Pegasus Magazine 2022-2023

14 IF WE KNEW THEN WHAT WE KNOW NOW Alumni Parents Share Their Perspectives on What Mattered, What Didn’t, and What May Have Hurt by Marrie Stone

MISSION STATEMENT

The story of Pegasus begins with intellectual curiosity and compassion. We are a vibrant academic community that inspires bright, motivated students to discover and develop their unique gifts. Teachers and students build trusting relationships that foster selfreliance, confidence, and innovative thinking. A Pegasus education equips students to achieve future academic success and to make a positive impact on society.

CORE VALUES

Be Kind to Self: Self-Awareness, Self-Management

Be Kind to Others: Social Awareness, Relationship Skills

Be Kind to Future Self: Responsible Decision-making

The Pegasus School is committed to a community-wide culture of respect where inclusiveness, kindness, integrity, and empathy are deeply valued. Pegasus embraces a framework which prioritizes the social emotional well-being of our students. We are dedicated to fostering a safe and trusting environment for the continual development of self awareness, social-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.

PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE

Academically Confident

Well Balanced Critical Thinker

Exceptional Communicator

Collaborative Leader

Responsible Citizen

Environmentally Conscious

Technologically Adept

Economically Astute

Versed in the Arts

Globally Aware

2022–2023 www.thepegasusschool.org

EDITORIAL BOARD

Jason Lopez, Head of School

Karla Joyce, Editor and Writer

Rick Davitt, Photographer

Nancy Wilder, Middle School English Teacher

Lindsay Richards, Director of Communications and Marketing

WRITERS

Jason Lopez

Karla Joyce

Marrie Stone

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Deidre Campbell

Jordana Gilden

Caroline Kawabe

Colleen Rivers

Alex Vrabeck

Tonya Wertman

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Lindsay Richards

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Sami Chappell

PHOTOGRAPHER

Rick Davitt

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Jeff Rovner

CONTRIBUTING POET

Patty Seyburn

PRINTER

NDM Communications Pegasus

www.thepegasusschool.org

OUR MOST COMMON GROUND:

cURIOS I TY

I recently invited several alumni parents to contribute to the Pegasus Magazine, admittedly hoping to trumpet the concept of our new WINGS building, our state-of-the-art library expansion and student resource center, and share ongoing developments with true Pegasus champions. But instead, at our first meeting, they peppered me with unexpected questions, like “How did we handle the COVID lockdown?” Easy question, easy answer. But then: “Are current parents triggered by pedagogy, as podcasters routinely imply?” Wow, and finally: “Is the relentless drumbeat of division in the world-at-large seeping into Pegasus?”

Inhale, exhale.

Unwittingly, I applied the same technique I use for all emotionally-charged encounters: step back, take a break, take a breath, talk facts. Yes, friends, the world has changed out there. I was fascinated by the chorus of their curiosity, though. Then I realized: it was the safety of our longtime friendship that had empowered the questioning. What is curiosity if not the fundamental building block for collaboration? And hadn’t we convened to do just that?

The Pegasus Magazine was established in 2011 with big ambitions to seek, to learn; specifically, to ask and answer tough questions. Back then, the designation of Pegasus as a “gifted” school had created entrenched camps of agreement and dissent. The practice of academic acceleration and extracurricular-packing for a straight shot to the “sweatshirt” schools: we talked about that, too. And all of it was delivered, whenever possible, through stories Yes, things have changed. Differences have hardened.

Yet, it is essential for a school like Pegasus, dedicated to safe exploration and the respectful exchange of ideas, to recognize that the people whose views you cannot fathom each have their own story. Our alumni editorial team was determined once again to lead with curiosity and, through our stories, tackle some of today’s hotter topics.

“The Kids Are Listening” by Karla Joyce examines how our adherence to ideological “camps” might be impacting our children. It is a complex relationship, one that puts our parenting choices squarely in the hot seat. Marrie Stone’s “If We Knew Then What We Know Now” uses the stories of lessons-learned by alumni parents to help parents of today’s younger students self-reflect, and is followed with specific tools for parents of younger children in “Learning to Let Go” by Colleen Rivers, a recap of our PTO’s topical fall PEGTalk featuring Jenna Flowers, Ph.D.

As always, stories about the people who make up our Pegasus Community fill the pages of this issue, but please notice the prevalence of library-related content. Find out what our students, staff, and faculty are reading in the first installment of the Pegasus Book Club, and don’t miss Tonya Wertman’s history of our unique library programs.

And, well, I’m just going to say it: We are building our WINGS

Jason Lopez Head of School

of Pegasus

By Deidre Campbell

TODAY’S READER, TOMORROW’S LEADER

There is not much that gets past eighth grader Alexandra “Ally” Shaw. Not the fast ball that is thrown across home plate into her catcher’s mitt or a used book casually tossed aside that is in need of a new home. An avid softball player and bibliophile who arrived on the Pegasus campus as a sixth grader in the fall of 2020, Shaw did not let a little thing called COVID keep her from jumping right into the middle school mix. Making a beeline to visit Mrs. Meister, she quickly made herself a presence in the library, where her love of books would eventually fulfill a much larger role as a student of service.

Shortly after she joined the Assistance League of Newport Mesa in seventh grade, Shaw discovered Operation School Bell (OSB), a program that provides uniforms, clothing, school supplies, and dental care to roughly 1,200 Newport Mesa Unified School District students in need. As part of OSB, Shaw recognized a need for students coming through

MEET MOMMA-CA

Walking into Monica Le’s cozy office, one immediately notices the array of posters and pictures that inspire childlike joy. An enthusiastic Disney fan who also loves a good Broadway musical, Le feels at home amid the bustle of middle school students. Less Fairy Godmother, more Mary Poppins, Le invokes a sense of fun while firmly guiding students through their middle-school years. Mature beyond her years, Le relishes the nurturing role she gets to play with students at a time when they are developing their sense of identity. “It’s a really unique age group,” she says.

Aside from a short stint in corporate recruiting, Le has never deviated from her role as a kind, compassionate force for young people. While she pursued her undergraduate degree at UC Irvine, Le tutored elementary and middle school students. After college she volunteered at Camp Ronald McDonald, where she served as a counselor for children with cancer. Assigned to a cabin full of twelve- and thirteen-year-olds, Le earned the nickname “Momma-ca.” In 2019, Le’s parenting-nature was tested more personally when her aunt passed away, and Le took on the care of Donovan, her younger cousin who is now seventeen years old. Given her experiences, it is clear that caring-for-others is hardwired in her DNA.

the door to have access to books appropriate for their reading level. Like anything she sets her mind to, it was only a matter of time before the Book Brigade was born, with Shaw leading the mission to secure and distribute print resources for students in need.

Thanks to Shaw’s efforts, the Book Brigade has amassed a collection of gently used books gathered through book drives, Assistance League donations, and former Pegasus library materials set aside by Mrs. Meister. Inventoried, coded, and sorted by grade level by Shaw and other Assisteen volunteers, materials accumulated as part of the Book Brigade are available for kids to check out books based upon the appropriate Accelerated Reading level.

Establishing a vital program in such a short time is an achievement in itself, but the pure joy Shaw derives from connecting with students over their favorite books is what elicits the most gratification. Whether it’s a Judy B. Jones title or Girl in the Blue Coat, fantasy or historical fiction, Shaw’s enthusiasm for books knows no boundaries. Nor does her determination to provide access to books and motivate young readers.

A first-generation VietnameseAmerican, Le grew up as an only child in a multigenerational home in Orange County. Surrounded by strong women that included her mother, grandmother, and great aunt, Le learned from their resiliency as immigrants from Vietnam. In Kindergarten, Le and her mother moved to a small town in New Jersey where, as one of two Asian students, she struggled to fit in and cried every day before going to school. “I didn’t understand why no one looked like me,” reflects Le. The three years in New Jersey changed the way Le viewed herself in the world, yet, at the same time, brought her closer to her family. Upon her return to California, her family enrolled her in a Vietnamese youth group to help her learn more about her culture, giving further shape to her identity and empathy to those who might not always feel as if they fit in.

With age, Le has gained a deep appreciation for being raised in a close and caring household with her extended family who displayed what it meant to be resourceful, responsible, kind, and resilient. Characteristics Le has come to embody as “Momma-ca,” not just to her kids at camp or Pegasus students but to all those with whom she comes into contact.

ALL’S SWELL

Like the buoyancy of a surfboard, Laurie Hammond doesn’t let anything keep her down. A fixture at The Pegasus School for the last ten years, Hammond has performed many roles, from supporting the maintenance department to maintaining student records as the school’s Registrar. Much to her delight, the latest positive allows her to film various campus events. Whatever the task at hand, she loves everything about her job. “No matter what, it’s never the same day twice,” Hammond said.

A perpetual optimist, Hammond doesn’t need rose colored lenses to change her outlook. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 after dragging her feet to get a mammogram, she credits the insistence of a surfing buddy to get screened. Had she waited any longer, the cancer would have metastasized. Despite undergoing treatment and losing her hair, Hammond was humbled by the outpouring of support from the Pegasus

staff and community who helped her through a difficult time. Dr. Jane Kakkis, a Pegasus parent, spearheaded her care. “I was surrounded by an amazing group of people and knew I wasn’t going to drown,” comments Hammond who found comfort in small gestures like coconut water left at her desk upon returning from treatment.

Often found at the beach surfing on her 7’ 6” Ellis (one of thirty boards she owns) or pulling debris out of Huntington Harbor, Hammond is committed not only to protecting our ocean but also to her fiancé. Shane Coons, a corporate attorney by trade, met Hammond at a Surfrider Foundation conference months before her diagnosis where they bonded over a shared love of surfing. Given their history, it only seemed appropriate that Shane proposed to Hammond at sunset in front of the Surfline camera at the Bolsa Chica lifeguard tower this past November. Little did she know the whole proposal was strategically caught on camera.

With cancer behind her, Hammond’s focus is firmly on the future. With two pending surf trips slated for the first half of the year and a beach wedding scheduled for next September, 2023 promises to be a very good year indeed.

BY BLOCK, BY BOOK, BY BRUSH

As a shy, unassuming first grader in Christine Olsen’s class, Anderson Bradley does not strike me as one with the capacity to break boards at such a young age. And yet, that is exactly what he did this past September when he tested to earn his first degree black belt in Taekwondo at the tender age of six. After three years of training, Bradley and his twin sister Blake, were given the challenge of breaking eight boards in order to pass their belt testing, and pass they did.

Modest and kind to a fault, Bradley does not relish attention or accolades but would rather talk about his sisters, his family’s menagerie of pets, his love of Legos and reading, and the joy of jumping on the trampoline. Given his reserved nature, it comes as no surprise that Bradley fails to mention he also happens to be a recognized artist who was awarded second place in the Festival of Arts Junior Art exhibit in Laguna Beach this past August. While a kindergartener at Pegasus, Bradley created a colorful piece titled “Kandinsky Lines” which was then submitted by Lindsay Petralia, his

Visual Arts teacher, into the OC Arts

4 All Showcase presented by the OC Department of Education on behalf of The Pegasus School. The exhibit featured Bradley’s work and earned him entry into the Festival of Arts Junior Art Exhibit where he received a special award.

Since he received his artistic recognition, Bradley’s focus these days is making pinch pots in the family art room, swimming, and spending time helping his older sister, Ryan, (third grade) with her cooking channel. She has Anderson’s seal of approval who declares, “She’s pretty good at fruit bowls and quesadillas.”

Deidre Campbell is the mother of two grown children and Pegasus student Kate Campell (’25). Contact: deidrecampbell1@gmail.com.

LISTENING THE KIDS ARE

How the Current Culture of Division Is Affecting a Generation of Students

By Karla Joyce

Let’s play a game.

I say current cultural assumptions (out loud) and you react.

Here goes:

America is systemically racist.

Obedience to preferred pronouns is forced speech.

Lockdowns and vax mandates saved lives.

“Hate speech” is simply opposition to prevailing narratives.

Abortion is…

Where did everybody go?

If this were an ordinary independent school magazine, I would reel off our Middle School debate program’s unparalleled record of victory and chalk up the spicy lead-in to the sophistication of our curriculum. We embrace this kind of debate. We encourage intellectual diversity. We hail neutrality.

While all true, I’m not going there.

I’m right and you’re wrong, I’m big and you’re small, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

~Roald Dahl, Matilda

The Pegasus Magazine was, in fact, established in 2011 to represent in a periodical Laura Hathaway’s educational vision that transcended the conventional. Let’s test the commitment to intellectual safety, we said. Let’s invite constructive disagreement. Right out of the gates we tackled the controversial designation of giftedness that had been attached to the school since its founding. We consistently challenged

the parental push for academic acceleration and championed play, personal expression, and happiness itself. We dared to suggest that the looming college application process compelled branding instead of selfactualization.

Twelve years later the idea of taking a stance on anything is daunting. Why is that? Where once we could disagree on political ideology, social this and fiscal that, today those subjects are fraught. Was it the COVID lockdowns? The video circulation of George Floyd’s death by law enforcement? There are so many options to cut and paste into this paragraph, from the mainstreaming of gender ideology to the margins of bodily autonomy, suffice to say this cultural crossroad has marked the death (of sorts) of debate. The war of words has become emotionally heated, factious, and routinely morally condemning.

The magazine’s inaugural issue coincided with the debut of the Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP) as a seventh- and eighth-grade elective. It was famously brought to fruition by Jim Conti, former Pegasus teacher. In that issue, Conti wrote: “Middle School students are not shy about sharing their ideas, and they love to engage in argument, but the grand prize is to win an argument.” To do that, “students need more than passion and enthusiasm.” (Bingo) “They need to identify credible sources, evaluate which pieces of evidence will help their case most, organize their thoughts, prepare arguments well in advance, see issues from multiple angles, and speak in

front of a group with confidence and conviction.” Then: “They must listen to their opponents, take notes, and think critically about the information.” (Bingo, bingo, bingo.)

While these skills are still taught in Pegasus classrooms, the classroom of life sends students mixed signals. If the portrayal of argumentation among adults is laden with animosity, if subjects are discussed at the dinner table in a framework of right and wrong, it’s not debate. There are countless hypotheses as to how “tribalism” has taken root in our society, but for the sake of an independent school publication we are asking: how is this affecting our students?

Yes, I’m going there

The whole idea of taking a stance on anything is daunting. Why is that?

Jonathan Haidt is an American social psychologist and Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School of Business. Around 2008, Haidt became concerned by how politically polarized America was becoming, a polarization that has only worsened since. “There are several trends that are very disturbing,” he said in an Atlantic Monthly article dated May 2020, “including the rise of affective polarization.” (That is the mutual dislike and hate each political side feels for the other.) “When there’s so much hatred, a democracy can’t work right,” he said.

The same holds true in an educational environment, he added. “You can’t be hating and learning at the same time.”

As far back as 2018, Pegasus Magazine broached the subject of opinion and heated rhetoric usurping reason in Middle School discussions. The article, Pop Goes The Bubble identified the drip, drip of influence that naked political hostility and a segregated media stream might be having on our students. “Name-calling, profanity, and shouting is threatening to inhibit genuine debate,” we wrote then. “ As a result, so goes critical, independent thinking. Even at Pegasus.”

Cut to 2023.

The Science Of Hypocrisy

“All animals are equal,” said Napoleon, the Berkshire boar of Animal Farm, George Orwell’s classic novel. “But some animals are more equal than others.” If looked at through the lens of Haidt’s theories on moral judgment and polarization, the pig was just being, well, human.

Through the work of Haidt and colleagues, we understand that people form opinions on difficult and controversial topics based on six moral foundations. Moral Foundation Theory operates with the recognition that each foundation has intrinsic value, but people vary in how they prioritize them based on their group

• Care/Harm refers to our mammalian instinct toward kindness and nurturance.

• Fairness/Cheating stems from our evolutionary process of reciprocal altruism, giving life to the ideas of justice, rights, and autonomy.

• Loyalty/Betrayal speaks to our history as tribal creatures with shifting coalitions.

• Authority/Subversion underlies virtues of leadership and followership.

• Sanctity/Degradation was shaped by the psychology of disgust and contamination and underlies religious notions of striving to live in an elevated, less carnal way.

• Liberty/Oppression is linked to the feelings of resentment people feel toward those who restrict their liberty.

Haidt’s research into moral psychology has a natural application in U.S. politics and culture. The red/blue divide of American politics, he explains in his book The Righteous Mind, can be attributed to a variance in moralities; liberals tilt toward the care/harm while conservatives weigh the six morals equally. Each perspective, he says, “provides a complete, unified, and emotionally compelling worldview, easily justified by observable evidence and nearly impregnable to attack by arguments from outsiders.”

The framework may explain the matrix-like biases of our postpandemic world. Simply recognizing that we have different moral matrices and moral foundations, Haidt suggests, may help alleviate tension over hotbed cultural issues. In other words, “if we can view others, rather than lacking morals entirely, as simply having moral foundations different from our own, then we should be able to engage in more reasonable conversations.” Translation: neither side is evil.

Haidt’s personal evolution from self-proclaimed “self-righteous hypocrite” to the model of intellectual honesty should be a playbook for every one of us, but especially for parents of young children. “If we want to understand ourselves, our divisions, our limits, and our potentials,” he says, we need to “step out of our moral matrices, turn down the moral condemnation of our fellow citizens, and analyze the game we’re all playing.”

Meanwhile, On College Campuses…

Haidt openly acknowledges the existence of moral matrices in higher education. “They have a word in Swedish, ‘åsiktskorridor,’” he says. It means opinion corridor. “Here is where your opinions are allowed to be. You cannot step outside.” My college-age twin daughters (Pegasus ’17) have made unwitting appearances in my articles over the years and, once again, their experiences deliver.

Like most students, Molly and Emma’s cultural positions were formed by the usual line up of intentional moralizing and our own, boorish lapses (like screaming at a TV during presidential debates). Both girls participated in the debate program at Pegasus, and both noted that political arguments in the halls of their high school were emotive and undeveloped by comparison. It was all adolescent normalcy, until COVID.

The lockdowns left no one unscathed. From the loss of nearly two years of routine schooling and socialization to the siphoning of ideological diversity into social media feeds, the impact was incalculable. For us, this episode of family togetherness coincided with the developmental teenage need to disconnect and a rite-of-passage for twins called “acrimonious divorce.” (I made that up.) By the time college finally rolled around, we were a house divided by the bias of our personal news sources, a mix of conservative and liberal, vaccine-advocates and antivaxxers, agitators and silencers.

What happened next hearkens back to Haidt. (Note: identities have been cloaked by request.)

Twin A stormed her East Coast campus hoping to join a Turning Point USA chapter and engage in spirited debate organically, at parties even, but wanted to “make friends first.” She “outed” herself inadvertently within the first few weeks when Morgan Wallen was spotted on her playlist. Brazen by nature, her budding commitment to conservative ideology was so potentially isolating that she sidelined that side of herself. Conversely, Twin B’s quiet adherence to åsiktskorridor was tested immediately when she found herself surrounded by a single viewpoint, even if her own. Rebuttal was unacceptable; visiting speakers

You can’t be hating and learning at the same time.” Jonathan Haidt

with opposing arguments were an outrage worthy of spray paint. Her matrix is currently in flux. (As it should be.)

In both cases, the lesson learned was silence.

One of the hallowed characteristics of higher education is the spirited exchange of ideas and points of view that challenge curious minds and, hopefully, instill the belief that we can make things better; that, working together, we’ll find answers. The community matters more than the message. It is through relationships that disagreement is safe, beliefs are challenged, and minds change. According to a groundswell of surveys abridged by Real Clear Education, “When students lack peerto-peer connections, they self-censor.”

(That was the part where I emphasize common ground, so we can agree that we disagree on far less than it may seem.)

Great Minds Don’t Always Think Alike

In 2015, a nonpartisan professional organization consisting of 4,000+ professors, administrators, and students was formed to address the threat to ideological diversity on college campuses; they called it the Heterodox Academy and coined the tagline: “Great Minds Don’t Always Think Alike.” “Our commitment to heterodoxy within the academy has taken shape as a response to the rise of orthodoxy within scholarly culture,” explains John Tomasi, president, “when people fear shame, ostracism, or any other form of social or professional retaliation for questioning or challenging a commonly held idea. We believe that the best way to prevent orthodoxy from taking root within the academy is by fostering three key principles: open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement.”

These principles, if distilled for younger years, might also be known as: A Safe Place to Be Smart.

The Pegasus School, too, was founded as an antidote to orthodoxy. Laura Hathaway’s first six students were intellectually exceptional kids who, in many ways, had been silenced by a linear public school curriculum. Hathaway envisioned “a haven-like space where children of all stripes could interact, experiment and learn in ways that didn’t exist elsewhere” (Pegasus Magazine Spring 2019, “Where We Hang Our Hat.”)

The Pegasus motto of intellectual safety is vigorously maintained to this day and is now interpreted on the school’s website under the heading DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice). “Why label it ?” I asked as a former Board Member, wondering if the (arguably loaded) labels suggested an ideological tilt when the essence remained Hathaway’s. “It is exactly the same message,” said Jason Lopez, Head of School. “You belong, period.”

The culture war continues, our heels dug in (all while we say that we wish it weren’t so.) “I can’t stop what’s happening in the world,” said Lopez. “I can only manage our response.” The way he manages it involves deep breaths, examining the facts, and safeguarding the expectation that “we may disagree out there, but we have a standard of discourse inside, and we stick to it.”

That’s a wise strategy…for all of us. wuw

“You belong, period.”

Karla Joyce is a freelance writer and mother of Pegasus alumni Molly and Emma Joyce (‘17). Contact: karlajoyce@cox.net.

If We Knew Then What We Know Now:

Alumni Parents Share Their Perspectives on What Mattered, What Didn’t, and What May Have Hurt

By Marrie Stone

Sometime around 2012, when our only child was in middle school, I did a major pivot on my parenting style. My memoir back then might have been called Confessions of a Reformed Tiger Mom. Haley was a great student, but she wasn’t the best student. She was a decent tennis player, but she wasn’t the best tennis player. She pulled herself through piano recitals, but her heart wasn’t in it. My response was to push, drill, nag, and repeat.

I thought I was teaching grit and determination. Instead, every math test, spelling bee, BOB competition, and rainforest presentation became a report card on my mothering. I’d left a legal career to stay home full-time. Now I was back in school, Haley was my project, and I expected results. So, I pushed some more.

I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.

Bruce Lee

Two things happened around the same time. After yet another fraught piano practice, my husband pulled me aside. “I understand what you’re trying to accomplish,” he said, “but you’re hurting your relationship with her.” I considered that he might be right. By now, we all hated the piano. Whatever appreciation for music I wanted to instill was having the opposite effect on us all. But we’d already invested so much time and money. And what would be the lesson in quitting?

As if to reinforce my husband’s point, fate soon intervened. One afternoon, I picked Haley up from tennis and my normally chipper girl looked distraught. “You keep saying it’s important to learn how to lose,” she said between tears. “I already learned that lesson. Why won’t you let me win?” We retired both the racket and piano that afternoon.

PHOTO CREDIT

Haley’s passion has always been the hula hoop. Starting at age six, she taught herself tricks that she saw on YouTube and made the local news for an endurance competition. Pegasus encouraged this type of exploration by allowing her to teach hula hooping to P.E. classes and perform in their annual talent show. She even made the cover of this magazine. But I didn’t know how to support her. There were no hooping scholarships. No teams. No clubs. Instead, she did back then what she still does today—she blazed her own trail.

She learned about a children’s cirque troupe in L.A. and became their only solo hoop act. Eventually, she performed for the Dalai Lama on his 80th birthday and for the family of Arthur “Spud” Melin (the inventor of the hula hoop and co-founder of Wham-O). In 2017, her troupe performed on stage in Oslo, Norway, for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

After I stopped nagging about academics and prestigious universities, Haley chose a small liberal arts college in the Pacific Northwest. She pursued a degree in computer science at a school not known for their STEM departments. But that unconventional path provided countless opportunities for internships, leadership roles, and professional relationships (especially for a woman in a male-dominated field). Haley graduated this month and accepted her dream job at a technology consulting firm. In her spare time, she still hoops. And, now and then, even plays recreational tennis. (Still no piano.)

Pushing and nagging changed nothing on her report card (in fact, the more I let go, the better she performed.) Believing in her and supporting her decisions changed everything between us.

Parenting is an uncertain business. Nothing prepares you for it. What works for one might not for another. Results will vary as much as the individual. And yet … having some perspective back then would have helped.

Curious how my Pegasus contemporaries felt, now that we’re all emptynesters, I approached several of them with two simple questions: what do you know now that you wish you’d known then, and what would you say to current Pegasus parents? This is a distillation of their responses.

“You keep saying it’s important to learn how to lose,” she said between tears. “I already learned that lesson. Why won’t you let me win?”

“Your Years of Influence May Be Shorter Than You Realize

What I realized (too late for it to do me any good) is that your kids are “yours” until somewhere in middle school. “Yours” meaning you are their everything—their disciplinarian, their protector, their friend, their life-shaper. At some point in middle school, they begin belonging more to themselves and to the world. At that point, parenting becomes less about setting rules (boundaries are still important!) and more about role modeling the behavior you want to see in your children (and keeping your fingers crossed!).

The challenge is that when they’re little—in this fragmented, I-don’tlive-near-family-please-give-Junior-the-iPad-so-I-can-take-ashower-alone society that Pegasus families tend to live in—we just want a break. So we often allow “the world” in early on. I realized that “the world” took over sooner than I thought. Then it was (kinda) too late.

Listen More, Talk Less

Whenever possible, be the carpool driver. We found that simply keeping quiet during those drives was the best way to learn what was really going on in the lives of our children and their friends. Driving covered us in the Cloak of Invisibility, and the kids’ chatter in the backseat came pouring out.

Mark Murray, Samantha (’06), Jay (’09)

It wasn’t always easy getting my son to tell me about his day. My rule, born out of desperation, was that he had to tell me three things that happened that day before I’d drive him home. Anonymous

Starting around fifth grade, I instituted the idea of “Immunity Day”—a day my daughter could tell me anything with no threat of punishment, judgment, or consequences. It paid dividends in middle and high school, when the lines of communication remained open, and she periodically requested immunity.

Marrie Stone Rovner, Haley (‘15)

Follow Their Lead

Near the end of the Pegasus years, we attended a talk by a child psychologist hosted by the School, who broke the news to us that the days of being the ‘manager’ of our kids’ time, activities, friends, and experiences were coming to an end, and that successful parenting required a transition to more of a ‘consultant’ role (i.e., letting them make their own decisions about where to go, who to hang out with, what to do, etc.). Our role should evolve to be more about offering input and guidance when asked. Great advice, which we tried to practice throughout the high school years.

Mark Murray, Samantha (’06) and Jay (’09)

Get Involved in the School

As much as your time and energy permits, become a school volunteer. Believe me, it’s worth it, and often great fun. You will meet wonderful fellow parents with whom you will develop strong personal friendships. You will also understand better what’s going on in your child’s school life.

Also, get to know your child’s teacher. Volunteering in the classroom allows you and your child’s teacher to get to know each other on an informal basis and provides opportunities for conversations about your child’s progress. If there are any issues to be addressed, they can often be ‘nipped in the bud’ with a quick discussion.

Nina Beitman, Michael (’04)

Memories Last Longer than Report Cards

I remember a rainy day several years ago, feeling uninspired and tired, rushing around trying to get four kids out of the house and to school on time, still needing to make four lunches in five minutes. We were out of bread, turkey, string cheese, most staples. Staring into the open refrigerator, then the pantry, then back to the refrigerator, I told the kids, “It’s the first rainy day. That means I’m bringing you pizza for lunch.”

The following year, the first day it rained, one of the kids remembered, “Don’t we have pizza on the first rainy day at school?” And so, a tradition was born. My kids are 25, 22, 21, and 18, currently the last one is graduating from high school. Last November, I pulled up in the rain and texted my son, “here,” put on my hood and passed the Costco pizza box over the fence and watched him walk away in the rain, knowing it was the last time.

My point is, give yourself grace as a parent. One of my more stressful and hurried mornings birthed one of the kids’ favorite traditions. It wasn’t until years later I told them the real reason we had pizza the first rainy day of school every year.

Our kids are watching and listening to everything we do and say. How we handle stress, our priorities, how we treat people, what types of things we covet, or judge in others. Our work ethic and ability to laugh at ourselves. If Plan A doesn’t work, there are 25 other letters.

Jill Fales, Payton, Janey, Sally, and Wyatt

Laura Roth, Max (’15) and Lucy

Don’t Compare Children

Keep your distance from people who are constantly comparing their child’s accomplishments to everyone else. It’s unsettling and can result in unnecessary angst. Children develop at their own speed, and boys often mature much later than girls. In fact, sometimes the “late bloomers” go on to achieve greater success in adulthood than the “early achievers” they envied so much in grammar school. Bottom line—they will all be fine!

Nina Beitman, Michael Beitman (’04)

Modeling Works Better Than Lecturing

In today’s busy, competitive world, one can lose sight of some of the most important elements of a formative education consistent with what Dr. Hathaway and the educators at The Pegasus School promoted. For our three sons, we found engaging in activities that encouraged independence, risk taking, problem

Children Don’t Develop on a Time Table

It is vital to understand that we don’t just send our child’s brain to school. We send their whole little body, spirit, and soul. Their personalities, innate talents, interests, fears, dreams, and idiosyncrasies. The timeline of development—social, language, cognitive, motor—is unique to each individual and doesn’t always line up perfectly with the curriculum. That’s okay. Joyful learning is what matters.

My second grader, who could not pass the timed multiplication tests, is now considering majoring in math. My other son, who was “behind” in reading, is now the co-chair of his office book club. My daughter, who had a hopelessly messy and disorganized desk and backpack, has become a minimalist and the most efficient time manager. My other daughter, who failed her Shakespeare soliloquy in sixth grade, is now head of an investment banking club and mentoring college students on interviewing techniques.

Give your child time to become who they are. The only part of your child’s report card that matters are the comments—how kind, supportive, positive, respectful, and hardworking your child is. Those are the metrics they take with them in life.

solving, and responsibility led to the development of key life skills that serve our three grown men well in their personal and professional lives.

Setting examples of intellectual curiosity [let your children see you take an interest in your profession, literature, civics, community issues, and nature], hard work [let them see you challenge yourself and balance life’s demands], fallibility [encourage pursuits according to their interests and embrace learning from any missteps], and kindness [volunteer together to address issues of concern to your family and show compassion toward others in your service involvement] have proven critical in developing bright, eager, and curious learners.

Take time each day to talk and, most importantly, to listen.

Geri Frazier, Nick (‘03), Ben (‘04), and Grant (‘08)

What every parent agreed upon, regardless of their unique experiences, was this: Above all else, relax and enjoy these magical years. You will miss them when they’re gone. wuw

Marrie Stone is a freelance writer, co-host of the weekly podcast “Writers on Writing,” and the mother of Haley Rovner (‘15). For more information, visit www.marriestone.com or contact: marriestone@gmail.com.

Jill Fales, Payton, Janey, Sally, and Wyatt

Look up – a book for a roof –you skip atop the shadows –tree and self – of a bright, cool day – language is everywhere –the open page will always invite you to play – reveal a picture, a word you did not know –hooray! – now you do

Patty Seyburn • Poet

Learning

Rarely does a single lecture challenge us to reconsider our parenting philosophy on a fundamental level. Typically, we learn a few things that validate our current strategies and then a couple of tips to carry on. However, the October 26 PEGtalk by Jenna Flowers, Ph.D. on

Given her expertise as a family therapist and my experience as a physician seeing kids with mental health emergencies, I expected her discussion to focus on the risk of anxiety and depression in children who are constantly pushed to achieve. And while many of her suggestions do reduce our children’s stress, her message was more compelling than that. Flowers urged us to let children take the lead on their activities, for the sake of their mental health but also so that they have the opportunity to discover their preferences, set a path of their choosing, in order to develop a sense of purpose in their lives.

Flowers opened with the cautionary tale of a type of patient she often sees for therapy, someone in his or her twenties or thirties who started out at a wonderful school like Pegasus, then went on to a great college and graduate program. She said, “They’re sitting in my office after they’ve had a good job and are a couple of years in, and they say, ‘I don’t really know

myself. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t really know why I’m doing this. I’m bored by this. I don’t feel passionate about it. I feel like I should be passionate about something and I don’t even know what to be passionate about.’ They don’t know themselves.”

This story captured my attention as a mother. While I love to see my children achieve, my ultimate hope is that they become fulfilled adults, who contribute to the world in ways that are meaningful to them. The patient in this profile falls short by this measure of success, and the result can be devastating. The research tells us that people who have a clear sense of purpose in their lives tend to be healthier and live longer.

As a doctor, I’ve seen countless patients suffering both physically and mentally who lack this internal compass. They don’t know how their talent and

“Motivating Your Children — When to Push and When to Pull Back” did just that. It caused me to take stock of my priorities as a mother.

to Let Go

(And Why It Really Matters)

By Colleen Rivers, M.D.

abilities contribute to the world. As a result, they struggle to take simple actions in favor of their wellbeing. Perhaps worse, they miss out on the joy and gratitude that comes with doing what we believe we were put here to do.

Flowers’s lecture offered an arsenal of tools to foster the exploration of a child’s interests and abilities while holding them accountable to their goals. Here are five of her tips:

1. Let kids try a variety of activities and service opportunities. Ask questions about their likes and dislikes to help them gain clarity.

2. Don’t panic if they don’t find their niche right away. While some children find “their thing” on the young side, many children don’t become passionate about an activity until later on. This is normal — give them time!

3. Be careful about how and when you offer resources. To utilize private coaching, we should wait until our child has shown commitment to an activity, is asking for extra help, and is invested in improving.

that he actually prefers surfing. The earnestness of his confession was clear; we gave him surf lessons for his ninth birthday.

James still plays soccer, but he now spends Saturday mornings in the cold Pacific waters. I can’t yet know how this small change will shake out in the long run, but I have a strong sense we made the right decision. I see an intangible change in him that speaks to authenticity and comfort in his own skin. My hope is that this subtle shift in philosophy will translate to a sense of purpose and resilience in all of my children over time. I can thank Dr. Flowers for empowering me to let go, even just a little, on this wild ride of parenting. wuw

they know about the grit and perseverance it took to be

4. Make sure they know about the effort. When we share our personal experiences with our children, be sure they know about the grit and perseverance it took to be successful.

5. Be mindful of how we foster “self-esteem” versus “selfconfidence.” We should always foster “self-esteem,” the understanding that they are loved and valuable by virtue of being themselves. We should foster “self-confidence” in an area only when it is justified.

I recently faced this very issue at the family dinner table. My children (ages 9, 7, 6, and 4) are in an intensive soccer program that works for our schedule. While we all fantasized about how great it would be one day when Teddy plays D1 soccer at Notre Dame, James had the courage to admit

Colleen Rivers is a physician, speaker, writer, and mother of James (’28), Teddy (’29), Tess (’30), and Conor (’32). For more information, visit www. seektransformation.com or contact: colleen@seektransformation.com.

AWESOME !

By Jordana Gilden

When you walk the halls of Pegasus and see a striking young second grader sporting a bow tie and dressed for success, you are very possibly looking at our own Sirius Black. Sirius is a fun, sharp student in Ms. Grimes’s class who loves dressing up (think top hats and capes), science, and Disneyland. And if you are thinking to yourself that his name sounds vaguely familiar, that is because Sirius is named after a clever wizard who is the godfather of a familiar literary character by the name of Harry Potter.

Sirius’s parents are big fans of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series, which chronicles the lives of a young wizard and his friends who struggle to take down a dark wizard. When it came time to pick a name for their son, it seemed fitting to take the father’s surname of Black and combine it with this strong, protagonist character from a series they loved.

The Pegasus adventures for Sirius began last year when he was in Mrs. Klopstock’s class. Klopstock recalls that on the first day of first grade they had read the story “Chrysanthemum” and discussed what made each of their names special. Sirius said, “My name is special because it starts with an S!” He never mentioned his namesake, Klopstock recalls with warm

memories.

While the name is recognizable to most Harry Potter fans, our Sirius is much more dimensional than his literary associate. He plays the piano, loves Marvel, collects Funko Pops, and has an affinity for Elvis. Sirius also loves to dress up. When asked how many costumes he has, he answered, “590!” According to his mother, this estimate is a bit exaggerated, but he certainly has many. He attended Comicon in San Diego in July 2022 and costume-changed four times, rotating between Loki, Dr. Strange, Shang-Chi, and Moon Knight/Dr. Knight.

Sirius, himself, is a bit of a celebrity. His image and videos of him from Comicon were published in various recognizable reports. His photo was included as one of “the best cosplayers at 2022 Comic-Con” by Entertainment Weekly. And he was also part of a Yahoo! Variety video on the famous comic convention.

This curious and creative friend is also innovative. If he does not have a costume in his catalog that fits his needs, he makes it. For instance, he recently wanted to take on Black Widow but didn’t own that costume. So he took bits and pieces from other costumes and put them together, then drew and taped the symbol for the character onto his jacket. Sirius excitedly shared that he looks forward to dressing up as Elvis soon because he wants to be Viva Las Vegas Elvis. When asked if he has an Elvis costume, he shook his head “no” and then quickly added, “I can make one!”

This comic-loving kid shares the love of the fantastical with his parents. He has been to many theme parks and says Legoland and Disney World in Orlando are his favorite, even over Tokyo Disneyland. He has been to the Disney convention called D23 and the entire family scored tickets to Comic-Con 2023 for all five days

When Sirius is not dressing in costume, he is dressing in fine threads; it is not unusual to see him at school in a bow tie. On a recent trip to Las Vegas, he channeled his inner P.T. Barnum from The Greatest Showman and cruised the town in top hat and blazer.

Sirius is loving his time at Pegasus, and his teachers have great things to say about him. “Sirius is so friendly to everyone!” “On Spirit Days, he always comes dressed up in the best outfits and rocks them!” “He is thoughtful, helps when needed, and I can always count on him to be a friend to everyone! I love having him in my room.”

Sirius especially likes all the fun Pegasus projects. He loved the Iditarod project in first grade, had fun showing off his costume for Ellis Island day in second grade, and spoke with excitement about future traditions he will get to participate in like Celebre-tea in fifth grade. (He is secretly hoping he will get to be Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson or John Cena.)

Sirius’s favorite subjects are art and science. He looks forward to “crushing rocks” in Mrs. Bogue’s science class when they start the geology unit. Bogue says, “Sirius is always respectful, polite, engaged, and hard working. He has a serious-about-science attitude!”

This fun-loving kid is part of what makes the Pegasus family so special. The Pegasus community is made up of unique personalities, with unique interests and passions. While his famous name does not define him, it is a great introduction to his and his family’s love of fantasy and imagination. If you run into this clever student on campus, be sure to wave hello; if you’re lucky, he may tip his top hat back your way. wuw

Jordana Gilden is a business law attorney and mother of Jonas Gilden (‘24) and Jillian Gilden (‘27). Contact: jordanagilden@gmail.com

L ve Reading For the of

By Tonya Wertman

I have a secret love affair with libraries. The first thing that hits my senses when I step inside is the smell of paper and ink, bound together to spin tales of wonder and whimsy. When I first toured The Pegasus School, I marveled at the palpable warmth and dedication of its faculty and staff, but held my breath until I found its beating heart: the library. I entered with hope and exhaled. Two feet over the threshold stood a Christmas tree created out of books… that predated Pinterest! What kindred spirit could have created such a place?

Kathy Henderson, The Pegasus School’s legendary librarian from 2000-2009, single-handedly gave birth to our library’s signature magic claims Carin Meister, her mentee and current steward of the post. “Meeting Kathy changed the course of my life,” Meister insists, assigning her credit for the breadth of her own expertise and the depth and longevity of our hallowed library programs. Henderson admits to being an avid reader (a job requirement, it would seem) but is equally passionate about programs centered around reading. During her tenure she made it her mission that every Pegasus student experience the spellbinding power of literature, and she believed it vital to the development of lifelong readers to see their own experiences represented in books. Such a lofty goal required bending a few rules.

Henderson admits to having invited banned book authors to campus for readings because, she says, freedom of information and expression was foundational to her goal. Her first inroad into the American Library Association’s list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009 occurred when she scored a visit with Chris Crutcher, the proud author of three books on the list: #41 Whale Talk, #44 Athletic Shorts, and #85 Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. “Banned Books Week,” an annual awareness campaign promoted by the American Library Association and Amnesty International, became a personal favorite of Henderson’s because “it generated thought-provoking conversations on important topics.” Author visits are now a staple. The Pegasus School has hosted bestselling authors and illustrators such as Jane O’Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser, Dan Krall, Alison McGhee, Tom Angleberger, Melissa Savage, Ernesto Cisneros, Mac Barnett, Jory John, to name a few, and most recently Jennifer Holm, Newbery Award winning children’s author.

by Pegasus students, is legendary. “It was on fertile ground at Pegasus,” Henderson shares. “How could it not work?”

Having grown up in a family that frequented the theater and read Shakespeare together, Henderson added Shakespeare Week, the most personal Henderson addition and the one dearest to her heart. It was important to Henderson to “sell Shakespeare” because his writing is often challenging to read and understand; to accomplish her goal, she built up to the week-long festival incrementally. Today, it includes a host of delights, like character dress-up, art and trivia contests, monologue competitions, an Elizabethan Picnic, and even Nine Men’s Morris, a strategy board game that dates back to the Roman Empire.

These signature programs have outlived Henderson’s time at Pegasus and continue to flourish at the hands of Meister, who has been the librarian for the last sixteen years.

Humility check: Henderson adamantly credits the success of her programs to founder, Laura Hathaway. “Laura never said no to the library,” she recalls. “She never turned down my ideas.” And the ideas were boundless! Henderson met regularly with other Orange County librarians and was an active member in online forums specific to independent schools. These connections generated the spark that ultimately shaped Women’s History Day, a treasured event that takes place every three years, where Pegasus family and friends become historic women—in dress and character—in order to bring an important past to life to students of all ages.

Although a national Battle of the Books (BOB) program had existed, Henderson put her own spin on the interscholastic competition. Each year, a BOB committee selects a list of books geared to fourth- and fifth-grade readers. Henderson, and then Meister, held the reins on final selection. In this way, they could ensure gender parity, diversity, and varying genres. The success of the program, from the number of eager participants (10 students in 2007 to 90 in 2020) to BOB victories

But Meister must also accommodate a rapidly-changing landscape in the field of publishing and library science. Her overarching mission is to select new titles for her stacks that reflect the students who read them. With the support of the Administration, she has formalized a book-selection policy that prioritizes unique needs of children; this blueprint guides the purchase of each new book, which total about five hundred every year! “There are more voices in children’s literature than ever before,” shares Meister, “and the student’s requests continue to surprise me.” (Like: a book on the baking traditions of Mexico and another about the process of coffee making.)

Although students have unfettered access to the internet and incessantly beckoning screens, reading is now a vital mainstay in developmental health. The Pegasus School library’s historically proactive role and its commitment to reaching all students is the ultimate antidote to the lure of passive technology. By fostering the desire to read for joy, encouraging families to relish books together, and keeping book-themed activities and traditions alive, Henderson and Meister have contributed thousands of vibrant readers into society. It is a tremendous achievement.

And it’s just the beginning…

Tonya Wertman is an avid reader, small business owner, and mother of Lucas (’23) and Lola (’28). Contact: smadaaynot@yahoo.com

The library is the heart of a school; without a librarian, it is but an empty shell.

Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author and illustrator

THE PEGASUS BOOK CLUB

You are not done with a book until you pass it to another reader.” says Donalyn Miller, co-founder of The Nerdy Book Club, an online community which provides inspiration, book recommendations, resources, and advice about raising and teaching young readers.

Books connect us, and one of the best ways to make a connection is by sharing what we’re reading with others. When you read a book that is so good, you just have to tell others about it.

We asked two Pegasus eighth graders, our librarian, and one of the school’s third-grade teachers to share their favorite books. These books are as diverse as their readers. Our round-up includes a historical fiction novel about a brave girl during the Holocaust, an action-packed love story, a previous Pegasus Battle of the Books title, and a best-selling handbook for reading aloud with your family.

Perhaps you’ll discover a new genre, author, or story you’ve never explored before and recommend it to someone else.

By Tonya Wertman

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

Reviewed by Seth Bartels, third-grade teacher

Adventure, fantasy, magic, friendship, and ultimately redemption…I’m in!

Last year, the BOB* assigned to me was A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat. This story is about two orphan boys born in a women’s prison and their quest to see the lights of the city on the other side of the bay. Set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world called Chattana, A Wish in the Dark follows one escapee in his quest to find what is right in the world. What he soon discovers is that life outside of prison may not be as easy as he thought. The wealthy are granted luxuries in the brightest of light, while the poor struggle in a dim violet glow. Was this light earned? Was it free for some and impossible to achieve for others? The boys’ adventure takes them to all the corners of the city and what they discover could change the future of Chattana forever.

Soontornvat’s book focuses on determination, friendship, and ultimately redemption. A Wish in the Dark is easily the best book I’ve read in a long time. Dive in and find out if “light shines on the worthy, while all others fall into the darkness.”

BOB stands for Battle of the Books, a voluntary program at The Pegasus School. This is a nationwide reading incentive competition, open to fourth- and fifth-grade students. Participants read books, have fun, and demonstrate their knowledge of the books on the reading list through a competition held in March. Teachers and other Pegasus staff are assigned books to read and discuss with the team.

Reviewed by Maya Desai, eighth-grade student

A powerful tale of diverging worlds, , the first book in a trilogy by Marie Lu, is a strong representation of the quick transition between youthful innocence and the harsh realities of growing up. I enjoyed how Lu illustrates this common coming-of-age journey through the dual perspectives of June and Day. Different in every way, these protagonists believe that they face unique challenges. However, they are quick to find out that their differences might not be so different after all. As they learn to trust each other, the reader adjusts to Lu’s beautiful writing style and her action paced plot.

Easily one of my favorite books, I would recommend this novel to any middle school student. Legend has not only action, but also romance, fiction, and elements of realism. Personally, this book will always remain close to my heart because of the nostalgia that overcomes me every time I read it. I remember the freshness of the characters the first time I read Legend, and I remember the heartbreaking end of their character development many books later. The relationship between June and Day have became one of my favorite bonds in the fictional world, and I am sure that it will also impact others who read it. Timeless and brilliant, Legend by Marie Lu is an unforgettable novel that demonstrates and offers a new perspective on life.

Legend

Legend by Marie Lu

Reviewed by Ally Shaw, eighth-grade student

Monica Hesse’s Girl in the Blue Coat follows the story of Hanneke, a young black-market dealer, who deals with not only teenage issues, but also World War II. Since the war has started, Hanneke has lost both her boyfriend and her best friend. On top of all her struggles, Hanneke receives a surprising and unexpected request from a routine client. Instead of being asked to find material items, her task is to find Mirijam, a Jewish girl who was hiding in the client’s house. Hanneke does not know what she throws herself into because with each new answer comes even more revelations and questions.

Hesse created a story that is enjoyable to read and every chapter left me with an “I want to read more’’ feeling. The characters felt real and relatable. All the characters had problems and hardships to face and overcome. Some hardships were specific and directly related to the war,

but others were things that everyone deals with, such as love, loyalty, and loss. The imagery conveyed a message in the novel, and it helps with the comprehension of the events. This story kept me on the edge of my seat, and I never could have expected how the novel would play out.

I recommend this book to middle school readers and above. Because of some graphic scenes and imagery in the novel, elementary school kids should probably wait until they are older before they read this book. is one of my favorite historical fiction books because it captures all emotions and complexity in each detail. There is suspense in every chapter, and all aspects put the reader right in the middle of the story at an important time in history.

Reviewed by Carin Meister, The Pegasus School Librarian

Reviewed by Carin Meister, The Pegasus School Librarian

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease occupied a prominent space on my nightstand. At the time, not only was I a new librarian, but I was also a new parent, searching for the answer to one of life’s greatest questions: “How does one instill a life-long love of reading in a child?” Luckily, a revered mentor had gifted me Trelease’s book, which provided clear guidance, plenty of research, and a litany of ideas to help nurture readers. I read it cover to cover, and I quickly implemented new read-aloud techniques each night as I read to my daughters, but also each day as I read to Pegasus students.

At the foundation of Trelease’s work is the idea that the time parents spend reading aloud to their children directly translates into reading success through the modeling of

fluency, exposure to novel vocabulary, and demonstration of expressive reading. Any chance my husband and I had, whether that was while waiting in the doctor’s office or in the car before school started, we would read to our girls. And, because Trelease’s book is partially a read-aloud manual and partially a treasury of book recommendations, there was no shortage of book choices. The titles we chose facilitated the discussion of important topics and meaningfully connected us as a family. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane showed us that all people deserve love. Echo illuminated lives and experiences so different from our own. And finally, Charlotte’s Web, read tearfully each time, taught us unwavering devotion to our friends. Now in its 8th edition, The Read Aloud Handbook has hundreds of quality recommendations I hope our Pegasus families can read and discover together.

Girl in the

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

THE PRE-K TO (EAST COAST) COLLEGE CONNECTION

By Caroline Kawabe

The first time I stepped on the Boston University campus, I knew it was the place for me. There were questions, doubts, and feelings of indecision along the way; but the universe eventually took its course, and I ended up at exactly the right place for me. I’ve always expected to come back to California for life. I love surfing, the beach, and my friends and family here too much not to, but I also knew I needed to push myself to explore what else was out there. I felt college was the perfect time to do so.

Life at Boston University has provided me with a new set of connections and community I never thought possible somewhere so far from the place I call home. Before I graduated high school, I found out one of my oldest friends from pre-K at Pegasus, Daniel Sherlock ‘17, also planned to attend Boston University. We reconnected over our “last summer” at home and have remained best friends since. It felt amazing to have a piece of home a mere block away on Commonwealth Avenue. (There are many more Pegasus Class of ‘17 friends a stone’s throw further: Molly Joyce, Jack Thompson, and Brandon Wong attend Boston College, and Katy Greenwald is a student at Harvard.)

Within the first days of landing in New England, I nervously walked with my roommate to our first event at Boston University: matriculation. I was incredibly anxious about meeting friends and finding my “place” at a new school and in a new city, but I could also feel the excitement jittering up and down my spine. Apparently my new-student nerves were not exclusive to me as a girl from Wisconsin quickly approached and asked to sit with us. In no time we three became a circle of eight, excitedly sharing our stories, and we remain close friends to this day.

From that first encounter to today, my life has been a nonstop string of incredibly eye-opening experiences, predicated on geography. I have learned so much about the fashion, culture, and dialects of the East Coast, and I have made friends and connections with people from all over the world. I’m amazed that, regardless of the diversity of our origins, we can form such familial bonds. During the second semester of my freshman year, I participated in sorority rush and joined the Delta Gamma sorority, like my mother. It has provided me with a sisterhood away from home, and I am forever grateful for the friendships I have made there.

The Pegasus “family” was my first platform for exploration; BU has proved to be equally, if not exponentially, synergistic. I started writing for The Buzz, BU’s editorial magazine, gaining experience having my writing published both online and in-print. Additionally, I got a job working for Boston University Athletics as a member of the production crew, helping to produce live games for streaming on ESPN+ and College Sports Live. Working on the production crew has provided me with behind-the-scenes exposure to sports broadcasting that is beyond belief. As I pursue my double major in Public Relations and Journalism, I am grateful for the experiences and opportunities that both Pegasus and Boston University have provided me.

There is a full roster of Pegasus alumni past and presently at East Coast colleges. Among them is AJ Plumb, another of my dear friends from the beginning who currently attends New York University’s Tisch

School of the Arts, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama. Plumb said the transition from Newport Beach to New York City has been a “whirlwind.” Despite the constant hum of activity, the largeness of the city was surprisingly isolating at first. He too chose Greek life as a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity, which he credits to helping him find his “group” outside of classes. From my experience with him, however, I would say his charismatic, social-butterfly personality has been the source of his new, extensive circle of friends, gleaned from his acting studio, dormitory, clubs, and yes, his fraternity.

“I am proud to call a lot of my new friends my friends for life,” said Plumb.

Plumb hopes to move back to California, post-college, to pursue a career in acting. (Ideally, he hopes to use a public platform as an actor to promote political and environmental change.) Plumb felt the call to perform during his time at Pegasus, where he frequently starred as the lead in many all-school and middle-school shows as well as finding annual success in the Shakespeare monologue competitions. Again, it’s all connected… to Pegasus. wuw

“My life has been a nonstop string of incredibly eye-opening experiences.”

Alumni Connections

06

Sara Newman (White) ‘06 graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration in 2014 before moving back home to Southern California to pursue a career in art. She is currently a Senior Product Designer at a company called Yoobi, which creates school supplies with a mission to give back to teachers in need. For every product purchased, classrooms in underserved communities receive basic school supplies. Most recently, Sara created the art and designed the products for a Yoobi back-to-school collection that was released at Target stores nationwide. Keep an eye out for her Star Wars collection, which is scheduled to hit stores this summer.

18

Jason Plumb ‘18 graduated from Corona del Mar High School in June 2022. As a senior, Jason won the state title in the long jump with CDMHS’s Track and Field team. He is currently a freshman at University of California, Berkeley, where he studies business and has plans to apply to the business school next year. Jason is also a member of the Cal Track and Field team and is preparing for their upcoming season.

19

Jaci Hinman ‘19 is a senior at Troy High School, where she participates in the robotics program and has helped lead Troy’s team to the World Championships. Jaci credits her love for engineering and design to Mrs. DeBest’s robotics class. When Jaci isn’t doing robotics, she performs as a semiprofessional aerialist in Circo Etereo, the Ruby Karen Project aerial arts studio’s performance company. Jaci has always loved performing and saw aerial arts as something different that encourages unique self-expression. In fall 2023, Jaci hopes to attend the University of Southern California or Carnegie Mellon because of their accredited undergraduate preprofessional degree programs.

Kelsey Henegen ‘05 earned a bachelor of arts at University of California, Santa Barbara, and worked at technology start-ups for seven years before returning to academia. She holds master of arts degrees in English from Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English and a degree in liberal arts and Eastern classics from St. John’s College, Santa Fe, where her studies spanned philosophy, Sanskrit, literature, and theology. As a resident artist with the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, Kelsey created a monthlong poetry exhibit for the foundation’s El Zaguan gallery and published a chapbook titled To Keep the Name Daughter. Currently, she is studying and teaching undergraduate courses at Boise State University as a candidate for a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry and working on poetry translation projects from Spanish and Hindi. Her poetry has appeared in Narrative Magazine, Santa Fe Literary Review, and Whitefish Review, among others, and she was awarded first place in Narrative Magazine’s 30 Below contest in 2019.

Randon Davitt ‘12 went on to Orange County School of the Arts upon graduating from Pegasus in 2012. He then attended the University of Southern California, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree in Popular Music Performance. Over his musical career, Randon has performed over 350 shows in the pop, rock, R&B, funk, blues, jazz, Irish, Latin pop, punk, and musical theater genres. Before attending USC, Randon played for four years with the touring blues trio, Chase Walker Band. Recently Randon has been touring as a bassist with Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras. Besides playing the bass, Randon is a pop music artist, plays traditional Irish music, and is a composer. His debut EP release as the performing artist Randie, “Here’s Hoping”, will be available on all major streaming platforms as of April 28.

Justin Shayan Jadali ‘19 started his own business, Isopod Specialist LLC, during his freshman year at Corona del Mar High School after he noticed that reptile owners were creating more waste with their pet’s waste than necessary. Isopod Specialist was founded to solve that problem by making bioactive alternatives to the traditional terrariums used today. Justin started the company in his parent’s garage at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and ran it by himself for eighteen months. When he was able to move into a real facility, he hired friends to help fulfill packages, facilitate wholesale orders with pet stores, and manage customer service. Currently, Justin has six employees in California and two employees based in India. Isopod Specialists has been featured in Yahoo News and LA Weekly. Justin’s fast growing business made it necessary for him to graduate from high school early and have the flexibility of a community college schedule. While running his business, Justin attends Irvine Valley College where he serves as a student ambassador who gives campus tours, makes presentations about IVC at local high schools and middle schools, and runs the welcome desk. In his spare time, Justin volunteers with Mrs. DeBest helping to maintain the Pegasus 3D Printers and teach students how to design CAD files and use the 3D Printers.

Alene Tchekmedyian ‘02 graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, with a bachelors of arts before attending Columbia University for a Master’s Degree in Journalism. Upon completion of a master’s degree, Alene served as a news editor at Easy Reader before beginning her career as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Alene began her career at the LA Times by covering breaking news and criminal courts before taking over the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reporting in 2019. During her time on that beat, Alene has reported on controversial hiring decisions by Sheriff Alex Villanueva and the cover-up of misconduct by deputies who shared photos of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash. Her reporting led to a new state law and a successful lawsuit by Vanessa Bryant, Bryant’s widow. Alene’s hard-hitting reporting has resulted in criminal grand jury investigations and the uncovering of troubling practices by animal rights activist Marc Ching.

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Morgan Pinckney ‘19 is a senior at Mater Dei High School who has committed to Yale University in fall of 2023 as a member of the sailing team. Morgan has won six national championships in sailing and has been very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel around the world for sailing. In 2022, Morgan traveled to Ireland to participate in the Open World Championships for sailing where he placed 6th overall. In November, Morgan spent a few weeks in Sydney, Australia, competing in various Youth World Tour Events. During his free time, Morgan teaches private sailing lessons and has recently achieved Eagle Scout rank and completed a project on the Pre-K playground. Morgan credits learning about “proper prior planning” at an early age for allowing him to attain academic success while still pursuing his passion for sailing.

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Kara Shen ‘19 is a senior at Mater Dei High School, where she is a member of the Girls’ Varsity Tennis Team. Kara also serves as a Scarlet Ambassador, an Associated Student Body group that gives campus tours, volunteers at information nights, hosts campus shadows, and gives presentations about Mater Dei at local middle schools. Outside of school, Kara is a youth leader with the Padre Foundation, which focuses on Pediatric-Adolescent Diabetes Research & Education for Type 1 Diabetes. As a youth leader, Kara has created a pamphlet on testing accommodations for high schoolers with Type 1 Diabetes. Kara is currently in the process of applying for college.

Zach Friedman ‘08 graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 after graduating from Newport Harbor High School. For three years during college, Zach worked part time with the Milwaukee Brewers as an associate scout. Upon graduation from college, Zach worked for one year full time with the Milwaukee Brewers as a minor league video associate before joining the Philadelphia Phillies Scouting Team. Zach has been the signing scout for three of the Phillies’ first nine selections in the 2022 MLB Draft. In September 2022, Zach was awarded the 2022 Dallas Green Award, which was established in 2011 to honor the accomplishments of Dallas Green, who spent 62 years in the MLB organization. The award is given to an amateur or professional scout who best exemplifies the Phillies’ standard for scouting. It is most importantly awarded to an individual who is able not only to identify a player’s talent, but also his character and heart. Zach is in his fifth year with the Phillies.

Juliet Farkas ‘14 graduated from New York University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economic Theory. After graduating, Juliet accepted a position as a research intern for the Center for Transboundary Water Management at the Arava Institute under Dr. Clive Lipchin. Juliet works with Dr. Lipchin on his off-grid wastewater treatment system in the West Bank and unrecognized Bedouin villages and currently lives and works in a kibbutz in the most southern part of Israel. Juliet is thoroughly enjoying her time in Israel and has no immediate plans to return stateside.

Natalie Lowenstein ‘11 is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Health at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. After graduating from Sage Hill School in 2015, Natalie went onto Tufts University, where she majored in Biopsychology, Pre-Med, and minored in Entrepreneurial Leadership. Since graduating from Tufts University in 2019, she has been the clinical research coordinator for the Chief of Women’s Sports Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Working under Dr. Elizabeth Matzkin, Natalie has published fourteen peer-reviewed manuscripts, three book chapters, and will be presenting two papers at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery in March 2023. Natalie has had the opportunity to work with Dr. Matzkin in her clinic, in the operating room, in a mountain trauma clinic, and on the sidelines of Division 1 sports games. Recently, Natalie led the medical tracking for the Boston Marathon and Half Marathon and was invited to sit on the Boston Marathon Medical Committee. Natalie will begin medical school in the summer of 2023.

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Austin Rios ‘07 graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Real Estate degree in 2015. Upon graduation, Austin moved to New York and began working for Eastdil Secured, a real estate investment bank. Austin specializes in asset sale transactions in Office and Industrial. After working in Commercial Real Estate, Austin was asked to help form Dynamic Rentals, an upstart camera rental company in Burbank, CA. Austin is currently the CEO at Dynamic Rentals, a motion picture camera rental company that supplements inventory for other rental companies across the globe. Dynamic Rentals have been used to support several movies and TV shows including Stranger Things, Top Gun, and Euphoria. Dynamic Rentals operates three locations across the U.S., UK, and Germany and has amassed one of the world’s largest collections of digital cinema cameras in just five years. Austin married his college sweetheart in July 2022, and they are expecting their first child in April.

19 Megan Vahdat ‘19 is a senior at Sage Hill School where she continues to work on behalf of social justice and contributes to her school community in various leadership roles. She was recently elected the co-chair of SAME (Sage Advocates for Multicultural Education) and the co-president of GEM (Girls Empowerment Movement) at Sage Hill School. As a rising student activist, she has spoken out on issues ranging from the rights of the incarcerated, educational equity, and the political struggle of Middle Eastern women in forums such as the UCLA Future Student Leaders of Color Conference and the Regional Student Diversity Summit. Megan enjoys representing her

school at various academic competitions including the 2022 Orange County Academic Decathlon, where she won a coveted first place medal in the Interview Category and a second place medal in the Speech Category out of a field of almost 400 students. Last spring, she was named a champion in the National History Day-Orange County Senior Individual Documentary category for her project Mutual Incomprehension: The Role of Debate and Diplomacy in the Liberation of the U.S. Hostages in Iran. The win marked her fifth championship in the competition. She dedicated the award-winning film to Mr. James Swiger, her former teacher and coach. In 2021, Megan won

the Bessie Reed McDonald Award for Women’s History at the National History DayCalifornia State Competition for her project, Starved for Change: Hunger Strikers Communicate the Need for Women’s Suffrage in Edwardian England. Forty-four thousand students from across the state participated in National History Day. Megan’s project was chosen at the state finals which included 1,400 students from 34 different counties. In her free time, Megan enjoys returning to the Pegasus campus to see all her former teachers for admissions events as a Sage Hill Student Ambassador.

Nick Crabtree ‘12 graduated from Huntington Beach High School in 2016 and went on to attend Boise State University. During his time at Boise State, Nick was a member of the Boise State Broncos Football program, which competes in the NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision in the Mountain West Conference. As a Bronco, Nick played right tackle on the offensive line. Nick continues to reside in Boise, where he works on the marketing and customer relations team for Master Restoration, a local company that deals with commercial and residential disaster cleanup.

Tia Grippo ‘14 graduated in May 2022 from Rice University, where she was a member of the volleyball team. During her senior year at Rice, Tia was a tournament assistant for special events with Insperity Invitational. Upon graduation, Tia began working full-time for Insperity Invitational as a tournament coordinator. Insperity Invitational is a PGA Champions tour event in Houston, Texas. Tia is loving her time in Houston!

After graduating from Pegasus, Braden Cluck ‘06 attended Mater Dei High School where he played varsity golf for four years. Braden then attended Loyola Marymount University where he majored in business finance and became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. During his freshman year at LMU, Braden met his lovely wife, Hannah, whom he married in June 2017. Upon graduation, Braden accepted a position in Los Angeles with Aon, a multinational financial services firm specializing in commercial risk management, where he was part of the Construction Services Group working closely with large General Contractors and Construction firms handling their risk management program. In May 2018, Braden joined Orion Risk Management, a fullservice risk management and commercial insurance brokerage firm in Newport Beach where he continues to work closely in the construction space while also working with a variety of clients in the real estate, produce distributing, general contracting, and homebuilding arena. Braden and his wife Hannah are expecting their first child in March 2023.

19692 Lexington Lane Huntington Beach, CA 92646

www.thepegasusschool.org

Building Wings So Bright Minds Can Soar

The History of The Pegasus School, 1984–2024

Curated by Nancy Conklin

Building Wings So Bright Minds Can Soar is a book of stories, photos, and surprises celebrating our fortieth anniversary. Watch for details on how to order your book.

“Time of Your Life” photo of eighth-grade advisory, The Buckeye Bridges.