This publication is the playful intermission between two acts: Pegasus yesterday and Pegasus tomorrow. A new Head of School and new vista from the Fis(c)h Bowl will inevitably bring change to campus but the soul of the school will remain. This issue captures the Pegasus spirit in its nexus through imagery, thought-provoking narrative-bytes, and the unbridled celebration of childhood.
Editorial Board: Jason Lopez Head of School
Karla Joyce Editor & Writer
Rick Davitt
Photographer
Nancy Wilder Middle School
English Teacher
Lindsay Richards
Director of Communications & Marketing
Brigid Marrett Graphic Design
NDM Communications
Publisher
THE PEGASUS SCHOOL 19692 Lexington Lane Huntington Beach, CA 92646
By now, my retirement is old news. The parameters of my next chapter, while exciting, constitute three, maybe four years; that’s all I can see. The change both excites and scares me. Funny, but that sounds a bit like I’m going to high school.
It is fitting that this milestone of mine mimics that of this year’s eighthgrade graduating class. I arrived ten years ago alongside the majority of these students who were entering pre-K at the same time. We were newbies, together. And these last few months before our collective page turns, as we empty our lockers and box the mementos, we’ll probably share in a few reflections, too.
My tenure as Head was shaped by a handful of storms (recovering from a financial debacle, infrastructure issues, the pandemic) that proved invigorating and bonding and, an unintended upshot, confidence-building. The job, with its many hats, felt dizzyingly vast at times, but there was always the tether: the classroom. What happens in the classroom is the heart and soul of this school. During high school and beyond, my fellow graduates will certainly remember the spirit of curiosity, connection, and academic assuredness they discovered and developed in these rooms.
Change gets a bad rap, but I liken it to strong winds and an unknown destination. It forces self-examination: Where do I want to go? The editorial team of The Pegasus Magazine asked that question as they brainstormed this twentieth issue. They’d launched a few years before my arrival determined to embody the Pegasus spirit, warts and all. They documented the challenges, hailed the successes, and chronicled the lasting legacy of its founding ethos. But to do the same, again, would feel…windless.
Instead, they’ve embraced the change. The traditional components of the publication – programs, profiles, spotlights, and features – have been temporarily retired in anticipation of the new Head of School’s call to “Hoist the jib!” In the interim, this issue is an homage to the school’s enduring commitment to inquiry and exploration, free-thinking, expressivity, and self-discovery. It is a series of snapshots and sentiments about childhood and time and this fleeting but exceptional season in life. Pray for wind, as we set sail.
Jason Lopez Head of School
SPECIALNESS
This past fall, during the weeks of visits and interviews with Head of School candidates, after months of self-assessment exercises and vision refinement and meet-and-greet opportunities for a community so invested even the campus bunnies were invited, Dr. Regina McDuffie found herself faceto-face with an unaccompanied fifth-grader.
The student looked into her in search of something, radiating sincerity when she asked: “Everybody at Pegasus is special in some way. If you come here, you must have something special, too. What is your specialness?”
It is likely the child was expecting an identifying label from the big box of labels that defines us all, but the glorious interplay of childlike wonder and devilish existentialism does catch the breath. How does one define one’s own specialness? And is the pressure to do so a trap? Do we march through life tagged from early childhood, bound by a single specialty, forced to pick a jargony epithet like leader, introvert, activist, or sport-o that, in George Orwell’s words, “think your thoughts for you?”
The Pegasus School was founded as a haven for gifted intellects, so specialness is embedded in its psyche. But over the years this identity has, as happens, come to full flower as uniqueness of spirit. And we all have that. It can be cloudy. It can change. It can defy description. The only way to spot it is to look deeply.
It goes without saying that if you give pre-K students a pop quiz about biology and soil science, they might cry. But give them a box of soft dirt and seeds that turn into carrots, and they will bounce and careen with hands aloft to explain plant science.
Q: Why?
A: Because getting dirty is fun.
Q: Why?
A: Because there are “happy” microbes in soil. These organisms stimulate cytokine, which leads to the production of serotonin. Serotonin makes us feel relaxed and happier.
Q: Why?
A: Because serotonin is a chemical that carries messages between nerve cells in the brain throughout the body. It makes you feel good about yourself, stirs up confidence and self-esteem, and nurtures a sense of common bond.
Q: Why?
A: Because when we actively engage in learning we develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and we connect physical creation with tangible outcomes; all of these things improve social skills and motivation.
Q: Why?
A: Because the fistful of soil we sift through our fingers is like a “happy” microbe of planet Earth. Wherever we are, whatever we do, we affect the world. Understanding this connection makes us happy. And, happiness boosts learning.
ROFL
Acronym [meaning: roll on the floor laughing]
Laugh: v. to make the spontaneous sounds and movements that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement; n. the product of humor.
Also known as: giggle, chuckle, chortle, whoop, I literally died, and OMG.
Really, though, laughter is an evolutionary mechanism and mode of communication that helps build social bonds and regulate relationships between humans. We are 30 times more likely to laugh if we are with someone else than if we are on our own.
Shocking disclosure: That statistic emerged from a study of twenty-eight 19-year-old Intro-to-Psychology students at the University of Maryland in 1989 who logged their “unique laughing episodes” over the course of a single week. Since then, this 30-times finding has been cited 143 million times worldwide, according to Google. “I don’t come up with this stuff, I just forward it along,” says Michael Scott on the TV hit show, The Office , breaking the third wall.
CUT TO: The Pegasus School, 2024. How much does social-media scrolling impact the overall quantity of laughing episodes? How does a student’s “screen” age, i.e. total years of phone ownership, impact the complex neural systems that generate laughter? And, how much can a community grounded in emotional security and acceptance contribute to the visible expression of joy? Answers to all: a lot. Now, let’s test twenty-eight Pegasus students and make it official.
ALL CHILDREN (EXCEPT ONE) GROW UP
In the time it takes to blink, AI can identify J.M. Barrie’s opening line to Peter Pan. It can chronicle the magical shenanigans of Peter and the Lost Boys and dangle discussion starters like, what does it mean to grow up, anyway? It can turn the possibility that the character of Peter Pan was based on Barrie's brother who had died young, into a fact, digitally speaking. And it can write book reports in a snap.
If a boy doesn’t want to go to school to learn solemn things, opting instead to jump on the wind’s back in search of adventure, that is just fine. But, without the ability to read books deeply, he will be left betwixt and between. And that is no place to be.
There is endless data supporting the claim that reading fiction makes us more human. By identifying with characters, we develop empathy. We develop compassion for the experiences and hardships of others. We also improve cognitive function by strengthening the left temporal cortex, the part of the brain that imagines and comprehends concepts without visual evidence. But none of this happens without first-hand absorption. AI hasn’t developed that capability yet; human creativity remains the blueprint.
The sixth-grade “Book Hats” project revamps the old-school book report model with absorption in mind. Students demonstrate a thorough understanding of their book-of-choice by decorating a bowler or bonnet (or green-felt, red-feathered tyrolean) with items representing plot events, characters, and themes from the story. The hats convey more than mere literary facts; they convey insight into the book’s overall significance. And, with insight, we all grow.
BITS AND PIECES
What if we had a snapshot of our life looking backwards? Would it line up like a resume, with academic prestige teeing up a neatly-ascending vocational journey, childhood extracurriculars the unspoken precursor? Or would it be a collection of commonplace bits and pieces that made us feel safe or embraced or delighted? A beetle bug at age four? A feather at seven?
While this exercise is literally impossible, it is literarily illustrated in one of the designated “greatest books of the twentieth century,” In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. This fictional autobiography is told in two voices, that of the narrator as a young boy and also as an older man recalling his youth, simultaneously experiencing and remembering the indelible events of a life that include both minutiae and grand developments.
His most famous example occurs when the elder eats the crumbs of a madeleine dipped in lime blossom tea and is instantly transported to the old gray house of his Aunt Leonie and her Sunday ritual. This story of a memory that is triggered by a crumb, collapsing time between past and present, was so universally understood that it earned a label: the Proust effect. And literary critics for a century have noted that the most profound moments of the character’s life were not, in fact, the penetrating historical events but, rather, the commonplace bits.
So, instead of seeing the young student “taking a break” from schoolwork or club soccer or piano practice as he studies a feather, mesmerized by its vane, perhaps we bear witness to a pivotal moment forever accessible by a downy touch.
SHH, LISTEN
Imagine the mental bustle of the teenage brain with its endless prioritizing, absorbing, worrying, inventing, scrolling, sometimes in measured chunks but most likely, all at once. Imagine the multitude of external voices vying for dominance in there: parents, teachers, peers, influencers. Then consider the recommended antidote: exercise, orchestrated play, athletic competition, Fortnite. Stressed, yet?
According to Andrew Huberman, Stanford neuroscientist and eponymous podcaster, the biology of stress is a “complex interplay between our thoughts, our nervous system, and the rest of our body.” The Huberman Lab podcast, a weekly discussion on the mechanics of the human body, has amassed a whopping 3.5 million subscribers because maybe, down deep, we all wonder if our collective pace and mental frenzy is unhealthy.
Athletes understand the importance of recovery for muscle growth; yogi’s understand the role of silence in cultivating inner peace and clarity of mind. Mindfulness practices have crept into school curriculums over the past decade to restore attention and motivation. But when a middle-schooler stops, mutes her phone, and for mere minutes exhales, the symphony of input simply rests.
David Goggins, retired Navy Seal, motivational speaker/author, and popular Huberman guest says: “The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you’ll have with yourself. You wake up with them, you walk around with them, you go to bed with them, and eventually you act on them.” In this quiet, she can hear own voice.
REFLECTIONS
The eye as a window to the soul is a philosophical truism rooted in the Bible but credited interchangeably to Shakespeare, Da Vinci, and Cicero. The eyes as a mirror is most often cited to Paulo Coelho, Brazilian novelist best known for The Alchemist, his 1988 bestseller and signature-searcher-meets-sage spirituality.
“The eyes are the mirror of the soul and reflect everything that seems to be hidden,” he wrote. “And like a mirror, they also reflect the person looking into them.”
Coelho’s plots tend to be allegorical, and his readers often say that they see their own lives in his books, a mirroring exercise in itself. But Ram Dass, co-parent of the sixties psychedelic movement and
seminal American guru, takes it deeper: “Your ability to see the soul and subtlety inside of another person is in part dependent on your ability to acknowledge it in yourself.”
Call it empathy. Call it interconnectedness or, as Coelho put it, “All things are one.” Call it personal agency and, if you can do that, call it a day because you’ve reached enlightenment. In the real world however, but especially in middle school, self-image can be dependent on peers, and imitation can override self-expression.
Looking back, we might consider the pre-teen years fraught with emotional and social challenge; but undeniably fun, too. Really, it’s all in the eye of the reflection of the beholder.
THE SPACE BETWEEN
Time, as we seem to experience it, is a straight line, a sequence of ordered moments, like: breakfast happened earlier, lunch is now, dinner comes later. Or maybe, DINK years are over, Pegasus is now, and picturesque, collegiate parent weekends in New England the inevitable future. It has direction. It has duration.
But Carlo Rovelli, theoretical physicist, is the most recent in a centuries-long line of philosophers and scientists from Aristotle to Einstein to suggest that time is an illusion, that our naive perception of its flow doesn’t correspond to physical reality. In his nutshell: time differs at different altitudes; what we perceive as the present is relative to the speed of light; our understanding of order itself is based on perspective; and, in quantum mechanics, time disappears altogether, becoming nothing more than a way of counting the change of something.
Dismantle these layers and time, according to Rovelli, is simply how we see it. Our brain is a time machine connected by traces of the past and anticipation of what is to come. The opening of space in between those two is called now. The challenge, as a parent, is to be in this space.
That might look like an unscheduled afternoon or spontaneous adventure or, simpler still, showing up. Showing up for the gritty set-up. Showing up to cut construction-paper squares with laser focus. Showing up, unseen, to clean up. If the mind isn’t present, or if it’s consumed by the activity’s temporal connections to a child’s learning potential or the stack of undone work sitting elsewhere, these moments can be fleeting. Or, they can literally be long, lasting, and deeply impactful. How do you see it?
A NEW CHAPTER
“All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.”
Leo Tolstoy
At first blush, it was an elementary assignment: write the story of our incoming Head of School, beyond the biographical, behind the paper. To do so required command of said biography, everything from professional history and educational degrees to philosophies and hobbies, which were well-documented during the search process. But, in real life, stories unfold. Stories are interactive. And the story of Dr. Regina McDuffie, as torchbearer come July, is yet to come.
All said, it was a bit daunting. Like, perhaps, starting at a new school.
And there it was: common ground.
I eschewed the standard chat-by-phone and scheduled lunch instead, prepping with a peek at articles written by McDuffie during her previous tenures. In the Times of San Diego, she colorfully recalled the day, many years earlier, when she had sent her daughter to Kindergarten. At the time they lived in New York, and her daughter would be using the bus to get to school. “I was so terrified that she would get lost, I tied an index card around her neck like a piece of jewelry with her name, address, and my phone number,” McDuffie said. “I’m not sure if that was a good idea, for many reasons.” Candor, humility, humor, check.
In another article, in The Coast News , McDuffie unwittingly conveyed her managerial style and, by extension, a core value. “I sometimes feel that many of us have gone to our respective corners in the boxing ring with those who share the same beliefs, and we have closed our hearts and minds to the experience and perspective of others,” she wrote. “How do we better understand another person’s thinking? How do we actively listen for understanding? How do we model these behaviors for our children?”
The Pegasus School’s foundational purpose, and what most binds us together as a community, is learning. Learning thrives in an environment of discussion that includes and requires active listening. Breakthroughs in understanding come not from thinking through familiar ideas but from debating different viewpoints and seeing familiar concepts in a new light. McDuffie, at the gate, agrees.
In another Coast News article, McDuffie connected listening, understanding, and modeling with collaborative thinking and, by extension, community engagement. “Collaboration is not just about achieving personal success,” she wrote, “but also about contributing to the success of others and making a positive impact on their community and the world.” She offered a roadmap to that end — “establish clear communication channels, encourage diverse perspectives, foster a positive and supportive environment” — but the character takeaway was, once again, openness.
Dr. Regina McDuffie Joins The Pegasus School Community by Karla Joyce
In hopes of fresh quotations, I arrived at the San Juan Capistrano café armed with a McDuffie dossier and routine interview questions. It was late for lunch, and the sun on the Mission matched mental pictures of my twin girls, Pegasus alumni, on their fifth-grade field trip. Introductions aside, we ordered salads — stop, we ordered battered fish and fried chicken toppers — and got down to it.
Before I could launch a question, we were deep into Pegasus origin stories; a smart move, as any alumni parent can attest. Then Regina — suddenly Regina — dutifully answered my questions about her most recent consulting experience in which she helped develop public school policy around equity and inclusion, conducted “empathy interviews” to ascertain true student impact which she then juxtaposed with assessment and attendance records, and coached faculty. I triple-circled a partial quotation in my notes, a touchpoint of each initiative, that summed up her convictions: keep students at the center.
By the time the food had arrived, we were unabashedly into personal histories and the kind of relational exchange that typically comes after years of friendship. The conversation echoed those with my fellow alumni-parents: the ache of memory, misguided expectations, and the calm clarity of parenting in retrospect. But it was all interlaced with her expertise. If the venue had been The Pegasus School campus, the distinction between parent and educator would have been undeniable. Yet, even in that capacity, the human connection would be palpable.
It was easy to spot the similarities between McDuffie’s capacity for rapport and the longstanding allure of Dr. Laura Hathaway, The Pegasus School founder. Clearly, both prioritized the student above all else, both understood the importance of a parent’s role in student success, and both lived the story of the families they admitted.
There may be a new face in the Head of School’s office this fall but, rest assured, she is no stranger.
ALUMNI COUNCIL
The Pegasus School Alumni Council is a dedicated group who are committed to supporting our school's mission and fostering a lifelong connection between alumni and our community. We believe that our alumni are an essential part of our school's legacy and that your experiences and achievements can inspire current and future generations of students.
‘03
Hayley Young is the co-founder of Delta Squared Education, a premier education company in Newport Beach that advises universities on special projects, guides families through the college application process, and teaches and mentors students through academic tutoring. Prior to this, she worked for eight years at Duke University and UC Irvine, where she developed curricular offerings and startup incubator programming for university innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. She also worked for Eduventures in Boston, where she conducted analyst work for a higher education research company to evaluate market trends and develop recommendations for clients.
Hayley holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, a master’s degree in management from Duke University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine. She is an active member of the UCI and Duke alumni networks and has previously held board roles on the UCI Young Alumni Council and Women United — Orange County United Way. Hayley has stayed well connected with The Pegasus School since her graduation in 2003 and credits the school with building her capacity for excellence, integrity, and character.
‘03
Miranda Young is the co-founder of Delta Squared Education with her identical twin sister, Hayley. Prior to transitioning full-time into education consulting, she worked for eight years at Duke University and UC Irvine, where she helped to create and manage eight different master’s degrees for graduate business education.
Miranda holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, a master’s degree in management from Duke University, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Irvine.
She is an active member of the UCI and Duke alumni networks and has previously held board roles on the UCI Alumni Board of Directors and UCI Young Alumni Council. She is currently the Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club. She attended Pegasus from 1993 to 2003 and credits the school for fostering her love of lifelong learning.
Miranda Young ‘03
Hayley Young ‘03
‘05
Alex Rios currently works at DYNAMIC Rentals, the leading movie camera sub-rental house in Los Angeles, CA. He travels all over the world, bringing the best camera equipment to wherever there are
productions. However, before he was in “the industry,” he was the Director of Recruiting for the USC Trojan Football team. He recruited star players like Sam Darnold, Drake London, and Michael Pittman (to name a few). It was also at USC where he met his wife, Dr. Haley Nakata, and recently got married in 2021. In his free time, Alex enjoys traveling, attending sports events, and mentoring high school athletes. He is determined to bring Pegasus’ alumni back to campus and create a newfound sense of community.
‘15
Eliza Feffer is an alumna of the Pegasus class of 2015. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, holding a BSBA in Marketing and a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. During her four years at Washington University, Eliza performed in the WashU Stand-Up Comedy Club and served as a member of the Campus Interview team, assisting the admissions office with prospective student
interviews. During her fourth year, she served as an Olin Global Ambassador and the President of Kairos After School. Eliza is moving to San Francisco, where she will pursue a career as a Marketing Analyst at Williams-Sonoma Inc.
‘15
Josh Cheadle. Originally from Newport Coast, Josh attended Pegasus for 11 years. He started at Pegasus in preschool and continued on through eighth grade, eventually serving as ASB President. Afterward, Josh attended Sage Hill School, where he was involved in a number of political and economic extracurricular activities.
Following Josh's graduation from Sage, he earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the Wharton School, where he concentrated in Finance, minored in Legal Studies & History, and earned a certificate in Spanish Language. Josh currently resides in New York City, where he works as a Private Equity Analyst at Warburg Pincus, focusing on investments across the Technology sector. In his free time, Josh enjoys skiing, golfing (poorly), reading, and exploring new restaurants with friends.
Josh Cheadle’15
Alex Rios ‘05
Eliza Feffer ‘15
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
‘08
Adin Dobkin. Adin is a writer and journalist. He is the author of Sprinting Through No Man's Land and These Bones Can Speak (forthcoming). His reporting and essays have appeared in publications like New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, The Paris Review, and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
‘ 14
Brent Valentine Currently a third-year student at UC Davis, Bret has initiated a podcast called Discovering Academia, where he interviews professors about their research, passions, and ways to get involved. With 39 recorded episodes and 26 posted since the beginning of last spring, Bret and his team are gearing up to release episodes from the London School of Economics, Utrecht University, and a UC Berkeley professor who conducted research in France. He recently visited Singapore, where they interviewed people at the National University of Singapore and around Southeast Asia as they traveled.
‘ 15
Nicole Weber graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Sociology. Throughout her four years, she was a dedicated member of the Varsity rowing team. Her achievements were recognized with the Joseph M. Kavanaugh student athlete award for her academic and intellectual pursuits at Cal.
Additionally, her boat secured third place in the NCAA rowing championships. Nicole plans to return to Berkeley in spring 2024 to pursue graduate classes in business administration and entrepreneurship. She will complete her last semester of eligibility on the rowing team, harboring hopes of representing the United States in the 2024 World Rowing Championships.
‘22
Dharma Le. Dharma recently published, Larry the Lobster has Lupus , recounts Dharma's medical journey, which began on June 27, 2022. Her passion for medicine ignited during a challenging period when she was admitted to CHOC hospital due to a mysterious undiagnosed illness. In the midst of uncertainty and discomfort, Dharma was fortunate to encounter an exceptional group of rheumatology and pediatric doctors.
These dedicated professionals worked tirelessly as a team to unravel the mysteries of her condition and provide the best possible care. Their unwavering commitment and genuine compassion left an indelible mark on her heart.
Brent Valentine ‘14
Nicole Weber ‘15
Dharma Le ‘22
‘11
Hawken Miller. Hawken deepened his work for the foundation CureDuchenne, which aims to find a cure for the condition that he and thousands of other boys have, Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Hawken started a part time role developing patient-centric content to help raise money and bring awareness to the cause. He also speaks at fundraisers, sharing his personal story of overcoming Duchenne.
This past November, Hawken also began streaming on Twitch, leveraging his experience writing about video games, the business behind it, and producing live content for The Call of Duty League and The Washington Post gaming section.
‘14
Matt Brailsford. Matt attended boarding school at the Webb Schools for high school followed by Colorado College in Colorado Springs. He graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. For the past
‘03year, he has been living in the UK and just completed his Masters in Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine. He is now back home and applying to medical school. A rock climber, runner, and world traveler, he brings a diverse set of experiences to his journey.
‘14Anushka Bhaskar. Anushka graduated from Harvard University in 2022 with a degree in Government, focusing on Data Science and Molecular and Cellular Biology. She then pursued her Master's degree at the University of Cambridge, specializing in Population Health Sciences. Anushka is currently in the process of applying to medical school and works as a researcher at the Harvard Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law.
Braden Ross. Braden attended Sage Hill School where he excelled at playing varsity football, baseball, and soccer. He was recruited to play football at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and also had the unique opportunity to play soccer in Germany. He graduated from the University of Arizona where he studied geology and developed a love for rock-climbing that led to his exploring many of our National parks. He continued to live in Tucson for many years and recently moved back to Newport Beach to be closer to his family.
Braden was an adventurer at heart and loved to travel. His many travels included climbing Machu Picchu, working in a gold mine in Peru, and touring several European countries. Of all places he visited, the annual trip to Kulik Lodge in Alaska for fly-fishing with his dad and brothers was his favorite.
Braden passed away from a heart attack on August 30, 2023, in Newport Beach, California. Braden will be remembered for his sweet smile, his bravery, his love of sushi and Mexican food, and the immense love he gave to his family and friends.
