, as well as in the larger work of a university. In pithy, irreverent notes, she lets her deep affection for the academic world shine through, even as she calls attention to its absurdities. This wry commentary often prompts nods, guffaws and eye rolls of recognition from those familiar with academia. For those curious about what goes on in higher education, Prof Notes is a revealing introduction to the rhythms of an academic year.
Kingston Fletcher ʼ44
Divergent Paths: A Life Reexamined (self-published)
At 97, Kingston Fletcher documents his 34-year career with Procter and Gamble traveling the world to open new markets. Fluent in several languages, Fletcher recounts the entrepreneurial freedom and record growth he and others experienced in the years following World War II.
Anthony Johnstone ʼ91
The Montana Constitution in the State Constitutional Tradition (Carolina Academic Press)
EMMA NADLER’98
(Central Recovery Press)
In raising a child with a rare genetic condition, Emma Nadler confronts preconceptions of motherhood and her own perfectionism. With a generous wit and an open mind, Nadler—who also happens to be a psychotherapist—shares the unconventional ways her family adapts to their improbable path. Every relationship—with herself, her husband, children, friends and clients—is reimagined as she navigates heartbreak and humor. Nadler is a trusted guide who confronts both hope and despair as she redefines love, success, family and community.
Alumni are encouraged to inform Blake of their publications, recordings, films, etc., and, when possible, to send copies of books and articles. Contact us at cyrus@blakeschool.org. (See note at right.)
In the first book to situate the state's constitution in the broad sweep of American constitutionalism, Anthony Johnstone introduces readers to the text, history and principles of the 1972 Montana Constitution. His analysis includes major provisions through leading cases, critical commentary and parallel developments in federal and state courts.
Max Gold ʼ06 Fanga (Blind Hummingbird Productions)
Based on the French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, writer and director Max Gold’s second feature film is a dark fantasy about an unstable farm girl who, to cure her father’s illness, becomes prisoner to a flesh-eating beast.
Editor’s note: We are expanding In Print and Production to include a broader range of media. If you produce a podcast, blog or YouTube channel you'd like us to consider for an upcoming issue, contact cyrus@blakeschool.org.
Class notes and photos received after February 2023 will appear in the next issue of Cyrus. Notes are provided by alumni or their friends and family, and some have been edited for length and style.
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Kingston Fletcher (See In Print and Production)
REUNION
58
Thomas Green, a trial lawyer with Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C., was presented with the Legal Action Award at the 2022 Brady Action Awards, an event honoring the champions of gun violence prevention whose activism embodies the spirit and legacy of Jim and Sarah Brady. Tom shares, “My award is for my work with Brady’s litigation arm over many years, assisting them with my trial expertise to bring and conduct suits against gun manufacturers and gun dealers in an effort to reduce gun violence in the country.”
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Julia Meech edits and produces Impressions, an award-winning journal of Japanese art published by the Japanese Art Society of America (japaneseartsoc.org). Julia was in Minneapolis last summer for the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s exhibit Dressed by Nature: Textiles of Japan. (Also see In Print and Production)
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John Edie has 12 grandchildren, one who is among the family’s fourth generation to be accepted at Princeton University. John writes in a tribute to Keith Donaldson, who died in November: “Senior year football last game against St. Paul Academy (whom I had never beaten in football). SPA always scouted us closely so they knew that after the first quarter, I would switch from quarterback to left end and Pete Wonson ʼ64 would come in at quarterback. SPA also knew how to totally mess up [a key play we often used to score]. Now comes the fun part. Coaches [William] Glenn and Chief Wonson said, ‘Let’s have Wonson fake a handoff to Donaldson at fullback.’ With three defenders assigned to block me, Keith was wide open— I mean very wide open. Easy touchdown. I was lucky senior year to score a lot of touchdowns, but none excited me more than this one. We went on to beat SPA 12-6, and I am pretty sure Keith scored the other touchdown. The bus ride back to Blake was insanely happy. Keith was a great friend, and I will always remember him dearly.”
Kutzi Barbatsis Priest writes, “It’s wonderful to be old and
have grandkids—the best time of life! Jack and I have been very lucky in life, and are we ever grateful. Hello and love to all other ʼ62ers and progeny.” 64
Stan Rehm is retired and living in Madison, Wisconsin, where he pursues various hobbies including his 18,000-entry blog, TYWKIWDBI (tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com). He writes, “I’m in the early stages of trying to set up small-size Zoom sessions with all the B64s (with varying success because the email addresses I have are decades old).” 69
Al Franken, comedian and former U.S. senator, received the Ernie Kovacs Award at the Dallas VideoFest in September. The award recognizes the career and talents of some of television’s greatest visionaries. In August, he took a turn as guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the first former U.S. senator to do so. He is also one of several comics tapped to anchor The Daily Show as Comedy Central looks for a replacement for previous host Trevor Noah.
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Marcia McNutt writes, "My year has been dominated by
the war in Ukraine. As president of the National Academy of Sciences, I helped raise more than $7 million to support the Ukrainian science community. [This includes] researchers who have fled to neighboring countries and those still trying to keep experiments going in Ukraine, within the auspices of a program we call SEED (Scientists and Engineers in Exile and Displaced). The goal is to prevent a brain drain from Ukraine, which would leave the country with little scientific capital upon which to rebuild its economy. This program was inspired by an effort we mounted the year before to rescue Afghan scientists and resettle them in safe countries after the Taliban takeover. (In this case, the time scale for the scientists’ return to Afghanistan is quite uncertain.) We are currently working on a plan to rebuild Ukrainian science after the war and modernize its structure for the 21st century.”
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Gina Tapper shares, “I have fond memories of my years at Northrop with many wonderful and fun friends and great teachers. The education I received prepared me for academic success in high school (I left Northrop in tenth grade to attend the American
School in Switzerland), college and two graduate degrees. I am a management consultant specializing in health care strategy and business development. I now live in western North Carolina after years in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego.”
REUNION
73 Melissa Dunn Anderson (See In Print and Production)
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Chic Dunne teaches Middle East studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., focusing on U.S. policy in the region. He writes, “Someday I hope to return to Egypt, where I served as a diplomat in the 2000s. I was barred from the country after a felony conviction there due to my work promoting democracy and human rights after the 2011 revolution while serving at Freedom House (long story). In the meantime, I am writing for the Arab Center Washington D.C. and serving as a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute. We have endowed a scholarship in social justice studies at St. Scholastica in Duluth for any who may be interested. I welcome communications from fellow Blake alumni.”
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Siblings Chris and Cecilia ʼ79 Beach traveled from their homes in Vermont and western New York, respectively, to Ridgefield, Connecticut, to learn more about their family roots. They are descendants of two of the town’s founding families, including that of their great-grandfather Cyrus Northrop, the namesake of Blake’s predecessor institution Northrop Collegiate School—and of this publication! The historical society wrote about Chris and Cecilia’s visit and some of their discoveries for a story on its website (ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org).
Sally Ankeny Reiley has run several major marathons in recent years and enjoyed success among her age group. She achieved a personal record in the 2022 London Marathon with a time of 3:24:02 and placed sixth in the Age Group World Championships. All five of her children were there to cheer her on. This spring she is running her 10th straight Boston Marathon.
Thor Falk married Ronel Gutierrez on October 15, 2022. He writes, “Family and friends came from near and far to celebrate
with us. After two weeks in Hawaii, we are now settling into our new life together. On other fronts, I started a nonprofit organization in 2020, the Winter Park Pride Project, to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in my community. I also began a life coaching practice, helping people achieve goals, reinvent themselves and navigate life transitions. In 2021, Watermark Magazine featured me as one of Orlando’s 10 remarkable people. Who knew my 60s could be so much fun? Amazing things can happen when we start saying ‘YES!’”
Pam Hensel Johns shares, “A career highlight for me this year was teaching an executive education course, Leading HighPerforming Teams, for the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota. What a fun coincidence to discover that our classmate (and dancing school crush) Jeffrey Kaufmann also teaches there!”
Market features nine chef-inspired kitchens, a 36-tap self-pour wall, awesome food and craft beverages. The first year has been great, and we are now building two apartment buildings next door that will open in 2023.”
80
Archie Black, CEO of the global technology firm SPS Commerce, was named Marquette University’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year for navigating his company and retail customers through the global pandemic.
Michael Phillips and his wife, Julia Bucknall, have moved to Nairobi, Kenya. Mike writes feature articles from across Africa for the Wall Street Journal, with a particular emphasis on Somalia and the Sahel. Please let him know if you’re in the neighborhood: Michael. Phillips@wsj.com or WhatsApp 202-258-4997.
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John Wall invites visitors to his newest project, an urban food hall called the Market at Malcolm Yards. He writes, “We renovated a really neat old building across from Surly Brewing and O’Shaughnessy Distillery in Southeast Minneapolis. The
82 Class rep Scott Forbes provides a recap of the class’ 40th reunion in October at Robin Taylor Hartwell’s house: “The scene was reminiscent of those parties back when we were students: the furniture was pushed to the walls, the laughs were
constant, and the party was still going strong when I left at 1 in the morning. And why not?
People came from multiple states on both coasts, and a few even flew in from foreign lands like
Melissa Diracles ’01
a son, August Elio
February 1, 2022
Roni Carter Romar ’04 a daughter, Chloe
January 13, 2022
Thor Falk ’78 and Ronel Gutierrez
October 15, 2022
Justina Roberts ’02 and Jacob Heller
October 28, 2022
Ashley Bjork ’05 and John Thompson
October 24, 2021
Mia Greene ’05 and Bennett White ’05
October 29, 2022
Kristyn Bridges ’08 and Ryan Wyche
April 10, 2022
Sarah Carthen Watson
and Manny Anderson
July 29, 2022
Juliet Nelson ’12 and Grant Jackson
August 13, 2022
California. It was absolutely awesome to see so many people, meet so many spouses and renew acquaintances with classmates who did not graduate from Blake. To commemorate the affair, Tadd Tuomie handed out T-shirts/nightshirts with the proprietary new ‘Blake’s Smartest Class’ logo on the back. Look for them on eBay... and be prepared to spend big.”
Finn-Olaf Jones made it 29,032 feet to the summit of Mount Everest on May 13, 2022. The elite climber had already been to the top of five of the Seven Summits— the highest mountains on each of the continents—and Everest was the one peak he had attempted but hadn’t conquered. In 2000, Finn was climbing Everest while on assignment with Discovery’s Travel Channel. His ascent was cut short at 17,600 in a dramatic confrontation with a faux environmentalist group at a nearby base camp. He wrote about the experience in a 2001 Forbes article Into Finn Air
As part of Sun Newspapers’ salute to 50 years of Title IX athletics in Minnesota’s high schools, Carolyn Boos Jones was named to the organization’s
1972–2022 Hall of Champions. The sports staff recognized Carolyn as the first female athlete in Minnesota history to capture three consecutive state all-around gymnastics titles.
Liz Wall Lee, owner and director of Highland Bank in St. Michael, Minnesota, was selected as a Twin Cities Business Notable Women in Banking and Finance 2022 honoree.
Maggie Linvill Smith, president of Linvill Properties, was named a 2022 Minnesota Real Estate Journal Awards finalist for Woman of the Year – Development and Construction.
in the nation—losing by fewer than 550 votes—even though we were supposed to lose by 10%. We had the last race in the country declared, but not before I had a week in D.C., including spending time with Dean Phillips ʼ87.”
87
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Lissie Rappaport Schifman and her husband, Jim Schifman, are co-founders of Project Hive Pet Company, which sells dog toys and treats and gives a share of all proceeds to organizations that create and restore healthy bee habitats.
After winning his third term, Minnesota U.S. Representative Dean Phillips was selected as a co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, a caucus leadership position that gives him an influential say in House Democrats’ messaging and branding. 90
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Adam Frisch writes, “It was a hectic 2022 as the family and I just wrapped up a U.S. Congressional race in Western and Southern Colorado. We had the closest race
Brothers Andrij and Mark ʼ93 Parekh were raised with a deep appreciation of their mother’s Ukrainian heritage, attending Ukrainian weekend school for language and culture, serving as altar boys at St. Constantine’s Ukrainian Catholic Church and practicing Ukrainian traditional dance. Andrij, who is an Emmywinning director, is using his platform to raise awareness about the plight in Ukraine. Mark, who had been living in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv since 2004, resettled in Poland where he is helping other
refugees find work and housing throughout Europe.
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President Joe Biden nominated Anthony Johnstone, a University of Montana law professor and constitutional scholar, to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. (Also see In Print and Production)
Mount Rainier National Park paid tribute to Phil Otis, who died in 1995 while attempting, as a volunteer ranger, to rescue an injured climber. Valor Memorial, located in the park’s historic Longmire Campground, honors those employees and volunteers who lost their lives while saving others.
Anne Ursu’s book The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy was one of six finalists for the 2022 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature. Anne’s middlegrade fantasy novel was selected from 512 eligible Kirkus-starred titles to be considered for this prestigious award.
officer and leads the organization’s Center for Digital Health. She started her position just ahead of the pandemic in January 2020, which required her to rapidly increase Mayo’s digital health care tools and telehealth capabilities. The magazine’s profile refers to Rita as “an influential change agent” who directed the new Center for Digital Health as it “jumped from 4,200 telehealth visits in 2019 to more than 450,000 in 2021, while building a diverse and inclusive team that is more than 50% female.”
Sarah Hemingway Lynch was elected to the board of the Onteora Central School District in Boiceville, New York.
98
Emma Nadler (See In Print and Production)
Poppy Harlow is a co-host of the new weekday news program CNN This Morning
99
The art of brothers Bly and Rowan Pope was featured in a show, Open Skies, at the Burnet Gallery in Wayzata, Minnesota.
Pete Ormand writes, “In my quest to visit every country in the world, I was recently able to travel to Iraq and to the ancient city of Uruk, home of the mythical Gilgamesh. I’ve dreamed of seeing this site ever since I read the Epic of Gilgamesh my junior year in Mr. McAnnany’s class. The city absolutely lived up to expectations.”
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In July, Colorado Governor Jared Polis appointed Charlotte Ankeny to the El Paso County Court in the Fourth Judicial District. Prior to her appointment, Charlotte served in the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office for 16 years, working as a deputy state public defender from 2006 to 2020 and a supervising deputy state public defender from 2020 to 2022 in Colorado Springs.
Nick Swaggert officially retired from the U.S. Marine Corps following 23 years of service. After graduating from Blake, he first served as an enlisted anti-tank assaultman. The Marine Corps selected him to attend Iowa State, where he graduated and was commissioned a lieutenant in 2005. He served two tours as an infantry officer in Iraq with specialized training in air-strikes and military police operations.
Patrick Wetherille is managing director and chief commercial officer of Lose It!, a weight loss and nutrition management app and food-logging database that was acquired by the Everyday Health Group in June 2022.
Katharine WoodmanMaynard’s graphic novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby was a finalist for the 2021 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Awards.
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Rita Garnett Kahn was named to Twin Cities Business magazine’s list of Notable Women in Technology 2022. She is the Mayo Clinic’s first chief digital
John Paul Farmer joined fixed wireless broadband provider WeLink as its chief innovation officer and president of cities.
Tara Ward joined international law firm McDermott Will and Emery as a partner in its regulatory practice group based in Washington, D.C. and serves as the government contracts practice vice chair.
Mia Greene and Bennett White were married on October 29, 2022, at Mill City Museum with Mia’s children, Levon Como ʼ33 and
Como ʼ35, by their
TO THE EL PASO COUNTY COURT IN COLORADO’S 4TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT IN AUGUST. HER HUSbAND, KRIS MORGAN, AND THREE CHILDREN, GRACE, WILLIAM AND HENRY, (PICTURED) WERE IN ATTENDANCE AS WERE HER PARENTS, bILL ’62 AND TERRY O’KEEFE ANKENY ’66.
side. Also present were Blake and Northrop friends and family, including Mia’s mom, Kita McVay ʼ68, sister, Lizzy Greene Haucke ʼ99, and aunts Marcie McVay ʼ67 and Sara McVay ʼ73, as well as Bennett’s mom, former Middle School English teacher Ann White. Mia shares, “We had a blast!”
Joseph Peris, director of real estate development for Ryan Real Estate, was named Emerging Leader of the Year in the 2022 Minnesota Real Estate Journal awards.
Samantha Porter is an archaeologist and an advanced imaging and visualization research associate at the University of Minnesota.
As part of the Advanced Imaging Service for Objects and Spaces in the College of Liberal Arts, she works on a wide variety of projects, including making virtual reality tours of archaeological sites, digitizing tree rings to study climate change and using 3D printing to help artists make sculptures. Last spring, Samantha was one of 120 women to be featured as a life-sized 3D printed statue at the Smithsonian for Women’s Futures Month. The exhibit was the largest collection of statues of women ever assembled, and its aim was to provide role models for the next
generation of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Those featured in the exhibit were selected as ambassadors by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Lyda Hill Philanthropies for being trailblazers in their fields and role models for the next generation of women in STEM.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedeman successfully
Tuesday, June 6, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Gather with Blake community members to honor this special place in our school’s history. Reminisce with friends, explore campus and enjoy light refreshments. Short program at 6 p.m.
Register at blake.mn/highcroft or (952) 988-3440.
SWAGGERT ’99 AND DANNY THORPE ’34.
prosecuted a case against a former prison warden accused of sexually abusive conduct against three women who were serving prison sentences.
Ashley Bjork and John Thompson were married on October 24, 2021, at Bavaria Downs in Chaska, Minnesota. The couple celebrated with family and friends, including Ashley’s mother, Dottie Bjork, and stepfather, Hans Koenig, both former Blake faculty, and Blake classmates Teale Sperling, Erin Scheurer Hrabak and Leslie Nightingale
06Max Gold’s short form documentary Pink Mahoghany was nominated for a 2022 Webby Award. He directed the film as part of an ongoing series for fintech startup Nearside. In addition, his feature film Fanga was selected as a top 10 film to watch during the Cinequest film festival. (Also see In Print and Production)
Michael “MJ” Johnson was named the executive director of Partnership Academy, a PK-8 public charter school in Richfield, Minnesota.
Jessica Swenson, an assistant professor in engineering education at the University at Buffalo in New York and an engineering education researcher, received a National Science Foundation grant to study how students’ feelings about learning engineering, science and mathematics interact with the development of their engineering identity. Jessica and her research collaborator will follow participants through their first two years as undergraduate engineering students to better understand how the feelings they experience while solving problems in their courses contribute to the formation of their engineering identity, which, in turn, contributes to their decision to pursue or leave engineering. In addition to shaping instructor practices to help students experience positive identity-building experiences, the work could also be used to support women and underrepresented minorities in engineering.
Vanessa Szalapski, a partner in Dorsey and Whitney’s health litigation group, was named to the list of 2022 Minnesota Super
Lawyers Women’s Edition as a rising star honoree.
09
Thea Traff had three of her photographs selected by the New York Times as Best Arts Photos of 2022. She was also a guest on The Photo Banter podcast where she spoke about her experience as a photo editor for The New Yorker and Time Magazine and how it informs her career.
Kent Carlson, an MBA candidate at the University of Texas’s McCombs School of Business, is part of an interdisciplinary team of UT students to be named a finalist in the 2022 Urban Land Institute’s Hines Student Competition. His team, one of four selected finalists, designed a mixed-use development for Oakland, California.
Shalini Persaud is the communications director of NOLA Ready at the City of New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. She was named to the 2022 Top 50 Women Leaders of Louisiana by Women We Admire. In her role, Shalini oversees the NOLA Ready disaster preparedness campaign, which
includes emergency alerting and crisis communications, community engagement and disaster outreach. She created NOLA Ready Volunteer Corps, a 4,000+ member team that receives training in hurricane preparedness, city-assisted evacuation, shelter operations, pet evacuation and sheltering, flood recovery and more to help meet residents’ needs before, during and after emergencies. Women We Admire notes that Shalini approaches emergency preparedness with an equity and justice lens, intentionally centering groups who are vulnerable to disaster impacts. 11
Romy Ackerberg was promoted to executive producer of the morning news program Good Day Seattle on Fox 13, where she had been serving as a senior news producer. Before joining Fox 13 in 2020, Romy was a news producer for Fox 9 in Minneapolis.
Kylie Kaminski ʼ11, an attorney with Hellmuth and Johnson, was named a 2022 Up and Coming Attorney by Minnesota Lawyer.
The annual listing honors lawyers who distinguish themselves in their first decade of practice through professional accomplishment,
leadership and service to the community and legal profession.
13
Kentucky Morrow and Allen Wang ʼ16 are co-founders of Ralli, which launched in March 2022 with the introduction of their first product, a drink designed to prevent hangovers and minimize the impact of alcohol on the body. After more than a year of research and development, the two are focused on creating products that aim to address liver and brain function, sleep quality and dehydration. Learn more at sendralli.com.
Lilly Bendel-Stenzel received her master’s in psychology last fall as she continues to work toward her Ph.D. in developmental psychopathology at the University of Iowa’s department of psychological and brain sciences. Lilly studies the role of parent-child relationships in the development of children’s emerging self-regulation skills.
Jordan Chancellor was admitted to Ph.D. candidacy in marine biology at the University of Southern California and is working on selectively breeding lines of
commercial aquaculture species that are genetically resilient to ocean acidification. Jordan completed a bachelor’s in ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale University in 2019 and was a member of the women’s Division I ice hockey team. 17
Writer Ashley Allen was selected for the Milestone Initiative Talent Development Program, which offers participants opportunities to learn from experts in the comic book industry and sharpen their storytelling skills. Her first comic with DC Comics came out in March 2023. The story, which focuses on the character Poison Ivy, is part of DC’s anthology special Legion of Bloom #1.
The Walker Art Center presented a screening of Cameron Downey’s film Hymn of Dust. The program kicked off Cameron’s residency at the Walker; throughout the fall and winter, they explored the Ruben/Bentson Moving Image Collection while creating a new film.
Helen Ackerman former faculty
March 23, 2023
Martha Albrecht ’60
January 27, 2023
Gregory Anderson '67
March 26, 2023
Colebert “Colby”
Andrus Jr. ’59
August 7, 2022
Thomas Bennett ’56
May 12, 2022
William Berghuis ’50
November 10, 2022
Janet Miller Carpenter ’43 former parent former trustee
June 21, 2022
Diane “Dee Dee”
Read Clark ’67
September 1, 2022
Diane Colborn ’71
August 4, 2021
Margot White Cottrell ’51
October 14, 2022
Katherine “Kitty”
Pierson Crosby ’58 former parent former grandparent former faculty
August 2, 2022
Keith Donaldson ’62 former parent
November 30, 2022
David Edie ’65
January 17, 2023
Elliot Feinberg ’79
November 4, 2022
Katherine Lott Foran ’65
June 10, 2022
Lee Haffely ’78
January 5, 2023
Katherine Callahan Harder ’68
November 12, 2022
Jon Harris ’67
former parent
December 24, 2022
Nicole Hertzberg ’79
October 11, 2022
Nancy Hirschfield ’50 former parent
January 4, 2023
Ann Hutchins former parent former faculty
October 24, 2022
Sally Nash Iorillo ’60
June 15, 2021
Catherine LaJoie
James ’66
September 30, 2022
Nancy Bros Jamieson ’52
March 3, 2022
Alec Janes ’57 former parent
August 6, 2022
Joan Wood Kay ’45
March 1, 2021
Stephen Keating ’65 former parent
February 26, 2023
Peter Klass Sr. ’51 former parent October 20, 2022
James Lange former staff
June 3, 2022
Anita “Gwen” Remington Larson ’56 former parent
February 6, 2023
Andrew Lein ’86
November 25, 2022
Philip “Mac” McCaull ’54 October 16, 2022
Malcolm McDonald ’54 August 25, 2022
Barbara Nunan Miles ’48 January 23, 2021
Charles Oestreich former staff
May 13, 2022
William “Bill” Osborne Jr. ’54 April 5, 2023
René Otto current parent
December 30, 2022
Douglas Platt ’60 former grandparent former trustee
June 26, 2022
William Porter III ’57 former parent
August 28, 2022
Winston “Troy” Porter ’09
July 30, 2021
John “Mike” Richardson ’62
June 3, 2021
Mary Smith Riley ’57 former parent
November 13, 2022
John Russo former coach
April 15, 2023
Lawrence Salzman ’54
September 19, 2022
George Sedgwick ’58
December 4, 2022
Judith Sherman former parent former faculty
December 31, 2022
Arvida Steen former faculty former parent
March 16, 2023
Barbara Damon Struyk ’49 former parent
February 16, 2022
Margaret “Tarzy” Middlebrook Stuermer ’53
January 18, 2023
Jack Sukov ’67
July 6, 2021
Tamara Hawkinson
Sulistyo ’84
January 24, 2023
Kenneth Summers
current parent
June 6, 2022
Douglas Sweetser ’80
December 10, 2022
Benjamin Troxell III ’58
May 31, 2022
Charles Velie Jr. ’46 former parent former grandparent
June 29, 2022
Peter Watson ’67 former parent
July 6, 2022
Kelly Jasper Winston ’92
April 30, 2022
Stephen Woodrich ’44
December 27, 2022
Nancy Corrigan Woodrow ’64 former parent
June 9, 2022
Please inform the Institutional Advancement Office of Blake community member deaths by calling (952) 988-3440 or by sending an email to cyrus@blakeschool.org.
golf tournament, making it to the semi-final match. He was also one of four college golfers invited to play in the East West Matches, a RyderCup style event, held in Texas.
Julia Kaiser will be attending the University of Minnesota Dental School and will graduate with her doctorate of dental surgery in 2027.
Steven Nye received Best Documentary and Best Editing awards for his film American Air Boss as part of the Palm Beaches Student Showcase of Films, the largest statewide competition for Florida student filmmakers.
Ethan Roe earned the All-MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) honor for a second consecutive year. A catcher for the Saint John’s University baseball team, he ended his college career as the program’s all-time leader in home runs with 25, as well as third in both RBI (104) and doubles (33), fourth in total bases (248) and 10th in runs scored (95).
Kyra Willoughby is a captain of the 2022–23 Harvard women’s hockey team. She also won the Joe Bertagna award for most improved player on the team and
was named All-Ivy League honorable mention. Her team won the Ivy League Championship and was the Eastern College Athletic Conference regular season champion, winning the Beanpot Tournament Championship last season.
Lucy Kiernat is serving as a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) with the Hamilton College Emergency Medical Service, a New York state- certified agency made up of 25 student EMTs who provide 24-hour emergency service to the campus community during the academic year. On average, the EMTs respond to 55 medical emergencies on campus each semester.
Lily Delianedis, a forward on the Cornell University women’s hockey team, was named the 2022 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Hockey Rookie of the Year.
Mathew Krelitz is a third year student in the University of Minnesota Honors Program majoring in sociology with minors in Italian and business law. He is an undergraduate research fellow for the College of Liberal Arts Public Life Project, which—through courses, co-curricular activities, teaching workshops, research and public events—promotes rational debate, community engagement and active citizenship as a response to an increasingly polarized campus environment.
Celebrate your history and make new memories. Alumni whose class years end in 3 or 8 will celebrate milestone reunions this fall. A variety of Blake-hosted activities are open to all alumni and friends.
Gavin Best completed his second and final season playing junior hockey in the North American Hockey League for the Minnesota Magicians and is now playing NCAA Division I hockey for Michigan State University.
I love social media, but it can be the most frustrating way to communicate. Ideas can get misconstrued and an innocuous interaction can quickly turn vicious. We’ve become accustomed to using fewer words to say more. Headlines supplement the news, tweets can be official government statements, and text messages have replaced phone calls. The world we live in values quick communication and fast phrases, but that doesn’t ensure clear messages. In an increasingly polarized world, words matter. But are we taking the time to consider the intention and impact of every word we choose when left with 240 characters? A solution may lie in poetry.
Full disclosure: I used to despise poetry. I found it useless. As an aspiring journalist, I’ve always favored clear, accurate and concise writing. Poetry felt antithetical to those values. Why encode meaning through metaphors and allusions when you can easily direct a reader to a destination? However, after taking a poetry course for my degree requirements, I’ve realized the world of poetry runs parallel to my own philosophy of communication.
Few practices force us to deeply consider the language we use, and poetry is the most refined of those practices. When analyzing a poem, definitions, connotations, historical context and more come into play to glean the full meaning of the text. That same consideration can be used when interacting online. An errant phrase can hold major significance to a group, or a quick slogan can be a coded dog whistle, and thoughtfulness can fight ignorance. Writing with more intention can help us avoid missteps in a social media landscape riddled with landmines. While a large part of me still wants to require everyone to use more words when trying to get their point across, the compromise may lie in poetry.
