Fall 2017 Magazine by The Northwest School

A Publication for Alumni & Friends

Learning from the Earth Fall / Winter 2017

The Northwest School is an international college preparatory and boarding school for girls and boys, grades 6-12. Inquiries for academic year admission should be directed to Douglas Leek, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management. douglas.leek@northwestschool.org 206 682 7309 Inquiries for international admission should be directed to John Lloyd, International Program Coordinator. john.lloyd@northwestschool.org 206 682 7309 Inquiries for global partnerships and programs should be directed to Dmitry Sherbakov, Director of Global Marketing and Programs. dmitry.sherbakov@northwestschool.org 206 816 6202 The Northwest School Magazine welcomes notes and photographs by alumni, parents, and friends. Please email to alumni@northwestschool.org.

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Mike McGill Head of School

Walter Long Director of Development

Margie Combs, Editor Director of Communications

Julie Lombardo Assistant Director of Development Lindsay Bailey Alumni Program Manager Jen Schlobohm Development and Volunteer Coordinator

Peter Woodburn Website and Digital Media Coordinator Contributing Writers Margie Combs Alice Shahan Peter Woodburn Sarah Graham Courson Walter Long Contributing Photographers Diane Cassidy Jenn Ireland Tino Tran Peter Woodburn Barbara Chin NWS Faculty, Students, Parents, and Alumni Graphic Design Barbara Chin

Table of Contents

Cover Photo: Ethnobotany teacher Renee Fredrikson helps Emma B.’17 identify one of the many plant species in Seattle’s Discovery Park.

Head’s Message

From the Archives: Getting to Know Paul Raymond

News and Notes

Summits: A New & Exciting Learning Experience!

Introducing Our Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Reclaiming Sacred Space Through Art

Dispatches from El Salvador

Sixth Graders Take Action on Global Issues

Addressing Microagressions

Guys and Dolls a Smash Hit

Music Students Perform All Around Seattle

Northwest Scores Winning Seasons

Juniors Tackle World Issues in Annual Debates

ArtsFest 2017

Class of 2017 Graduation

Learning from the Earth

Growing Food and Community

Alumni Profiles

Emma Fuller ’05

Grant Carlson ’10

Brad Swift ’02

Class Notes

Estate Giving: The Carlson-Altom Family

Alumni Happenings

“All education is environmental education.” So wrote Northwest School founder Mark Terry— presciently, even radically—back in 1971 in the introduction to his book, Teaching for Survival. Mark goes on to identify two justifications for giving the environment a central place in the curriculum of any thoughtful school. One is practical—the importance of developing an educated electorate—the other, aesthetic—the need to inculcate in students an appreciation for the natural world.

“

At no time since Teaching for Survival (by Mark Terry) was published has its call to action been as critical, with so many threats confronting the planet and humankind... these challenges make what we do at Northwest more important than ever.

”

Mike McGill Head of School

The former purpose may be selfevident in a school setting, but the latter is perhaps less obvious, if just as crucial. The biologist Edward O. Wilson, who popularized the term “biophilia” in his book by the same name, defined it as “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life,” and argued that it is an innate tendency in human beings. Further, he makes the case that this impulse is critical for the planet’s survival because ultimately, he reasoned, we are only going to work hard to save that which we love. Both rationales remain absolutely relevant today—and vital to our mission and program at Northwest. In fact, at no time since Teaching for Survival was published has its call to action been as critical, with so many threats confronting the planet and humankind: climate change (and all of its attendant problems); a profound loss of biodiversity; the widespread collapse of (honey)bee colonies; degradation of the world’s soil; deforestation—the list of ills is long and frightening. Worse, when compounded by the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord; the EPA’s frightening moves to de-fund and deregulate; the encroachment on bipartisan-established boundaries and protections for National Parks; and budget cuts that will further erode/undermine protections 01 supporting environmental justice (such that instances of negligence of the sort that occurred in Flint, Michigan, are likely to proliferate), these challenges make what we do at Northwest more important than ever. And we’re doing a lot. Of course, the Environment program, our long-standing, thrice-weekly commitment to care for our campus and neighborhood, remains a cornerstone. Equally important, though, are classes like Ethnobotany (page 20), exemplary Outdoors and Dining programs, our new, thriving Farm & Garden (page 24), a dynamic, activist Environmental Interest Group, grade-level trips to majestic places like the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascades, and the policies and practices that guide our approach to facilities and even governance.

In fact, the Board of Trustees’ Investment Subcommittee recently undertook a major revision of its policies, which now call for us to “…invest in companies…which are generally consistent in their operations with the school’s mission, philosophy, and values. These values include environmental stewardship, adherence to human rights, and sound corporate governance. The Board is particularly interested in investments that show demonstrable care and improvements in their environmental stewardship.” [Future editions of the Alumni Magazine will have more to say on this.] Still, we believe we can do even more and better. Jenny Cooper, Northwest’s director of environmental education and sustainability, convened a diverse group of faculty this past summer to wrestle with the implications of global environmental challenges for us as teachers. Specifically, to return to Mark Terry’s framework, how can we be sure that we’re nurturing educated citizens with a love for the natural world? What would it mean—in terms of skills, knowledge, and habits of mind—to graduate students with a (fully realized) environmental perspective? Where are we delivering these in our current program? And when we discover gaps, how can we best fill them? We will keep you apprised of our progress. Northwest, by virtue of its historical commitment to the environment and social justice, its setting in the middle of a fastgrowing city, and its flourishing programs, has established itself as one of the preeminent schools for urban environmental education in the region; and like the awesome sunflowers now blooming on the (west side of the) West Court, we expect our impact on the world to continue growing.

0 1 One of the sunflowers thriving in

Northwest’s Farm and Garden (see pgs. 24-27) 0 2 Collaborative portrait of Paul, which

hangs in the Raymond classroom 0 3 An amusing note found in Paul’s

documents 0 4 An early document in Paul’s hand

his summer, I met Paul Raymond. Through his clutter of handwritten papers and notes, I listened to his myriad thoughts and caught more than a glimpse of his character. The fact that I can gain a sense of Paul through his records tells me we’re well on our way to preserving the institutional memory of The Northwest School. Records created or collected by Paul Raymond arrived at the archive in every kind of box, from wine cases to shoe boxes. While it’s not unheard of to find materials unfiled and in no discernable order, it’s not the most heartening sight. Loose papers take more time to process, and it’s easy to feel like you’re in the weeds when you first start. It begins very item-level, simply picking up a document and asking, “What is this? Why was this created?” Slowly, broad categories present themselves and eventually those categories stem sub-categories and a structure develops. The challenge is part of the charm to this particular group of documents. I have to look at both sides of every scrap of paper because Paul took notes on absolutely everything. One of the remarkable finds are his spiral-bound notebooks and memo pads containing annotated, draft policies, memoranda, faculty meeting agenda, et cetera, all “interfiled” with handwritten course outlines, book lists, draft course descriptions, budget notes, to-do lists, staffing notes, and draft correspondence. The results are overstuffed, dog-eared artifacts of Paul’s process. I have found a good volume of student coursework showing Paul’s comments with the assigned grade, evaluations of Paul by students, and evaluations of students by Paul. There are library overdue notices, letters from parents—letters of thanks, letters of no thanks, and a “Please excuse John from school today at 12:00 noon. He will be attending a Rolling Stones concert.”

Newsletters and correspondence from organizations with whom Paul was affiliated over the years are also present. Documentation of these relationships speaks to his political, civic, and humanitarian engagements and how they inspired NWS curriculum. For example, one of the few actual folders in Paul’s records was overflowing with contemporary clippings regarding migrant workers, Caesar Chavez, and La Causa, and there is a substantial volume of collected materials and correspondence with The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES). Some of these documents include annotations or notes he made in response to the readings. I’ve spent the summer immersed in these papers and when I come up for air, I find myself thinking, Paul was intense. His handwriting is legible, but his edits, scratched out or dug into the paper, look both earnest and furious. The focus of my work has been to arrange, describe, and rehouse the materials to preserve the physical record and facilitate use of the documents. I’m encouraged to see so much personality represented in the materials. Even if my observations are only facets of Paul, we are preserving what we can of a massive figure in the school’s history.

From the Archive

Getting to Know Paul by Alice Shahan Northwest School Archivist

Summits: A New & Exciting Learning Experience! This spring, Northwest students of all ages will have the opportunity to immerse in two-week multifaceted explorations called “Summits.” These exciting new courses engage students and faculty in deep studies that are rooted in our school’s values, history, and mission. Intentionally cross-curricular and cross-graded, Summits offer authentic learning with real-world applications, connecting students with outside activists, experts, and community organizations in Seattle and across the nation. Summits meet every day, all day, for two solid weeks, March 12-23, 2018. Students participate in the Summit of their choice, selecting from 25-30 different courses. Here’s a sneak peek at a few Summits: • Food Justice: Unearthing Connections between Land Use History, Race, Class, and Environmental Science Science + History + Equity What are the social and environmental forces that mediate our relationships with food—growing it, eating it, and thriving from its nutrients? (grades 9-12) • The Internet of Things (IoT) Technology + Statistics + Ethics How are we able to ensure that digital devices improve our quality of life without imprisoning us? (grades 6-12) • The March Continues: Walking in the Foot Steps of the Civil Rights Movement History + Social Justice + Philosophy What are fundamental human rights? How do our personal and national ideals of these rights match the reality of how they are experienced by different groups? (grades 9-12) • Mindstorm Lego Robotics Science + Technology + Engineering + Math How can we design and program robots to create innovative solutions to complex problems? Can we design a robot that might help solve a real world environmental problem? (grades 6-12) • Landfill Harmonic Performing Arts + Physics + Sustainability How can music unite science, technology, and art in our search to reduce our negative impact on our environment? (grades 6-12) • House Builds a House Architecture + Engineering + Activism How does a city address homelessness? What rights do homeless people have to shelter and healthcare? What can I do to make a difference? (grades 6-12) • Life Blood of a River Science + History + Environment + Culture How and what can we learn from the Duwamish River Watershed? Where does our water come from, where does it go, and how does is sustain various people and animal communities? (grades 6-12)

Introducing our Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

e’re excited to announce that Anshu Wahi, our director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, joined The Northwest School community in July 2017. Anshu is a diversity and equity practitioner and consultant with over ten years of experience helping institutions implement outcome-based diversity and inclusion practices. She holds a Master of Education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she specialized in social justice education, adolescence, school development, qualitative research, and reform. Anshu believes her mission-driven work ethic and her love of social justice education with adolescents are aligned with The Northwest School and the DEI director position. Says Anshu: “As a Seattle native, I have a long-standing appreciation for the school’s reputation as a place where intellectual rigor and a social justice imperative go hand-in-hand.” Anshu is co-founder of the Critical Analysis of Race in Learning & Education (CARLE) Institute for White Educators in Independent Schools, an annual summer program structured to give white faculty members the necessary historical framework, interpersonal skills, and curriculum development strategies they need to teach a diverse student body. In addition to CARLE, Anshu most recently served as director of diversity and community at the Bank Street College of Education’s School for Children, an independent N-8 school, in New York City. Through a range of strategies, she helped the Bank Street community make shifts toward equity and inclusion in areas such as hiring, admissions/financial aid, curriculum, professional development, assessments, affinity groups, and programming.

News & Notes

n May 2017, a group of Northwest School sophomores painted a mural to cover up the hateful vandalism that scarred the temple wall of Temple de Hirsch Sinai on Capitol Hill.

“It is one thing to just paint over the graffiti,” says Zoe. T. ’19, one of the students who worked on the mural. “It is another thing to reclaim that space and drive towards the goal of unity and love.” Students led the process of creating the mural from beginning to end. They submitted proposals, including rough sketches of their proposed mural and a written accompaniment describing the intention behind the work, to Rabbi Daniel Weiner. The students collaborated to design the mural and incorporated elements of multiple ideas.

“Our entire community is incredibly moved, inspired, and grateful,” says Rabbi Weiner, whose son Benjamin is a Northwest School student. “All of the proposals the students shared were not only visually stunning, but the prose that went with them captured the larger vision of how we want to rededicate this sacred space.” Sophomores Zoe T., Riley W., Mia H., and Flora M. devoted nearly sixteen hours to finish the painting. To finish the project, Zoe installed a planter box with wildflowers to compliment the mural’s forest imagery. The temple held a rededication of the space in August 2017.

Reclaiming Sacred Space through Art

01 Anshu Wahi,

Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 02 From left: Flora M. ’19,

Mia H. ’19, Riley W. ’19, and Zoe T. ’19 spent 16 hours painting a mural over hate-laced graffiti at the Temple de Hirsch Sinai on Capitol Hill.

delegation of Northwest School students and faculty embarked on the annual trip to El Salvador on March 4, 2017. For two weeks, the students learned about the country and its history, met with the leaders of SHARE (our partner organization in El Salvador), and heard about the work SHARE is doing to secure basic rights for the people in their region. The students visited our sister community in the village of Huisisilapa, where they stayed with local host families and shared stories, experiences, music, and dance with children in the local school. Here are a few of the students’ reflections.

Dispatches from El Salvador

March 16, 2017 — Raina Z. ’17 There have been so many horrific events in El Salvador’s history, one of which we understood better today. Visiting the monument for the El Mozote massacre might have been the most touching thing we have done yet. The killings of over 1,500 people, regardless of their gender, age, and economic standing, were killed without any mercy. Many of the ones who died were children, including newborn babies. That was something that struck me quite hard. At the top of the monument area was a children’s play area that was so peaceful. A place that those kids (who perished) will never be able to experience. The monument itself honored many leaders who strove for peace, such as Martin Luther King and Ghandi. The surrounding area was filled with small yellow blossoms. Each one felt to me like a representation of the glowing life that each person in the massacre had. The beauty of this area was so unlike what you could have imagined in comparison to what had happened there those years ago.

01 Rae H-S. ’18 (holding sign),

participating in the march for women’s rights in San Salvador 02 Northwest students, faculty,

and survivors of the war visit the Monument to Truth and Memory at Parque Cuscatlán in San Salvador.

The second thing we did today was go to the site of the massacre itself. In the center of this plaza (a place where many people were rounded up to be killed) stood a memorial with a wall of names. Next to the names were ages. So many of the names were of young children. We had a guide named Serafin, who showed us around. He was a man who previously was a member of the guerrillas, starting as a child. His expression earlier was composed and gave off a gentle happy vibe. When he started talking at the wall, I could see a twitch in his face of sadness. We learned that some of his family had been killed in this massacre. It was so moving to see him standing there today, talking about his story in such a courageous manner. One of the most saddening facts for me was that even until this day, many of the bodies remain unidentified. Over the years, they have been doing DNA tests on the remains, but many families still don’t know where their deceased family members are. One of the strangest things about the whole day was how peaceful both of the locations were. Never could I have imagined that something so tragic would have occurred there. After having such a heavy day, we had a long ride back to San Salvador to reflect. There is so much more I could say but I am still processing everything our group experienced.

News & Notes

March 13, 2017 — Lexi R. ’18 While the meetings with organizations and activists over the course of this trip have been incredible, I’ve enjoyed the conversations I’ve been having with Salvadorans who I’ve met along the way. One of these conversations that stood out to me was one I struck up with a Salvadoran police officer after dinner at El Atico. He was understandably curious about what a bunch of Americans were doing in the middle of El Salvador, and he asked what our motivation was in coming to the country. I told him that we had come to learn about the civil war and the impacts that it had on the country. I mentioned how much I had learned from the people here and how kind they have been to us during our trip. I was surprised when he told me that he was an officer for a similar reason—he loved the people, he felt that his job contributed to their safety, and that he was contributing to progress in El Salvador. Although it was a brief conversation, I learned from the officer that we were working towards similar goals, even though the way in which we are instigating them are different. He’s taking a direct action to better society, whereas our goal is to reconsider our privilege and to learn about and bring attention to the issues in El Salvador (once we return). Overall, I was struck by his commitment to improving the country. I aspire to find a career that I feel as passionate about and one that I feel is contributing to society.

March 17, 2017 — Ella N. ’18 We arrived for the second time in Huisisilapa unsure what to expect as far as our home-stay experience. Ruby and I were struck by the limitations that come with the language barrier, as our Spanish is far from perfect. Soon after arriving, Ruby and I decided to show them pictures of our families to try to start up a conversation. This photo-sharing session went really well and they loved hearing about our families. Then they showed us pictures of their family, including their older brother and his wife who live in Alabama with their baby. After we connected over families and photos, we laid in the hammocks with the two girls, watching music videos and talking about our lives at school. This made me so grateful to be able to share these special moments with this family, who graciously took me into their home. I know that I will never forget these experiences we had in Huisisilapa.

News & Notes

ulminating months of research about global issues, 6th graders presented their Global Issues Action Projects to the Northwest School community on June 12.

Sixth Graders Take Action on Global Issues

Every year, sixth graders research a global issue, including a case study that gives their issue context. All of this information is presented to faculty and parents during an evening event. The most significant portion of the project is the actual action students must carry out in their local community to raise awareness about their selected issue. This year, students tackled a wide range of issues, including deforestation, ocean acidification, child labor, food waste, rising sea levels, and unsustainable food practices. They raised awareness in a variety of ways, with several students creating and handing out pamphlets to raise money for a charity supporting their cause. Ursula T., whose project focused on child labor, created an informational website.

0 1 Sixth-grader Sophia J.

discusses her action project.

“There are 317 million child laborers in the world, and I was shocked to learn it was that many,” says Urusla. “I created a website to make it easier for people to access the information, and hopefully, they will be shocked and take action as well.” For some students, inspiration came from the curriculum earlier in the year. Emelyn C. read Outcasts United, a true story of a refugee soccer team started by Luma Mufleh in Clarkston, Georgia. Emelyn raised money by performing a guitar concert and donating the proceeds to The Fugees Academy, a school developed by Luma that specifically serves refugees. Many students described how the project inspired change in their own lives. Josie F. researched and acted upon sweatshops and poor labor conditions. “After doing my research, I became more conscious of what kind of things I want to buy,” says Josie. “When you see something really cheap, you have to be cautious because that might come from bad working conditions.”

Addressing Microaggressions

n April 2017, Northwest School students participated in a half-day community conversation on microaggressions. The Social Justice Squad, an Interest Group of students devoted to raising awareness on social justice issues, organized and facilitated the allschool event. “Committing to a school-wide conversation on diversity is very important because the open communication allows everyone to have a space,” says Ana W. ’17, a member of the Social Justice Squad and an organizer of the event. “Microaggressions are all around us, and we were able to pick apart and understand a piece of the issue.”

0 2 Students of all grades gather

with faculty to discuss microagressions.

The community conversation began with a short video featuring Northwest School students and faculty members speaking about microaggressions they have either experienced or enacted in our community. After the video, students split into small groups to discuss and better understand microaggressions, and ways to intervene when witnessing a microaggression. Members of the Social Justice Squad facilitated each group and helped provide guidance and the encouragement to talk about a potentially uncomfortable subject. After the small-group conversations, the student body split into two caucuses: one for the students of color, and one for white students. The Social Justice Squad deliberately used raced-based groups for the second half of the morning because decades of research demonstrate that these caucus groups provide safe spaces for people of similar backgrounds to process experiences openly and be in community.

In the people of color caucus, the students focused on their personal racial identities and their shared experiences within the Northwest School community, as well as the different experiences based on their racial identities. In the white caucus, students talked about racial makeup of their families and circles of friends, and patterns and habits that influenced the lack of diversity in their lives. “We want this to be uncomfortable. We want you to be vulnerable,” said Massimo A. ’18, during a presentation at the start of the white caucus. “That is the only way change can happen.”

Guys and Dolls a Smash Hit 01

he Northwest School community packed the Broadway Performance Hall for its winter Upper School musical, Guys and Dolls, entertaining audiences with four performances of fantastic singing, dancing, and acting. The professionalism extended to the stage production, which featured complex set designs, stunning costumes, and state-of-the-art lighting. Theatre teacher Laura Ferri directed the show, with music direction by music teacher Dana Sewall, and choreography by dance teacher Maya Soto.

Guys and Dolls is one of the most famous musicals of our time. Written by Frank Loesser, the show is based on two short stories by Damon Runyon. It premiered on Broadway in 1950 and has run well over 1,000 performances.

News & Notes

Music Students Perform All Around Seattle 04

he 2017 school year closed with a fantastic run of spring performances at venues all over the city, highlighted by a performance by the 19-piece Upper School Jazz Band at Tula’s Jazz Club in Seattle, on Tuesday, June 6.

The Northwest musicians experienced a professional stage performance as they opened for Seattle-based jazz musician Tim Kennedy. The students performed 11 classic jazz tunes, including “Cotton Tail” by Duke Ellington, “Fly Me to the Moon” by Bart Howard, “The Jive Samba” by Nat Adderly, and “St. Thomas” by Sonny Rollins.

01 Eliza J. ’18 (center)

leads a dance sequence in Guys and Dolls. 02 Tamrat H. ’19 (standing)

performs the part of Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls. 03 One of the two

Guys and Dolls casts 04 Louie B. ’21 (violin

soloist) performs with The Northwest School Middle School Orchestra at Greenlake Methodist Church.

05 Peyton C. ’19 (front),

Scout S. ’20, and Lucas K. ’19, on stage at Tula’s Jazz Club

On May 31, three Northwest School choirs and the Upper School Orchestra took to the stage at Plymouth Church. The concert showcased music from all over the world, with the 9-10 Choir opening the evening with the classic folk song, “Down to the River to Pray.” Other highlights included the A Capella Choir’s take on a traditional song from Senegal, “Kaki Lambe.” The final performance of the school year was the Middle School concert, featuring the Orchestra, the Show Choir, and the Band, at Greenlake Methodist Church, on June 8. Nearly 75 students played a variety of songs, ranging from “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” to a cover of “Valerie,” by Amy Winehouse.

Northwest Scores Winning Seasons

Track and Field

Ultimate

Basketball

The Northwest School track and field team closed out a stellar season, highlighted by two runners racing to the championship at the State Meet held in May, in Cheney, Washington. Tibs Proctor ’17 won the 3200m for the second-consecutive year, and Isa M. ’18 won the 800m race! Five members of The Northwest School track and field team qualified for the State Meet. And for the first time in school history, Northwest had both the boys’ and the girls’ track and field teams crowned winners at the Emerald City League (ECL) Championship Meet, in West Seattle, on May 10.

The Northwest School girls’ ultimate team fought to a hard-earned second place finish at the 2017 High School National Invite, in Rockford, Illinois, on June 3-4, 2017. The invite brought together 24 of the best high school teams in the country. Northwest girls played six games in two days before they fell, 13-11, to H-B Woodlawn, from Arlington, Virginia, in the final game. The championship appearance capped a fantastic season by the senior-laden Northwest squad, who made it to the Washington State title game in late May. The girls finished the season ranked No. 8 in the country by Ultiworld.com.

Our boys’ basketball team won both athletic and academic awards in the 2017 season. On top of winning their first Emerald City League title in school history, they were named the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Winter Team Academic State Champions in the 1A classification. The 11 members of the boys’ basketball squad averaged a 3.843 grade point average.

News & Notes

ome of the world’s most controversial issues were the subjects of this year’s 11th Grade Debates. International and domestic students combined and worked in teams to argue the pros and cons of issues such as a national $15 minimum wage, the U.S. exiting the Paris Agreement, statehood for Puerto Rico, the Israel/Palestine conflict, and minimum occupancy quotas in prison.

The debates are an annual event for 11th graders, who must learn the key details of both sides of their issue and be prepared to argue both pro and con. The teams, which are comprised of both domestic and international students, create opening statements, rebuttals, and closing statements. Classmates observing the debates are allowed to ask clarifying questions, provide critical analysis of the debate performance, and ultimately vote on which debate team presents a better argument. Rebecca C. was on a team that argued the United States should exit the Paris Agreement. Rebecca, who did the rebuttal, said the hardest part of the project was preparing for all of the potential arguments. “It was intense and challenging, but I loved it,” said Rebecca. “The rebuttal required me to be really prepared and completely understand the subject so I could tackle my opponent’s points. You can anticipate some of them, but not all, and so you really have to know your facts.”

03 04

0 1 Ethan Kurofsky ’17

powers down the court during Northwest’s 2017 winning season. 0 2 Northwest girls’

ultimate team members psych up before a game. 0 3 Carrie W. ’18 presents

her argument. 0 4 Debate team (from left)

Kiva L. ’18, Jamie C. ’18, and Gabriel R. ’18, answer questions from classmates in the annual 11th Grade Debates.

Juniors Tackle World Issues in Annual Debates

aculty, friends, and family members of the Northwest School community packed into Town Hall for the 37th annual ArtsFest Gala, on March 23, 2017. Over 300 students participated in the gala, which is a celebration of music, dance, visual arts, and theatre. The evening was hosted by Humanities teacher Scott Davis, along with talented members of our Maintenance Department.

Arts Fest 2017

One of the most memorable performances of the evening was the opening act. Nearly 200 students took the stage and delivered a stunning rendition of the classic John Williams theme song to the Star Wars film series. It was the first time the Northwest School Symphony Orchestra and all four Northwest School choirs joined for a performance. In other musical acts, the A Cappella Choir sang a version of “Wagon Wheel” (which audience members agreed would make Bob Dylan proud), and all four choirs sang “Hope for Resolution,” a piece choir teacher Dana Sewall describes as: “(a song that has) origins in the common human experience of searching for resolution and hope in times of strife and injustice, across time and throughout the world.” The 14 students in Spoken Word took the stage with an act comprised of an original long-form poem titled “Dear America.” The poem called for a movement towards more compassion and empathy in the world. A slideshow comprised of work from Northwest’s visual arts classes was accompanied by a cover of “Down in the Valley,” by Seattle-area band The Head and the Heart, featuring Ada B. ’17, Analiese G. ’17, Josie B. ’18, and Eliza J. ’18. A highlight of the evening was the closing act by the Performing Dance Ensemble, featuring music by Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, and M.I.A. (among others). Students choreographed the dance with assistance from dance teacher Ellie Sandstrom.

01 The Mask and Mime class delights the audience with a mime skit. 02 Dance for Musical Theatre, performing “Sieze the Day” from Newsies 03 Simon S. ’18 (standing), during his trombone solo 04 Josie B. ’18 (left), and Eliza J. ’18 05 Performing Dance Ensemble class 06 Retiring Maintenance Department Head Bob Martin tickled the audience with his stories. 07 Members of the combined choirs sing “Hope for Resolution.”

Class of 2017 Celebrates Graduation 0 1 Dursa Mohamed ’17 (left),

Molly McCammon ’17, and Tibs Proctor ’17 0 2 Cooper Wechkin ’17, and

06 Faculty members David

Jewett (trumpet) and Chris Pesce (bass) accompany soloist Lila Forde ’17.

his mother, Kerry Rye 07 Student speaker Dursa 0 3 Emma King ’17, and her

tutor, Arthur Emory 0 4 Chloe Wang ’17 (left) and

Mohamed ’17 reflects on the value of his Northwest School experience.

Joe Su ’17 08 Upper School Director 0 5 Ross Stevens ’17, one of

4 student speakers

Chance Sims, one of 4 faculty speakers

n June 2017, 89 students who comprise The Northwest School Class of 2017 gathered under the glow of the stained glass windows at Town Hall to celebrate and receive their high school diplomas. Next fall, the students will pursue studies in colleges all over the United States.

There was a multitude of fantastic speeches from both faculty and students alike. Head of School Mike McGill and Upper School Director Chance Sims delivered the opening remarks, followed by physics teacher Cecilia Tung and Humanities teacher Andy Meyer. Students Jordan S., Dursa M., Ross S., and Molly M. all moved the audience with words of wisdom and humor.

Mike McGill told the students: “Your talents have enriched us. Your initiative has made us a better place, and now, you’re ready to take them out into the world. I don’t have to tell you that it’s a world in desperate need of what you bring: it craves your intelligence, your kindness, your courage, your energy, and, of course, your courtesy and common sense.” Nothing is ever typical at a Northwest School graduation and this one was no exception. Among the many performances that complimented the speeches was Ana W.’s, who stunned the audience with an original spoken word piece, and Shai G., who provided a lighthearted ode to the final dance sequence from Napoleon Dynamite.

Learning from the Earth

or thousands of years, humans have relied on plants for survival: for nutrition, shelter, healing, clothing, and spiritual rituals. Understanding and respecting this relationship is the core focus of Ethnobotany, Northwest’s yearlong laboratory course for seniors. The course immerses students in the science, history, and culture of plants of the Pacific Northwest. Beginning with taxonomy and dendrology, students learn to identify plant species and families and immediately dispatch outdoors to area parks to observe native plants growing all around the city of Seattle.

“It’s mind-blowing how much is in nature all around us and we don’t know it,” says Leander W., one of thirteen seniors who signed up for the course in 2016-17. “I learned not everything is a weed: there are so many plants that make delicious teas. I can name species of trees, I’m more aware of my surroundings, and I have more respect for nature. I’m more conscious about what we do to the earth. Everyone should be learning this!”

Science teacher Renee Fredrickson agrees. Three years ago, she conceived of and designed the course with equal parts botany and wisdom. “Ethnobotany is not a class, it’s a way of looking at the world,” says Renee. “It is science in its fundamental form: to look, to wonder, to ask questions, to figure out how knowledge came to be. It’s that process of learning and knowing from very first-hand experience. The science isn’t separate from the deep respect for the plant world.”

An Urban Greenscape

A Reverence for Nature Two-thousand-seventeen could not be a better time for students to respect and cherish nature. Feeling bonded to the natural world is an imperative in this era of heightened concern about rapid climate change, according to Renee. “We mostly live in a time when kids are kept from nature— due to the fear of criminals and fear of stings and accidents,” says Renee. “So we’re giving kids this sense of foreboding and responsibility to save the planet and then taking away from them the most important tool they need: namely, a deep love for nature. You can’t save something you don’t love.”

01 (Back row, standing, from left)

Ellie M. ’17, Chloe W. ’17, Nao N. ’17, Emma B. ’17, Leah M-S. ’18, Shai G. ’17, Sara D. ’17; (Front row, kneeling, from left) Natasha K. ’17, Lucia R. ’17, and ethnobotany teacher Renee Fredrickson, in Seattle’s Discovery Park 02 Leander W. ’17 (left), Lucia R. ’17,

and Ellie M. ’17, work on their field journals in class.

Background images are sketched by Ethnobotany students.

Like Leander, most of Renee’s students are surprised to discover how many types of plants are found within Seattle. In Discovery Park, they explore diverse native habitats: 01 woods, grass, and beach; in Volunteer Park, they experience a botanical garden; and in Seward Park, they dive into the deep woods. All along the trails, students stop and observe, recording in their field journals and looking up plants in the righthand guide, Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, by Jim Pojar. (Students get to know this guide so well they simply call it “the pojar.”) For senior Emma B., field journal writing and sketching helped her imprint the vast amount of knowledge into her memory. “On every page we had to make a title, identify the common name and family name of the plant, then draw a picture or glue in an actual leaf, and we had to write how people use this plant,” recounts Emma. “Taking all of that care and the time helped cement the information into my brain.”

People, Culture, Race Mastering botany is only half the learning; the other half is absorbing knowledge from cultures that have kept close, reverent ties to nature. To that end, students take a three-day trip to the Forks area of the Pacific Northwest Coast. They stop at Salt Creek, walk out Cape Flattery Trail, and visit the Makah Tribe cultural center in Neah Bay. There, they meet with Marie Reibe, a native of the Hoh Tribe. “Her baskets are spectacular and she is also a drum maker,” explains Renee. “She teaches the students about cedar and what it means to Hoh culture.” Students come back from the trip understanding how ancient indigenous peoples were comfortable, well fed, and medically cared for, in large part due to their knowledge and reverence for plants. “An important part of the Hoh culture was thanking the trees,” observes senior Shai G. “Indigenous people took care of resources and continue to live in ways we do not. They made sure the forests were not depleted. They knew to take strips of bark vertically, not around the diameter, which would kill the tree.” In the spring, Renee and her students head down to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon, where several tribes share the land. There, they visit a beautiful cultural center with corn husk bags and berry baskets. Then, in the Smith Rock State Park near Redmond, they strike out independently with their field journals and explore the landscape.

Taste, Touch, Smell Each time they return to the lab from these excursions, students revisit the sensory experience of being outdoors. They are encouraged to smell sage and pine needles, touch bark specimens, taste the tender bases of cattail stalks, sip tea brewed from various leaves and blossoms (such as nettle, pineapple weed, and rose hips) and sample from multiple jars of honey labeled with the various plants bees were eating from while pollenating, including blackberry, snowberry, dill, and onion. “Flowers are not dumb,” Renee points out as the students dip toothpicks into various honey nectars and place them on their tongues. “They’ve figured out how to get the insects to come down into their pollen stores.” Aside from practical uses, plants provide humans with a source of beauty and status. Students examine how cultures use plants for adornment, specifically accessing rich colors like madder, cochineal, and indigo, and discussing how color represents many meanings: black indicates mourning; gold signifies wealth, red means bravery, and white, purity.

0 1 From left: Sara D. ’17,

Ada B. ’17, Ellie M. ’17, Erin O. ’18, and Lucia R. ’17 watch as Renee demonstrates basket weaving techniques of indigenous peoples. 0 2 Natasha K. ’17 (left) and

Chloe W. ’17 transform nettle stems into pliable cordage. 0 3 Leah M-S. ’17 seperates 02

Plants as Our Teachers From the start, Renee encourages students to manipulate various stems, reeds, and leaves. In addition to steeping plants for dyes and crushing leaves for tea, students fashion cordage out of nettle stalks or palm fiber strands and experience the hard work of weaving the cordage into baskets and fishing nets. “It’s not unlike having your hands on anything—it facilitates deeper and deeper levels of brain work,” explains Renee. “When you have to identify the plant, know its parts and uses, and then actually curate it, you develop a much more intimate knowledge and relationship with that plant.” As students gather around a circle of tables and examine specimens, strip and weave cordage, and draw in field journals, Renee reads aloud from a number of books. One of her favorites is Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The author is a scientist and also Native American. According to Renee, she cares about science, indigenous knowledge, and how people learn, and she believes that “plants are our teachers.” After reading a Kimmerer passage, Renee presents the students with a question: “What does it mean to be indigenous? Can one ever become indigenous?” She does not answer this question. She encourages the students to ponder it for themselves. As to the value of reading and telling stories, Renee says, “This is exactly what the indigenous people would be doing—they would spend communal time creating baskets, fashioning tools, preparing herbs and meals while telling stories.” After pausing a moment, she adds: “Ethnobotany is a story you can’t put down— and it goes on for centuries.”

nettle stems into twinable threads.

ood is core to our lives both as sustenance and as a source of cultural identity. Its production, distribution, consumption, and associated waste streams also have enormous impact on the natural systems that sustain us— air, water, ecosystems, and soil.

Growing Food and Community

“This combination makes food a great entry point for learning about and understanding nearly every environmental and social challenge of our time, as well as the scientific and social processes that can contribute to their amelioration,” says Jenny Cooper, Northwest’s director of environmental education and sustainability. Jenny holds a master’s degree from University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources & Environment, and an MBA from UM’s Ross School of Business. She arrived at Northwest a year ago and, guided by the school’s vision, has since been working with students to create a community-oriented place on campus in which students and faculty can learn from and about food in a tactile way. After twelve months of collaboration with hundreds of students, faculty, and parents, the school’s urban Farm and Garden was born. Situated on half of the school’s West Court, it has 14 planter boxes, an 8’x6’ green house, a “treezebo,” (gazebo with a tree in the center), and sitting areas for students and faculty to use while learning or simply hanging out in the sunshine.

Student-led Design From day one, the design and build process was studentcentered and student-driven. Jenny began with the school’s Environmental Interest Group (EIG), a group of 21 student members excited about the project. Starting with some initial brainstorming sessions, EIG students identified the needs of the community and physical elements the Farm and Garden should have in order to meet those needs, such as a hangout space, classroom space, a greenhouse, and a vegetable-growing space.

The next step was to get buy-in from the rest of the community. After creating a mock outline of the West Court, EIG students generated a list of questions handed out to every Northwest School student. During advisory and gradelevel meetings, the EIG students facilitated discussions and listened to student input. Finally, EIG member Leah M-S. ’17 tallied all the answers from 500 pieces of paper and pulled out themes. From there, a small group of six Upper School students and two Middle School students went on a three-hour design retreat. Out of that came two big designs and at that point the students decided they wanted still more input. They laid out the two design plans on a table at lunch and invited students to write ideas on sticky notes. “I loved blueprinting the garden with my EIG members and also setting up a table in 401 in the lunch line and asking people’s thoughts about blueprint options,” says Laila K.’18. “It surprised me how a small group can make a grand idea into an actual entity of our school.”

Surmounting Obstacles Once the design was finalized, several construction dilemmas arose: How to keep the line of sight open across the court? How to allow for basketball play without balls destroying the plants? And how to keep the project from costing a fortune? After consulting with the school’s maintenance faculty, Jenny and the students searched for and found a reclaimed fishing net. They calculated it would have to be rigged eight feet high to keep rogue basketballs away from the planter boxes— which was the exact height of the volleyball net poles that already existed on West Court. “It worked!” says Jenny. “From the main building you can barely see the net and, better yet, it was a cost efficient solution and leveraged existing infrastructure.”

0 1 Tomatoes ripen in

Northwest’s Farm and Garden, summer 2017. 0 2 Northwest students,

leading the design process 0 3 All students received

power tool training.

04 Parent volunteers

helped build the greenhouse. 05 Students helped

haul 21 yards of soil and 3 yards of gravel to the West Court.

Power Tool Equity As the lumber started arriving, the community kicked into gear. Build days were held every weekend for five weeks, until spring break, and after break, another round of six weekends. Sometimes the build days had three people, other days, 15. In total, more than 100 people showed up over the course of the spring. Before building began, twelve students underwent a power tools training session with maintenance faculty Chance Koehnen and Craig Linton. In addition to safety rules and practices, people were encouraged to be brave and try the tools. “I said, if you don’t know how to use a drill and hammer, I’d love for you to use a drill and hammer today,” says Jenny. “Power tools are often a very gendered space; we want to dispel that. The goal here is to teach and learn.”

Moving Mountains of Earth Students like Juniper C. ’21 were impressed with the complexity of planning required. “I learned a lot more than I had previously known about architecture and specifically how tricky it can be to get exact locations for all the building and items in the space,” says Juniper. “I know the greenhouse had to be moved at least once, and a lot of effort went into planning the placement of everything else.”

As the project gained momentum, offers to help came pouring in from different groups of students and faculty. The Urban Hiking class, taught by Jeremy DeWitt, arrived and moved 50 wheelbarrows of soil from the driveway outside of West Court to the Farm and Garden in the space of one class period.

Then, ninety 10th grade students came to work in preparation for their annual trip to Heritage University. Jenny designed a set of eight projects that were discrete and could be completed in a short thirty-minute period: two groups planting seeds; one group shoveling soil into planter boxes; four groups working on construction of the treezeebo, greenhouse, and planter boxes; one group constructing a shelving unit for the greenhouse. Finally, Northwest’s Public Art class added touches of creativity. The students fashioned small logo Houses spray-painted green for plant labels; they stenciled earth worms on the beds’ wooden sides; and they transformed the basketball hoop into a giant sunflower by painting the base green with leaves, and stenciling a sunflower head on the backboard. “I’m hoping it will continue to be a canvas,” says Jenny. “The art doesn’t have to all relate to food; how about geometric shapes, and getting some math in there as well?”

0 1 Two-year-

old Ramona Kim (child of Humanities teacher Julie Kim) pitches in. 0 2 Artistic

elements, including this painted sunflower, were added by the Public Art class and teacher Curtis Erlinger. 0 3 A bounty of kale

grows happily in one of 14 planter boxes.

Eating Mindfully

An important part of student learning occurs every day in The Northwest School Dining Hall. Students read the Farm to Table wall board while they wait in the lunch line to learn facts about the foods they are about to eat; they choose from dishes that accommodate vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free eaters; they select from a salad bar of locally grown produce, some of which is harvested right from the school’s own Farm and Garden. After lunch, students bus reusable dishes and deposit compostable packaging. “I want to graduate thoughtful eaters,” says Director of Dining Services Bethany Fong, who joined Northwest in 2016. The school’s emphasis on environmental sustainability and social justice plays an important part in how Bethany choses menus and purchases ingredients. “Eating sustainably goes hand in hand with our mission. We want to be sustainable; we want to think about our carbon footprint; we want to think about social justice and ask if people growing our food are paid fair wages. Food provides that platform.”

Many Hands for Harvest If the first harvest in early June was any indication, Northwest School is well on its way to becoming its own supporting source for fresh produce. “We harvested 300 radishes and a whole bunch of kale,” says Jenny proudly. “The Dining Services team whipped up a radish green chimichurri sauce and kale salad that was ‘next-level’ delicious. The kids loved it!” Five dedicated student interns maintained the garden through the summer months: Steffi L. ’18, Riley W. ’19, Trinity D. ’19, Linus B. ’18, and Adele M. ’18. Moreover, as the new school year approached, the dorm incorporated the Farm and Garden into their orientation weekend as a community engagement option. Sixteen international students—some new and some returning—worked, learned, and got to know each other for two and a-half hours on the Sunday before classes began. They harvested tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and hot peppers; and planted radishes, kale, bok choi, mixed greens, parsley, and marigolds and other pollinator friendly flowers.

Developing a Diverse Palate 0 4 Ursula T. ’23

helps plant the first seedlings. 0 5 The Dining

Hall wall board teaches students about the day’s lunch ingredients.

The gold standard of knowing where your food is coming from is to grow your own. When Northwest students launched the school’s first urban Farm and Garden and then harvested its first crop of radishes and kale, Bethany proposed having a “tasting table”, so students could try out ways a harvest can translate into delectable eating. The kale salad and green chimichurri sauce were a great hit. She plans to repeat the tasting tables whenever each new harvest arrives. “My goal is to create a program that is fun and respects the cultures the food is trying to represent and develops students who are not afraid to try new dishes and condiments.”

Dining Adventurously While student satisfaction is paramount— they have to like what they are eating— Bethany believes there is great value in offering new flavors. “Lunchtime is one more chance for students to step outside their comfort zones,” says Bethany. She points out that since taste buds are constantly evolving, it is important to be open to new foods. “We ask our students to stretch themselves—take a dance class, play an instrument, go out for volley ball—it’s the same with eating: try it, stretch yourself. You may not think you like this food, well, try it; you may find it’s growing on you and, suddenly, you crave it.”

Alumni Profiles

s a fulltime data scientist at the software company Granular, Emma Fuller ’05 crunches data to help farmers become better farmers—in other words, more efficient in their operations, more precise with inventory, and ultimately, more profitable. According to Emma, this data-driven approach to farming should lead to better sustainability.

“The closer you are to farm management systems the more aware you are of the impacts of poor management,” says Emma. “With climate change and the overdrawing of aquifers, we are running out of time; it’s a strong incentive to solve problems when they affect costs.”

While the local farm movement is a positive trend toward more sustainable and healthy farming, Emma believes it cannot be the only solution to ensuring billions of people have access to healthy produce well into the future. “There’s a lot of yelling back and forth between small local and large commercial farmers about what the tradeoffs are between environmental sustainability and human wellbeing,” says Emma. She believes we cannot understand those tradeoffs without more specific data. “First we have to have good information, and then we can have a conversation. It’s a win-win for customers and for land management—it results in greater yields for farmers.”

Emma Fuller ’05

Applying High Tech to Agriculture

Measuring Sustainability Just a few years ago, Emma was at Princeton University, completing her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology, focusing on commercial fisheries. In her words, she was interested in “unpacking” sustainability. “I wanted to determine how you measure sustainability. What are you measuring? How do you quantify sustainability in fisheries?” recounts Emma. She concluded from her research that not enough hard practical data was available to answer those questions. When she had a conversation with a friend of a friend of a friend and heard about Granular, she seized the opportunity. “I got excited and jumped out of academia and headed to Granular.”

The Power of Data

Living the Farmer’s Life

Granular bills itself as one of the first companies to apply Silicon Valley technology expertise to the agriculture industry. The company offers two products: a farm management software that enables the large scale farmer (who has 1000 or more acres) to manage operations (everything from logging fertilizer application to recording land rental agreements and harvested yields); and the second product, AcreValue.com, which pulls together data relevant to farmland—soil types, precipitation, elevation, temperature—and displays it all in one spot. In addition, it offers estimates of how much the land is worth (similar to a Zillow estimate, but for farmland).

Emma’s insight in the farming industry is informed by her personal life. She and her husband, Peter Smuko, own a 15-acre farm on Vashon Island, called Northbourne Farm. Peter is the fulltime farmer; Emma, when she is not crunching numbers, is weeding, harvesting, and washing produce for market. On weekends, she and Peter sell at the Vashon Farmers Market.

“Searching and finding high-quality farmland in your area is challenging—it is one of the biggest constraints on farmers,” explains Emma. Traditionally, a lot of farmland is bought and sold by word of mouth. Granular makes land transaction information widely available, including the owner’s contact information and land transaction details. Says Emma, “It democratizes access to land.” Emma’s work at Granular has helped her match her ideals with practicality and reality. “It has given me insight in a pragmatic way,” she says.

01 Emma Fuller ’05 02 Emma, with her husband

Peter Smuko, on their allhorse-powered farm 03 Granular software empowers

farmers to be more efficient in their operations. 03 The sign welcoming visitors

to Northbourne Farm’s produce stand

“We’re all-horse-powered,” says Emma, proudly. “Two huge draft horses, Jay and 04 Roy, do all the plowing.” Currently, the farm is home to 30 chickens and may soon expand to accommodate a few sheep and perhaps some dairy cows. For now, Emma and Peter are focusing on growing produce, including kale, chard, carrots, garlic, potatoes, squash, blueberries, apples, pears, and cherries. “Working on the farm is fantastic and it’s exciting to see we can make it viable,” says Emma. Recently, Emma’s parents moved to Northbourne. “So now we’re a multigenerational farm.”

Connecting Social to Sustainable Emma credits her years at The Northwest School for setting her on this career path. She says her education expanded her boundaries and pushed her to examine both sides of an issue. “In Jeff Blair’s class in international affairs, I remember talking about water systems and it struck me how linked social problems are to environmental sustainability,” recalls Emma. “Jeff was so good at playing devil’s advocate and the conversation was much richer.” Emma also notes that Northwest’s Environment Program was a fundamental learning experience that shaped how she approaches her life. “The Environment Program made me realize that what you reap is what you sow.”

ver one billion tons of produce grown in the United States never makes it to market: lopsided melons, oversized zucchinis, conjoined carrots, cucumbers shaped like boomerangs. In other words, ugly produce.

Last year, Grant Carlson ’10 decided to harness that waste and turn it into something healthy and delicious. He and a college friend, Slava Chupryna, co-founded Ugly Juice LLC, a company that takes 5000 pounds of misshapen produce per week and turns it into 200 gallons of fresh, cold-pressed juice. “We don’t add sugar or water, only produce,” says Grant, who delivers juice to about 60 companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Airbnb, CISCO, and various investment and tech companies. “We deliver to businesses that want to have healthier snack options for their employees.”

Grant Carlson ’10

Ugly Juice delivers to larger companies about once a month, and to smaller companies, a few gallons of juice every day. In the short amount of time Ugly Juice has been operating, it has already recovered 150,000 pounds of produce.

Co-founder & CEO, Ugly Juice, LLC

A Triple Win Because imperfect produce is destined for the trash heap, Grant and his partner can purchase it for an extremely low price and pass those savings onto customers for about 30% less than similarly priced juices. 02

“It’s a win-win,” points out Grant. “It’s an additional income stream for the farmer and an affordable healthy product for our customers.” Another winner is the environment. Ugly Juice started out offering juice in glass mason jars that could be returned when empty. When it learned the amount of water used to wash the mason jars made more of an environmental impact, Ugly Juice switched to BPA-free recyclable containers. Meanwhile, to minimize its carbon footprint, the company delivers all of its juice orders by bicycle.

Fresh, Ugly, and In Season Ugly Juice recipes change daily, depending on what is coming in from the fields. A recent selection included “Kalecchini,” a mix of apple, zucchini, kale, lime, and turmeric; “Dwight’s Root,” a blend of carrot, apple, beet, kale, lemon, and lime; and “Berry Drank,” a concoction of blueberry, apple, and pear. The juicing process starts with grinding the produce into pulp, and then squeezing the pulp between two hydraulic steel walls that apply 16,000 pounds of pressure. The extracted juice holds all of the minerals, vitamins, and enzymes of the original vegetables or fruits. As for the pulp, Ugly Juice works with local organizations that transport it to urban agriculture organizations to be used as compost.

Alumni Profiles

Cultivating Values

Scary Versus Dangerous

Grant dreamed of starting a business when he was in college studying sociology at University of California, Berkley. After graduating, he moved to San Francisco and started a job at a finance company doing wealth management.

When asked how he summoned the courage to leave a comfortable career in finance to run a small sustainable business, Grant paraphrases the well-known saying by Sam Adams Founder Jim Koch.

“I wanted to gain experience and understand how to manage money and how world events influence markets” says Grant. “I knew I wanted to run my own company.” His choice to start a sustainable company was influenced by his upbringing. Grant and his father (former Northwest Board of Trustees President Cory Carlson) spent a great deal of time outdoors together and Grant credits his dad for giving him a love of the environment. The other strong influence was his years at The Northwest School, according to Grant. “Northwest had a big influence on me—the way it runs itself as an institution, guided by a set of beliefs, and how members of that institution are asked to follow and practice those beliefs,” confirms Grant. “Especially in how you treat each other with respect. It has influenced the way I’ve made priorities in my life.” Grant credits teachers like photography teacher Lyn McCracken, who “always held me to a high standard and demanded that I work hard to gain her approval”; and physics teacher Cecila Tung “who really treated me like an adult and taught me to be honest and ethical,” says Grant.

“Some things are dangerous but not scary; others are scary but not dangerous. I could have stayed in finance and made more money but that is dangerous,” says Grant. “The longer I’m there the less chance I’ll do something worthwhile. Making money will not make you happy.” In contrast, starting Ugly Juice was scary but not dangerous, according to Grant. The company attracted its first customer in August 2016, the second one in September. At that point, Grant quit his job and, along with Slava, launched the company. “We still work twelve- to fourteen-hour days,” concedes Grant, “but it’s not really working. It’s less a job and much more a passionate project.”

0 1 Grant Carlson ’10 0 2 Grant (right), with Ugly Juice Co-founder

Slava Chupryna 0 3 Ugly Juice flavors change daily, arising

from whatever ugly fruits and vegetables come in from the fields.

Brad Swift ’02

A Business from Bees

ees can affect the aroma, color, and consistency of wax in the hive. According to beekeeper and small business owner Brad Swift ’02, the optimal wax to harvest for lip balm is the “capping” wax—the top-most layer.

“The capping wax has been in contact with honey and has a floral aroma,” explains Brad, “versus the brood comb, which has an earthier smell, where eggs are laid and pupae form.” In the summer of 2011, Brad got serious about bees and beeswax. Previously, he had been keeping two of his own hives as a hobby while he worked his real job. As a child and adolescent treatment specialist, he managed positive and negative behaviors at the Trillium Family Services Perry Center for Children, in Portland, Oregon.

Alumni Profiles

“I started taking the wax from my hives and making lip balm for my wife and friends and family, and then began to put more energy into it and grow it as a side business,” recounts Brad. “I think I was motivated subconsciously by a desire to take a break from the trauma-filled environment of residential treatment.” Brad solicited fellow Northwest alumnus Forest Brook Menke-Thielman ’02, who also lived in Portland, to help design a label for what would become a startup business called Portland Bee Balm. Brad spent about a year and a half developing the right display approach.

“An important part of marketing is how the product is displayed,” states Brad. “I went to many stores and took note of how lip balm was retailed and sold in the store, and then offered to install the display for my product.”

A Simple Clean Product Today, Portland Bee Balm manufactures 30,000 tubes of lip balm per month and sells in 700 stores across the nation, as well as in Canada, Japan, and Korea. Brad has started a sister company, Cascadia Candle Company, which offers candles shaped like three mountains of the Cascadia Range: Mount Saint Helens, Mount Hood, and Mount Rainier. “The business took off so rapidly we quickly ran out of wax,” says Brad. “We now resource from other bee keepers all over the Pacific Northwest.” In comparison to the well-known Burt’s Bees, Portland Bee Balm is a simpler product—made of only four ingredients. “Our product is really clean and simple—people appreciate that,” explains Brad. “We get the best olive oil you can buy, and the highest quality unrefined virgin coconut oil—we go with the highest grade ingredients.” Another selling point is the fact that Portland Bee Balm is a small business compared to Burt’s Bees, which is the subsidiary of a large corporation. Brad can develop close relationships with his buyers as well as deliver a personalized product that honors sustainability. A real wood label goes on all the tubes, thus eliminating paper processing. Although, currently, the lip balm tubes are made of plastic, the company is developing an all stainless-steel lip balm tube that is refillable and should last a lifetime. Says Brad, “We have twenty prototypes and hope to release a production version within a year.”

A Business with Integrity Brad’s practices as a small business owner are rooted in the lessons he learned at The Northwest School. According to Brad, his experience at Northwest affected his whole outlook as an adult. “I have a holistic approach of understanding the connection of all things and I understand the consequences of the choices I make,” says Brad. “In business, like in life, everything you put out into the world comes back to you. If we treat our customers, employees, and vendors well, they treat us well in return and the business grows. I hope that growth can lead to higher pay and better benefits for our employees.” Brad credits Northwest’s Outdoor Program for giving him an appreciation of nature and a love of the mountains. He vividly remembers hiking on the Olympic Peninsula with his classmates and building an igloo. Today, he is still an avid hiker. Last year, he did a 100-mile trek in Nepal, and at the time of his telephone interview, he was just about to join a friend on the Pacific Crest Trail. “This all started for me in the 8th grade at Northwest,” confirms Brad. “(Science teacher) Herb Bergamini (who participates in the Outdoor Program) had a big impact on me.” Equally influential were the art classes at Northwest, according to Brad. The skills he learned in his printmaking class and other art courses helped him create the brand imagery for Portland Bee Balm.

Communicating Values “Art is a way to communicate,” says Brad. “We make a nice product but most of our job is communicating what our values are and the emotional connection we have to our product. That’s what branding is to me.” According to Brad, every small business must convey who they are and what they care about.“In our little two-inch, Portland Bee Balm, lip balm label, we have to convey that we’re small, we’re real people, we care about the world, and we care about integrity.”

03 0 1 Brad, with his wife Anika 0 2 Brad harvests both honey and wax

from his two beehives. 0 3 Portland Bee Balm labels are made

of wood, eliminating the waste of paper processing. 02

Class Notes Tracy Nesbitt-Hinton ’84 [01]

Kris Jacobsen ’91

I currently work as an analyst for a government contractor at the Federal Aviation Administration. I married my best friend, Derrick, on October 22, 2016, and we reside in Kent, WA. I have a twenty-two-yearold son, Malique, two step-daughters, Victoria (28), Alexandra (23), and two step-grandsons, Jaden and Mason. Life is pretty good!

After a 15 yr+ career in carpentry and building my own home on Whidbey Island, I returned to graduate school for Somatic Counseling Psychology (CIIS in CA, class of 2015). I’m now a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate in private practice in the Fremont neighborhood, working with teens, individuals, and couples struggling with transition, grief, stress, anxiety, and depression. My approach is uniquely holistic, depth-focused, body-oriented, and playful. Checkout my website at www.krisjacobsencounseling.com. Love you NWS!

Robert Yarnall ’82 [02] Two big events in my life: 1) I wrote lyrics for a children’s musical, sponsored by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, called The Ten Year Test. It tells the true story of how kids rallied over 10 years to get the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha recognized as a New York City school holiday. 2) I became an Ordained Interfaith Minister through One Spirit Interfaith Seminary! So I can perform weddings and other ceremonies, especially with people of different faiths or no faith at all.

Natasha Dworkin ’90 [03] I have a small creative firm, providing communications and design services to nonprofit and social purpose clients (www.matterhorncreative. com). I like to think I help do-gooders do better. When I’m not working, I enjoy tending to my tiny home in a remote wooded corner of Washington and exploring the greater PNW. Follow my wanderings at www.nattyhikes.com.

Yoshinori Ashikaga ’97 Moved to U.K. on a company assignment for several years into the future.

Caitlin Foito ’97 [04] Archibald (Archie) Bleiweiss was welcomed to the world on 1/25/17 and has been embraced by his big sister, Zelda, and looked after by his two dogs, who are no less nervous this time around about having a new baby in the house. Before going out on maternity leave, I developed two pilot scripts at ABC Studios, where I’m a VP of drama development, that were beautifully produced and have been picked up to series. Look for both The Crossing and For the People, on ABC at the top of 2018.

Emily LeClair Metcalf ’97 [05] I’m loving the Island life with my partner, Stephen, of twenty years, two dogs and two cats. I am publishing a book, titled Glass Slippers - A Journey of Mental Illness, in fall of 2017, available on Amazon and at local San Juan County bookshops. The book is based on my creative response to my journey with schizoaffective disorder, which I’ve had since 1998. Included are posts from my blog, www.welcometothegrit. squarespace.com. I work at Lopez Island Library, love being an aunt, practice yoga, write, swim in the Puget Sound, and enjoy being a vegetarian.

Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn ’98 [06] I recently finished a large public art project with a contemporary artist named Matthew Barney. We built a large clock, which faces the east side of Manhattan and counts down, in days and hours, to the end of the Trump Presidency. Visible from the UN, many of the consulates, the FDR drive, and the Queensborough Bridge, the project has allowed me to stake out a small portion of the New York Skyline. This fall, I will have my first gallery show, a solo show, at Owen James gallery in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The show, all light-based art, encourages the viewer to explore subconscious and uncontrolled reactions to light through sheer wonder. I’m asking people to distance themselves from colored surfaces and respond only to colored light, which is often untaught in color theory class.

Lynda (Turet) Lopez ’01 [07]

Board Member My husband and I just married last August and we now call Tacoma, WA home. We love it! After three years of owning my own company in home design and organizing, I now coach other creative women who crave deeper meaning and alignment in their work. I run an online course, called Breakthrough Method, that helps women gain momentum for a more fulfilling career and life. I am proud to stay connected and contribute to The Northwest School as a member of the board of trustees. If you are a like-minded fellow alumni, I’d love to chat! Feel free to reach out: www.lyndajlopez.com

Reid Wilson ’01 [08]

My first book, Epidemic: Ebola and the Global Scramble to Prevent the Next Killer Outbreak, will be published in December 2017. I remember getting interested in pandemics after hearing a classmate’s report on Ebola in Tamara Bunnell’s 8th grade Humanities class.

Brooke Fitchen ’02 [09] Portland has been my home for over a decade. My husband, Marty, and I have two beautiful children, Seamus and Cecily. We recently completed a home remodeling project and are now enjoying life in our new house by sharing it with family and friends. I sit on the board of my local farmers market, teach yoga, dabble in success coaching for students, and raise my two children while they aren’t at Montessori down the street. Fortunately, there are other wonderful NWS alums here in Portland and a few of us make an effort to have a family-style dinner every couple of months, which has been a lot of fun and wildly supportive.

Nick Eaton ’03 I was recently named Digital Audience Editor at The Seattle Times, where I’m now overseeing the newsroom’s digital strategy, website production, and reader engagement. I’ve been at the Times for more than two years and have been working in Seattle news for nearly a decade, thanks in large part to The Northwest School’s foundational focus on the arts and Humanities. I am still good friends with many NWS classmates, and play on a softball team with a fellow ’03 graduate. I live in Queen Anne and am still getting by, somehow, on a journalist’s salary.

Ruth Frantz ’03 [10] This has been a great year. Just got married in May, with close family and friends looking on while our threeyear-old yellow lab, Norman, was by our side! My sister, fellow alum Sarah Frantz (’07) officiated. We are living in Seattle—I work at a sales automation software company and my husband, Byron, is in law school.

Class Notes

10 07

Class Notes

Lewis Johnson ’03 I recently returned to Seattle fulltime after teaching at Pomona College in 2013-14, and conducting postdoctoral research in computational chemistry and materials science at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2014-17. I’m currently working as chemistry researcher at the University of Washington. My research has involved working with collaborators from many countries and traveling to England, Belgium, and Japan. My first contributed textbook, Understanding Nanomaterials, 2nd ed., co-written with my undergraduate advisor, Prof. Malkiat Johal, will be released in 2018. I’m still an enthusiastic photographer and runner and also earned my first degree black belt in Shotokan Karate in 2016. I’ve also travelled extensively outside of work, including trips to Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.

Toby Jacobrown ’06 [11] Of all the strange places in which I could’ve ended up, for the past four years I’ve been living the Bohemian dream in the jungle of Los Angeles. I am writing and directing, working with gifted students, and teaching Jewish Sunday school to young people with autism. When I am not working on projects, I am frequently running off to the woods with my lovely partner in all things, Amber. A while back, a bearded man called out my name in a supermarket—it was Alex Lusk ’06! And it was great to see him. Right now, I have a new play coming out about the future of technology and relationships. It’s called Singularity, and folks who are interested can read a sneak-peek at tovyajacobs.com.

Becca Pope ’06 Hey everyone! I’m getting married on August 5th to the love of my life, a Canadian named Matt Cowan. Currently, I’m teaching and going to school. In 2013, I received my master’s in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College, in Portland. Right now, I’m in school to get my Special Education endorsement, and I have a year left. This next year, I will be private tutoring students in reading and writing. I’m living right now in Seattle, in the Eastlake neighborhood. Shout out to my NWS people!

Olin Berger ’07 [12] I recently won the White River 50 Mile Endurance Run. This qualified me for a spot on the International Association of Ultrarunners Team USA. I will be running with Team USA at the 2018 Trail World Championships in Spain. I am thrilled to join Team USA and will soon participate in my first international race, the 2017 Ben Nevis Ultra, in Scotland.

Abbey Brown ’07 [13] For the last five and a-half years, I have been working on clean energy policy issues for the Environmental Defense Fund in New York City. This fall, I am starting my master’s in International Environmental Policy at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA. Happy to be back on the west coast!

Annie Loggins ’07 [14] I spent the year conducting research in Africa, helping with a gatormonitoring project at the University of Florida, and presenting my master’s research at the International Mammalogical Congress.

Hannah Miller ’08 [15] I am living in New York City and working at The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany as a Social Welfare Program Officer, doing grants management for social service organizations supporting low income Holocaust survivors in the United States, United Kingdom, and the Baltic countries. I returned to Seattle in August 2017 to get married at the Olympic Sculpture Park to Ezra Moses, whom I met while working for the JDC in Odessa and Kharkov, Ukraine, in 2013. I will start my MA in Slavic Cultures at Columbia University in the fall.

Michaela Fallon ’10 After spending some time working in the medical field and taking postbacc classes, I have been accepted into the inaugural class of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University. I am hoping to practice family medicine in a rural part of Washington, and give back to the state that has already provided me with so much. I am spending my summer playing ultimate for Seattle Underground (with fellow NWS Alumnae Nora Carr ’04), backpacking, and doing fun Seattle things before moving to Spokane to start the school year.

Trevor Harron ’10 Since I graduated from Northwest, I have gone to (and graduated from) Middlebury College with a major in Computer Science and minor in Music. I work as a software contractor for Dev9, testing cloud-based services in Seattle. I also have my own game publishing and development business, Blue Heron LLC, and have published my first game, Collectors and Capers, a year ago. Currently, I am set up to publish two more games this year: Affectionate Cats and Cuddles, and another game currently named Eminence Grise. You can find my business at www.blueherongames.com!

Ken Park ’10 I recently got a job working as a reporter/photographer/social media manager for the White Salmon Enterprise, a newspaper in the Columbia River Gorge region. I have covered everything from the Gorge’s first-ever LGBT Pride Parade to the grand opening of the local fight for health care coverage in Klickitat County. It has been amazing experience to get to know this little community, which I have lived in, on and off, for 10 years.

Harper Loveless ’12 [16]

Submitted by parent, Beth Rogers Loveless It has been a big year for Harper. In June, she completed her degree in Special Education at Western Washington University and is now certified to teach Special Ed. In July, she married Nathan Blackstock, and in August, they (with their dog Copper) moved to the Big Island of Hawaii!

Sarah Olson ’12 [17] I graduated last year from UW with a degree in Comparative History of Ideas with a tri-focus in Critical Animal, Environmental, and Gender Studies. I finished my undergraduate studies by doing an internship abroad at the Scottish Seabird Centre, helping with their environmental education program. This year I’ve been primarily working at a spa on Capitol Hill but also got the chance to become a NWS sub towards the end of the school year! This coming fall, I will be going on tour throughout Europe with local musician Naomi Wachira, to help nanny and homeschool her adorable daughter, Aiyana. My end goal is to come back to NWS to teach fulltime.

Caleb Boyd ’13 [18]

Submitted by parent, Shannon Woods Caleb Juneau Boyd recently graduated from the University of Redlands with a BA in Visual and Media Culture Studies. He will be working in Seattle for the next year before he heads off to New York City, where he has been accepted into the Media Management graduate program at The New School.

Maximilian Sarkowsky ’16 [19] Over the summer, I interned at the Open Space for Arts and Community on Vashon Island. Most years, they are a performance venue and arts center for the island. This summer, they were closed for renovation, so I worked in the office, learning how an arts organization is run, as well as building a Miniature Golf course for their summer outdoor exhibits. It was great to put my tech theatre experience into something more permanent as well as build something for families to enjoy all summer long.

Regarding their philanthropic support, Cory and Rhoda are focused on education, medical research, the environment, and breaking the cycle of poverty on a local and international basis. As a family, they are working to refine their long-term giving plans. The Carlson and Altom family believes “impact begins at home, at school, and in the community. When you are able to touch something great, you have an obligation to protect it for the next generation. Our kids got a wonderful education at NWS, and we have an obligation to protect and nurture it for future students and our community.”

Planning Ahead by Walter Long Director of Development

We believe estate “ giving provides an opportunity to have a deeper impact; to help grow the longterm assets of the school, as an endowment, which supports the goals and mission of the school in perpetuity.

”

– Cory Carlson

t is lunchtime and the rooftop field at 401 East Pike is crowded. Some middle school students toss a disc to each other. As I watch the students enjoying the sun and the field, I am awestruck by the vision, the planning, and the generosity that went into creating a building that has quickly become such an integral part of our school.

Cory Carlson and Rhoda Altom are no strangers to the altruism and drive behind leaving a legacy for others. They first came to The Northwest School when their daughter, Stewart ’07, was looking for a middle school. Cory shares, “Our daughter was (and still is) very opinionated. We toured all the private schools, when she announced that she had only one choice: The Northwest School. It spoke to her, and it spoke to us.” A few years later, Grant ’10, found Northwest to be the best school for him as well. Cory and Rhoda rolled up their sleeves and dove into the Northwest community. Cory served on advisory committees, was invited to be on the Board, served as a Capital Campaign Chair, and eventually became the President of the Board. Rhoda worked on fund development, campus plans and remodel, and helped with early Pizazz events. When I asked what it was that inspired them to give so much back to the school they said Northwest “treats children as young adults, expecting more than is normal, and it gets results. Students learn a deep awareness of the world, they learn to think, and not just memorize. And they learn to clean toilets!” At Northwest they found a humility that was shared by the students and faculty.

Support for annual giving, Pizazz, and the school’s capital campaigns were all important to Rhoda and Cory, but they felt compelled to provide for The Northwest School through their estate plans as well. As a family they believe that philanthropy starts with thoughtful discussion and planning. Rhoda says “part of a great education is to have students and faculty connect with the needs of the community, learn about others and feel empowered to trigger impactful change. The support and care of others comes full circle when families support the school.” Cory and Rhoda expressed to me that they want other families to know that “you can make a difference; it does not take some of us, it takes all of us giving back, in whatever way we can, to pull others forward.” While Cory and Rhoda know that there will be obvious changes such as new buildings and new faculty, “the real excitement [at Northwest] may never be quantified—the excitement when a teacher reaches deep inside a student’s awareness, and the awe when a former student makes a positive impact on the world. And on it goes with each new class.”

0 1 The Carlson-Altom family:

Cory, Rhoda, Stewart ’07, and Grant ’10 0 2 Spotted: Gianna Craig ’02, on

the rooftop of 401 E. Pike at the NWS Alumni Reunion 0 3 Also spotted: David Rigert ’97,

catching up with NWS friends 0 4 NWS Class of ’97 relives their

Upper Hall Dance Party. 0 5 Photos of alumni decorated

the party space at the reunion.

Alumni Happenings 02

Alumni Reunion Over 100 alumni and families, faculty, and friends gathered on Saturday, June 24, for the annual Northwest Alumni Reunion, open to all and celebrating reunion classes ending in 2 and 7. Alum and reunion class representative Anna Downs ’97, reflects on the evening:

“ Follow us!

The Northwest School Alumni

Our ’97 20th reunion weekend was awesome! We ate, we drank, we danced. There were pictures from the past and new babies from a couple of days ago. People walked, biked, bused, and flew in. People came solo, coupled, and with families. A GIGANTIC thank you to all who were able to make it, and to everyone, we hope to see you for the big 2-5 camping trip!

”

nwsalumni

Save the date! Regional events Northwest is coming to your neighborhood. We had such a great time last year swapping stories and sharing laughs with alums across the U.S. so we’re doing it again! Join us to connect with fellow alums and faculty in the following cities:

San Francisco, CA • February 3, 2018 Los Angeles, CA • February 4, 2018 05

Washington, D.C. • March 10, 2018 New York, NY • March 11, 2018 Portland, OR • April 20, 2018

Holiday on the Hill Alumni Happy Hour On Sunday, Dec. 3, join us for an alumni and NWS faculty happy hour followed by Holiday on the Hill, a family-friendly community event at Elliott Bay Book Company that supports NWS. The happy hour will take place near the book store. Stay tuned for details.

Alumni Basketball Game Start 2018 off right at the House! Visit with NWS families, friends, and faculty while cheering on players of the Alumni Basketball Game. This event will take place in early January, 2018. We’ll get back to you with details.

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

1415 Summit Avenue Seattle, WA 98122

www.northwestschool.org

Above: Students and faculty biked, walked, carpooled, or took public transportation to school on June 2 for Alternative Transportation Day. We had more than 40 cyclists (double our usual number), 25 walkers (some from 4+ miles away!), 30 carpoolers, 40 public transportation riders, and one unicycler. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nearly 20 percent of community participating and reducing their transportation-related GHG emissions.

Printed on Forest Stewardship CouncilÂŽ certified, process chlorine free, 10% post-consumer recycled paper.

Seattle, Wa. Permit No. 10921