WEBB Magazine Spring 2017 by The Webb Schools

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M A G A Z I N E

save the date

Alumni Weekend 2017 Friday & Saturday, October 20 & 21 Friday, October 20 • Back in Class – Attend class along with Webb students • Tour NextGen Learning Spaces and learn about opportunities at Webb from the admission, college guidance and summer programming offices • 25th Annual Peccary Society Dinner and Reception celebrating the Alf Museum • Off-Campus Reunion Class Celebrations

Saturday, October 21

alumni week end WEBB

twothousand

Spring 2017

“Be good and do the right thing.”

• Campus Tours and Dorm Crawl • Cheer on the Gauls! Football and Water Polo • Reflect during the Alumni Chapel • Explore the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology • Dinner Reception and Alumni Awards • Reminisce with friends… and more

Invitations will be mailed in July. Classes celebrating reunion: 1947, 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012

THE WEBB SCHOOLS

SELF

•

COMMU NIT Y

•

THE COMMON GOOD

A T H R E E – PA R T C O N V E R S AT I O N

For more reunion information visit

www.webb.org/reunion2017 or call 909.482.5277

CREATING THE SELF • ACT REACT DECIDE • THE COMMON GOOD

Credits

A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

Volume 20, Number 1

Taylor B. Stockdale Head of Schools Dutch Barhydt Director of Institutional Advancement

Executive Editor Joe Woodward

Peter Bartlett Director of Student Life

Contributors Lexus Beaman ’08, Debbie Carini, Andrew Farke, John Ferrari, Harason Horowitz ’02, Don Lofgren, Laura Wensley

Jamila Everett, EdD Director of Admission and Financial Aid

Design Michael Stewart • Stewart Creative

Donald L. Lofgren, PhD Director, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology

a summer of amazing opportunities begins right here:

webb.org/summer EXPLORE. DISCOVER. COLLABORATE. BUILD. RESIDENTIAL SUMMER PROGRAMS 2017

Junior Scholars Program in

GRADES 7, 8 & 9

Paleontology, Leadership, Digital Arts, or Science & Engineering

10-day residential program 2 sessions: July 8 -17 and July 19 -28 Bridge Session: July 17-19

summer@webb.org • 909.482.5214

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Hector Martinez Director of College Guidance

Photography Peter Bartlett, Sonsoles Cardalliaguet, Phil Channing, Nancy Newman, John Lawrence, Scott Nichols

Tracy Miller, PhD Dean of Faculty

Printing Dual Graphics

Janet K. Peddy Director of Finance, Planning and Operations

Nondiscrimination Policy The Webb Schools admit students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the schools. The Webb Schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law in administration of their educational policies, tuition assistance, athletic, and other school-administered programs, or any other basis in law.

Theresa A. Smith, PhD Director of Academic Affairs Joe Woodward Director of Strategic Communications BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2016-2017 Sanjiv P. Dholakia ’87, Chairman of the Board Christina Mercer McGinley, PhD ’84, Vice Chair, Secretary David Loo ’79, Vice Chair Sara Adler, PhD R. Larry Ashton ’70, Chairman, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, ex officio Blake H. Brown ’68 Michael Chang ’92 Deval Dvivedi ’00 Jenna Z. Gambaro ’95 Wayne L. Hanson ’59 Janel Henriksen Hastings, PhD ’87 John Holliday ’84 Ming Chung Liu Roger J. Millar ’61 David Myles, PhD ’80 Mickey E. Novak ’70

Janet K. Peddy, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary, ex officio RJ Romero Miles R. Rosedale ’69 Mary A. Schuck Wendin Smith ’89, PhD Taylor B. Stockdale, Head of Schools, ex officio Denis Yip LIFE TRUSTEES Hugh H. Evans Jr. ’49 Anne Gould H. Earl (Bud) Hoover II ’52 Murray H. Hutchison Claire H. McCloud Paul M. Reitler ’54

Publication Information Webb magazine is the official publication of Webb School of California, Vivian Webb School, and the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology. Published for families, friends and alumni by The Webb Schools. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Webb Schools 1175 West Baseline Road Claremont, CA 91711 PH (909) 626-3587 FAX (909) 621-4582 email: alumni@webb.org webb.org

ALF MUSEUM BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2016-2017 R. Larry Ashton, Jr. ’70, Chair Gretchen Augustyn Terry Baganz William Baldwin Richard H. Clark Daniel (Dan) Gluckstein Jack (Jay) Greening Ronald (Ron) Hagander ’66 James Hall ’59 F. Gard Jameson ’71 Sherwood Kingsley ’58 Carl Lachman ’86

Memberships National Association of Independent Schools; Western Association of Schools and Colleges; Boy’s Schools: An International Coalition; National Coalition of Girls’ Schools; California Association of Independent Schools; College Entrance Examination Board; Educational Records Bureau; National Association of College Admissions Counselors; Council for Basic Education; Council for the Advancement and Support of Education; Council for Religion in Independent Schools; National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls; and the Cum Laude Society.

John (Dick) Lynas ’55 David Mirkin ’66 L. J. Patrick Muffler ’54 Douglas F. Myles Michelle Plyley Mary W. Rose Charles Steinmann Page Thibodeaux Monica Atiyeh Whitaker ’96 Lance Williams ’97 Tammy Zipser

The mission of The Webb Schools is to provide an exemplary learning community that nurtures and inspires boys and girls to become men and women who: • Think boldly, mindfully and creatively, • Act with honor and moral courage, • Lead with distinction, • Serve with a generous spirit.

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WEBB

Meet our writers — Debbie Carini is a writer and development professional. She has been

M A G A Z I N E Spring 2017

FEATURES

2 6 10 16

From the Head of Schools Creating the Self Act React Decide The Rule of Law and Society

WEBB TODAY

24 28 30 34 38 42

Students Athletics Arts The Alf at Webb Faculty Giving and Volunteering

NEWSNOTES

46 50 56 68 70

Alumni Profi es Events WSC and VWS News In Memoriam Final Word: Gabe Romero ’08

affil ted with The Webb Schools since 1999 as a writer for the magazine as well as various campaign and fundraising materials; she is also a successful grant writer for the schools and Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology. She is a contributing writer to the Claremont Courier with the monthly humor column “Out of My Mind.”

John Ferrari has experience as a newspaper journalist and as a writer, editor, communications strategist and public outreach specialist in higher education. He has written feature articles on topics ranging from astrophysics and genetics to theme parks and, of course, the Alf Museum. He also serves as a public affai s officer in the Navy Reserve.

Cover image of school community meeting by Scott Nichols.

SOCIAL

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOLS

I’m Glad... You lost. In the summer of 1980 I was on top of the world. I was heading into my senior year of prep school. I had an interesting summer job working at a gas station on Cape Cod. And I was getting into shape

for my final year of football, a sport that I loved.

We had been through a few “building years,” and the team was fi ally poised for a strong season. I had a little success as a quarterback, but a rising star was emerging, and I was built more for my favorite position—that of full back. As promising as the team was, I had my sights set on being the team captain. I had long dreamed of this role, being the guy to lead the locker room talks, the calisthenics, to go out for the coin toss before each game. Being captain would be the perfect ending to my high school sports career, and I thought about it pretty much every waking hour during that summer on the Cape. When I arrived back to campus in the early fall for the dreaded two-a-days, I seized every opportunity to take the lead. I wanted to prove to my teammates that I was their

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

leader, knowing that in two short weeks they’d be voting on their captain. I had no doubt I had it in the bag.

But to my complete dismay, when that day fi ally came, I lost. In fact, I didn’t even come in second on the team vote, but third. The two guys who won the vote were so close in the count that they became co-captains. I was stunned, hurt, and utterly confused. Not long after the vote, as we started preparing for the fi st game, I fi ally was able to talk to the head football coach. Coach Farr wasn’t just my coach, but my advisor, my physics teacher, and I had known him since my fi st day as a freshman. I was expecting him to tell me how sorry he was that I didn’t emerge as the captain—that I

had deserved it and that the team had made a mistake. To my surprise, it was the complete opposite. As he started to tell me what he really felt, I only heard four words. Four words that changed my life forever; “I’m glad you lost.”

18-year-old brain. I agonized over it. I would go through phases of cursing him in my mind for being so hurtful. And yet, deep down, I knew he was right, which made it even harder.

I was shocked when he said it and even more confused than before. I was deeply angry at him, the team, and thought that the whole situation was unfair. How could he hold such ill-will towards me? How could he be glad that I had such a harsh setback? In fact, to say I was confused would be a gross understatement. I moped around campus for the better part of a week. I felt that I was a victim of a terrible situation and betrayed by those who I thought cared for me.

Later that year, I came to a better place with it. We got close again, and I graduated from high school a far better person for having gone through that agonizing and embarrassing situation.

Several more weeks went by, and I did everything in my power to ignore him. Where I would usually hang out after class and talk x’s and o’s about the upcoming game, I would leave abruptly. Where I would usually come to practice early and play catch with him and some other players, I’d come a little late, and leave immediately after the last whistle. I pretended I wanted no part of him, and yet what I wanted more than anything was to ask him why. Why was he glad I lost? After letting me stew in my own stuff for long enough, Mr. Farr found the moment to circle back with me. Though it started as an awkward conversation, he was able to tell me that he was glad I lost because he didn’t want me to be rewarded for making the team captain position all about me. As all great teachers do, inasmuch as you can do for a teenager, he held a mirror up to me and made me realize that the entire way I had approached being team captain was all about me, and not about the team. I was focused on this leadership role for all the wrong reasons, and that as much as he appreciated my spirit and work ethic, he (and the entire team) knew there were other guys who were more focused on the team than themselves.

Sometimes, life lessons, the ones that stick, are brutal. They hit you deep in your soul. They challenge you, or even jar you, into

looking at your role differently—as a person and as a leader. Th s was one of those moments. Like Mr. Farr, the greatest educators I know deliver these powerful life-changing moments with love and with wisdom. They know how formative the teenage years are and how important these lessons are in forging people who lead in all the right ways. And once again, I go back to Thompson Webb, Ray Alf, Ann Longley, and the long list of educators at Webb who made it their legacy to deliver these same types of experiences to generations of Webb students, and more to the point, to our current faculty who carry on with this tradition of life-long lessons for a good and noble life. Thank you Mr. Farr. I’m now able to say, I’m glad I lost, too. Taylor B. Stockdale Head of Schools

As I departed from our talk, I knew in my gut he was right. But I didn’t fully accept it for several months, if not years. I had to let it sit there. I had to make sense of it with my

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“Be good and do the right thing.”

THE WEBB SCHOOLS

An intimate look at self, community, and the common good.

A T H R E E â&#x20AC;&#x201D; PA R T C O N V E R S AT I O N

THE WEBB SCHOOLS

O N E S E L F

A T H R E E â&#x20AC;&#x201D; PA R T C O N V E R S AT I O N

CREATING THE SELF

No man is an island entire of itself.

– John Donne,

“Devotions upon Emergent Occasions,” Meditation XVII

Imagine… you’re an island. But entire of yourself? Imagine you’re a Hawaiian island, formed fi st from volcanic processes deep in the earth, but later shaped by outside forces: carved by wind, wave and rain; softened by green plants, flowers, birds and other living things. Not entire of yourself at all, then: you are the result, not only of own volcanic interior but of ceaseless outside action. All these influences form your island self, and a tropical island is as good an analogy as any for the human self. Consider: humans have innate tendencies and temperaments, says The Webb Schools’ Director of Counseling and Health Education Melanie Bauman, before explaining that the development of the self is also the result of the individual’s interactions with the surrounding world, too.

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IT’S A

continuous process: we form and reform our selves throughout our lives. Still, our selves are largely formed during childhood and adolescence. From a learning perspective, the self is the ability to connect knowledge and intellectual growth with moral and humanistic reasoning, says Bauman. Our selves form through self-reflection; by considering ourselves, who we want to be, how we want to relate to the world and how to enact those ideas. This, in turn, requires relational reasoning skill; that is, the ability to create relationships between things. Much of this relational development occurs during childhood. It begins with simple relationships: between egg and chicken, milk and cow, mama and love. By the time children become adolescents, they’re creating much more complex relationships—the type of relational reasoning emphasized in Webb’s science and humanities curricula.

Webb’s focus on student-centered learning combines thinking and doing, which encourages relational learning, Bauman says. It creates “authentic opportunities for students’ self-discovery in the classroom,” says Sally Mingarelli, Webb’s director of experiential learning. Webb’s freshmen and sophomore courses give students a solid grounding in the facts and background knowledge they need to build sophisticated relationships. Electives in the final two years provide opportunities for unbounded thinking and “room to discover who you are and what you love… Every moment where you step more deeply into something is a moment of self-discovery.

“ Educating the whole student happens in the

24 hours we have each day, not just the seven hours in the classroom,” Mingarelli notes. And as they’re learning and creating knowledge, Webb students are also shaping their selves. Education, knowledge, and the capacity for relational and reflective thought is one aspect of the self. Character—the self’s values and morals, strengths and weaknesses—is another. As adolescents develop their relational reasoning skills, they’re using those skills to shape and understand their character, too. Webb encourages students to take an active role in their own character development. And like all aspects of the self, developing character is a continuous, experiential process. In this process, Webb serves as a microcosm of the wider world, a community in which students can develop, shape and ‘try on’ their emerging self and character.

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

For some Webb students, that’s a very self-conscious process. Dakota Santana-Grace ’11 found his involvement with the theater program allowed him to consider the creation of his own self by enacting other identities. “Theater puts us in a direct discourse with that process,” he notes: any good play involves character evolution, and connects with what teenagers are going through. Exploring the thought process of the stage characters he portrayed developed his empathy and his own self-reflection. Theater, along with Webb’s debate team and paleontology program, forced Santana-Grace to stretch himself, but within a safe space.

Sa ntana-Grace

At the same time, his coursework shaped how he approaches problems. “Because of these activities I spent a lot more time being thoughtful,” he recalls. Part of his self now, he says, is a concern for others, and a reflective internal dialog asking “What’s going on here? Is this the right path, is this the right step?” That practice isn’t always comfortable, he says, “but Webb gave me the ability to do it.” Santana-Grace’s experience building self and character at Webb resonates with humanities teacher Rick Duque. “One of the things we focus on is ‘who are you?’ and how can you be the complete you if you don’t know who you are?” he says. “The only way you can define ho you are is to have some struggle… I want every kid to have an experience where they’re pushed to the limit and then they go further.” Webb encourages this character development in a safe environment, both inside and outside the classroom. “The novels and short stories we read relate to values,” explains Duque. “I really like making connections between what we read and their lives,” including characters’ struggles, failures and successes. At the same time, he adds, a lot of individual growth comes from within, and occurs outside the classroom—on the playing fi ld, in afternoon activities and in the dorms. “There are areas where you realize who you are and what you’re made of,” agrees economics teacher Will Allan ’94, often areas that present a challenge—overcoming adversity, for example, or taking on a leadership position. “Webb does a really great job creating these opportunities, both purposefully and organically.” The school emphasizes leadership, creative thinking and collaboration, giving students experience interacting with others as leaders and team members.

As teenagers develop their own selves and characters, they should be able to make their own judgements, Duque says. Freshmen, he notes, typically are not yet comfortable with who they are and tend to follow along, rather than lead or speak out. By the time they leave high school as young adults, they should be strong enough in their own self-identity to speak up for their own character and values.

asked the same fundamental questions. “It struck me pretty quickly that we’re all in this together,” Dvivedi says. “We’re all on a similar path here. Seeing that really prepares you for adulthood and that next stage in your life. There’s an underlying backbone or structure that Webb gives you. It defi itely sticks with you, through college and through your career.”

Another way to understand self and character is to create one on paper. “Building a character also helps you build the story,” says novelist John Scalzi ’87. There’s a lot of back and forth between character and story, internal and external forces shaping each other, on paper and in the real world. There is no one right answer for self creation, he notes; no formula for creating a perfectly self-actualized self.

Their years at Webb are a critical developmental time for students, says psychologist Michi Fu ’91, as they negotiate their own bodies, relationships and their sense of self. A boarding school experience gives students a chance to learn how to navigate their relationships with the world and with other individuals outside the nuclear family.

“It isn’t just the academics and it isn’t just the dorm life and it isn’t just interactions with teachers,” says Scalzi. “It’s a whole. Dvivedi

S c al zi

And in fact, much of the process of self-creation remains unconscious, or barely glimpsed: a moment that reveals something of the world to you, and slips from conscious memory even as it carves a facet of your self and your character, becoming part of what author Leslie Epstein ’56 calls the hidden springs of your life. Nevertheless, a learning community like The Webb Schools can help students understand the processes of self development, even if they’re not always visible, and help adolescents build a positive self identity. “Webb,” Scalzi recalls, “was proactively engaged in character development as a portable thing you can take elsewhere.” The school inculcated a sense of honor and a sense that who you are matters, he says. Being part of a close-knit yet heterogeneous community during the formative adolescent years can instill a lasting sense of the worth, not only of one’s individual self, but of others’ selves, as well. “You don’t just get this surface view of people, you really get to know what people are made of,” says Deval Dvivedi ’00. Originally from Bahrain, at Webb Dvivedi came to the realization that people share more similarities than diffe ences. “At Webb, being in Southern California… it was the fi st time I was exposed to all sorts of diffe ent people and ideas,” he recalls. “You realize we’re not all that diffe ent.” Although the student body at Webb was diverse, he says, as a peer group of adolescents everyone

The entire experience builds a character.”

That process doesn’t stop with adolescence. The self matures through time, Fu says. “Over the course of one’s lifetime we tend to see shifts in how we view ourselves and others,” she explains. “We’re always redefi ing ourselves,” agrees Bauman. As children, we’re define largely by others. In high school and college, we rework our identities, perhaps again in college. Our selves are shaped progressively by our life experiences: work, family, aging. The emphasis of our selves shifts from ourselves as individuals to our relationships. As we mature over time, the fundamentals of the selves we created as adolescents can remain with us. “Those years of adolescence are the crucial years in life,” says Epstein. Our characters are the heroes in our life stories. “And when it’s all said and done,” Duque says, “you just look at yourself in the mirror and ask ‘am I happy who I am… did I treat somebody nice, did I give it my all?’” W

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T W O

C O M M U N I T Y A T H R E E â&#x20AC;&#x201D; PA R T C O N V E R S AT I O N

Webb Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ Spring 2017

How many decisions have you made today? What to wear? Which tasks to prioritize at work? What to do this evening? What went in to those decisions? Did you think about them, make a pro-con list and weigh your options, or go with your instinct?

ACT REACT DECIDE

IMAGINE A SIMPLE DECISION... what to eat for lunch. Well, maybe not so simple. You’re juggling many factors: not just what you’re in the mood for—a gut instinct if ever there were one — but also what’s available, how much time you have, how far you’re willing to go, cost, health and nutrition considerations…

not to mention the preferences of anyone with whom you may be sharing lunch. You probably take all these factors into account mentally, in the span of a few seconds, before making a decision or a short list of a few options. You make your decision based largely on past similar decisions—after all, you’ve chosen what to have for lunch thousands of times—and it’s an almost intuitive process. Choosing from the short list can be much more difficult: the options are similarly appealing and now you must consciously weigh the factors; your decision has become less instinctive and more rational. And this is just one of the decisions you make every day.

So how do you go about making all these decisions? Decision making is a complex process involving multiple regions of the brain. The process involves two distinct systems, says Emily Carrigan ’02, a developmental psychologist in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Winston-Salem State University: a ‘hot’ or experiential system, centered in the brain’s limbic system, for quick decisions based on emotion and feeling; and a ‘cool’ or analytic system, centered in the frontal cortex, utilizing knowledge and cognition to make rational decisions. Most decisions involve both systems to a greater or lesser extent—even supposedly rational decision making involves an emotional component.

How the two systems work together is something “we are just starting to truly understand better,” says psychologist Robert Connolly ’89, founder and owner of Connolly Counseling and Assessment. We tend to value cool, rational decisions over hot, intuitive decisions, but, Connolly says, we shouldn’t discount our gut feelings. Our brains make intuitive decisions based on our past experiences, taking mental shortcuts to quickly arrive at ‘good enough’ solutions.

‘Going with your gut’ often works well when making qualitative decisions—such as what to have for lunch—but just as often leads people astray when the decision is fundamentally logical or mathematical in nature. Here’s the classic example: together a baseball bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? The ‘hot’ intuitive answer, 10 cents, is wrong. Considering the question coolly yields the correct answer. Learning to make optimal decisions is largely a process of coming to understand which decision-making system, experiential or analytic, to prioritize in a specific ituation— a process we practice every day as we make decisions. Guidance can help, too; especially (and not surprisingly) for teenagers. During adolescence the brain is still maturing, notes Carrigan, creating connections between the regions involved in emotional and rational decision making.

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The ability to recognize when emotions are influencing the decision-making process, appropriately or inappropriately, is important. Yet, notes The Webb Schools’ Director of Counseling and Health Education Melanie Bauman, adolescents do not have fully developed emotional regulation. They’re also still discovering their own temperament; that is, how they tend to react to situations. Across campus—in classrooms, on athletic fi lds and in leadership positions—Webb encourages students to develop confi ence in their decision-making abilities, and to recognize, understand and take into account their own temperaments, predilections, unconscious biases and tendencies. If students know that about themselves, they can understand their own decision-making processes and make better decisions, Bauman says.

As well as understanding personal traits, students have opportunities to study logic and argument. If the answer to the baseball bat-and-ball question is not intuitive, the answers to some math and logic problems are actually counterintuitive, says mathematics and computer science teacher Jim Dahler. The statistics courses he and fellow instructor Andrew Neyer lead focus, not on memorizing statistics procedures, but on understanding the logic and reasoning that underlie statistics. “We’re trying to teach them how to reason with chance,” Neyer explains. They often use simulations to examine the idea of randomness and apply it practically, Dahler says, adding a moral or emotional component to what would otherwise be purely abstract mathematical problems. This reinforces the importance of the mathematical concepts, and impresses upon students the potential consequences of making a wrong decision.

The importance of moral and emotional considerations in decision making distinguishes Webb’s debate team, too. “It’s important that when team members argue for a side, they stay true to their own beliefs,” explains head team coach and humanities teacher Jessica Fisher. Even when they’re arguing for a position with which they disagree personally, they must develop arguments with which they do agree.

STUDENTS’ GUT REACTIONS to a topic often provide the foundation on which rational arguments are built, Fisher says. Weighing the evidence, data, pros and cons, and both rational and emotional components of a topic, debate team members must then decide what types of argument to build: economic, moral, social, the short-or long-term effec s, or others. In today’s media and informationsaturated environment, being able to evaluate arguments and identify biases is crucial in making decisions in every aspect of our lives, from politics to consumer purchases. “The people who are best at debate are the people who know the other side’s arguments and how to debunk them,” agrees Josh Verseput ’03, vice president of integrated insights at market research firm Lieberman Research Worldwide. That’s a skill applicable to any rational decision-making process. Marketers, like psychologists and neuroscientists, are intensely interested in how we make decisions. As Webb’s Bauman notes, every action we take requires a decision. Marketing researchers focus on decisions resulting in consumer action, but their insights apply to decision making in many areas. “Twenty or 30 years ago everyone had the perspective that the consumer decision journey was linear,” says Verseput. A one-way link connected the three phases of the consumer decision-making process: awareness of a brand or product, the decision to purchase it and, fi ally, the action of purchasing it. With the widespread adoption of mobile computing and social media, that process has become nonlinear. Exposed to a “spider web of influences”—family, friends, colleagues, celebrities and taste-makers, news, and ads—consumers move back and forth along, and in and out of, the decision-making process. Pulling out our handy smartphones, we can be exposed to these influences instantaneously, simultaneously and continuously, so our decision-making process is compressed in time, as well as more complex, Verseput says. It’s as if the straight line that used to represent the consumer decision-making process has been coiled into a smaller space. And this doesn’t apply just to consumer purchases: it’s true of many decisions we make. If that seems a bit intimidating, take it from a psychologist and a CEO: relax. “We’re being pulled in different directions,”

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

15 says Connolly. Day-to-day decision making is more complex than ever because we are relatively safe in our environments, but overwhelmed with the amount of decisions we have to make, he says. “But if decisions come from a worried place they’re usually not the best decisions.” The up side?

“The decision process can be a thoughtful and healthy process when fulfillment is a part of the conversation,” Connolly says.

Connolly The rational decision-making process should include the question “is this the best decision for my well-being?” And keep in mind that any decision involves some lack of control: no one has perfect, total information; there’s a measure of unpredictability in any situation and any decision. “People want to be sure they are making the right decisions,” explains Connolly, “but that can be impossible at times. Decision

making is a process that hopefully yields a positive outcome, but it’s not necessarily a guarantee. The key to that process is to integrate both the emotional and rational modes, and understand we only have so much time and space we can make decisions in. Make decisions with confi ence knowing you’ve done the best you could with the information you have… and don’t self-criticize when the outcome is not what you want.” That’s a lesson Sameer Dholakia ’91 has learned through years of practice. Dholakia, the CEO of email communications fir SendGrid, makes decisions for himself, his family and his company every day—like all of us. “For me, what has happened throughout my life is I used to obsess because I wanted to make the perfect decision,” he says, “but you make thousands of decisions and you realize that’s not possible. Just make the best decision you can with the information you have, and realize that no decision is made under perfect circumstances.” Most decisions, he says, are like two-way doors: if you walk through the door and you don’t like what’s on the other side, you can walk back out again. “Don’t stress about those decisions,” he advises. “You can always make another decision later.” And if you do make a wrong decision, even one you can’t undo? “If you’re wrong enough times you realize that life goes on,” he says. “There are few catastrophic consequences. You can bounce back from bad decisions.” W The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

THE WEBB SCHOOLS

THREE THE COMMON GOOD

A T H R E E — PA R T C O N V E R S AT I O N

T H E R U L E O F L AW A N D S O C I E T Y

How the individual, teams and organizations together impact

THE COMMON GOOD. The rule of law is a term that is often used but difficult to defin . A frequently heard saying is that the rule of law means the government of law, not men. There are many questions that surround the “rule of law” especially what is meant by “a government of law, not men?” Don’t men and women enforce the law as police officers or interpret the law as attorneys and judges? How does the rule of law exist independently from the people who make it, interpret it, and live it? And how does each person choose to follow, or not to follow, the law as he or she goes about his or her daily life?

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

IT IS OFTEN SAID that the “rule of law” in western society began to take shape in 1215 when King John of England signed the Magna Carta, a charter that guaranteed the King of England the support of powerful noblemen, so long as the rights of these men were also recognized. Article 39 of the Magna Carta was written to ensure that the life, liberty, or property of free subjects of the king could not be arbitrarily taken away. Instead, the lawful judgment of the subject’s peers or the law of the land had to be followed.

Several centuries later, the founding fathers wrote the United States Constitution (1787), and then, in response to calls from states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties, James Madison crafted the Bill of Rights (1791)— amendments that were built upon those found in earlier documents including the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), the English Bill of Rights (1689), and the Magna Carta. Since that time, many societies have developed institutions and procedures to try to make the rule of law a reality.

LIVING WITH THE RULE OF LAW AT WEBB

When Thompson Webb founded his school in 1922, he understood that in establishing a boarding environment, he would be inviting students from different backgrounds, nationalities, and upbringings to live together in a community. To create this community, a unifying theme of students’ lives at Webb would be, and still is, honor. But this wasn’t to be a rule of law established solely by the administration; instead students, in the form of the Honor Committee (and later, with the establishment of Vivian Webb School, the Honor Cabinet), would have a say in the discussion of right and wrong, and throughout the 90-plus years of the institution, the Honor Code, while remaining the same in spirit, has evolved to address concerns that Thompson might not have imagined— especially technology. “The Honor Code governed how we acted with one another, and beyond any conflic we might have had, how to react to one another,” explained Katherine Kilmer ’10 who is currently attending law school at Pepperdine University. “In society, today, it’s common to say that we’re ‘governed by laws’ but, in reality, that’s always changing based on what we value.” Teacher Tom Jurczak is the advisor to the Honor Committee and in that capacity, he assists students as they work to uphold the tenets of the Honor Code. “A lot of what we discuss is how to best meet the needs of individual students who do violate the honor code while also meeting the needs of the community,” he said. “The community demands honor and trust from all of its members and justice has to exist in order to make sure all members are aware that there are consequences for failing to meet those expectations.”

“ If men were angels, no government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must fi st enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

James Madison, Federalist Paper No. 51 (1788)

“Webb emphasized integrity and that’s something that resonated deeply with me,” said Jenny Choi ’07. Choi recently graduated from Harvard Law School and is a law clerk at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. “People have to agree to follow the law—that willingness is important, but it is also important that the law protects people.”

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

When Raphael Huang ’17 signed the honor pledge, he did so because he believed in what the honor code stands for: “not a set of rules, but a way of life to which students strive to adhere.” Huang said he wanted to hold himself and others accountable to those ideals. “A big part of the honor code is boundaries of responsibility, which recommends that students hold not only themselves but also others in the community accountable to the honor code,” he explained. “I see this not as a call to be ‘nosy neighbors’ but rather as an invitation to look out for each other. If I see a student falling behind or engaging in activity that can harm themselves or others, I would bring it to the attention of someone who can help them.”

For Jackson Bibbens ’18, signing the honor pledge was an acknowledgment to himself about how he wanted to act and present himself. And even though he is an Honor Committeeman, he appreciates that the idea of “doing right” extends beyond the purview of the Honor Committee and Cabinet. It is ingrained in the everyday experience of students, from the classroom to the athletic field.

Jurczak

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“Across the diffe ent classrooms and activities, there is the understanding that we are here not only for academics, not only for athletics, but to develop as young men and women into adults who will be a positive force wherever we are around the world,” he said. “A big part of this understanding is that our teachers and coaches have high expectations for our conduct and responsibility, but they still give us all the tools necessary to succeed. Also, as an Honor Committee member, I have an increased responsibility towards protecting the rules on campus. I must be prepared to talk to someone who is in need, or to speak out when the rules and values which defin our community are threatened.” In Webb’s Foundations of Civilization class, freshman grapple with age-old questions about human societies. In the unit entitled “Right and Wrong: Questions of Justice,” students explore how people, once they’ve reached a developmental stage in their society, become curious about ideas such as goodness, virtue, truth, meaning, and justice and set about to defin and achieve them. They study several diffe ent belief systems (including various religions and philosophies as well as the underlying ideologies of places such as Rome) in order to see what those participants thought a just society meant and the proper behaviors they argued were required of its peoples. Wendy Maxon leads a section of the class and she said that the diversity of her students provides a broad scope to the discussion. “Using varied examples from world cultures helps students to see the concerns that are surprisingly universal, and the similar and diffe ent ways that societies of the world have addressed them. Some of the best conversations emerge from questions such as: are social hierarchies necessary? Why would particular religions be appealing at various points in time, and to whom? Are people law-abiding by nature and what types of structures are best to keep everyone working toward the common good?” Luke Raus ’20, a student in the class, said that he noticed that “Throughout our lively debates and discussions on these topics, we constantly draw parallels between the civilizations we study and Webb itself, as in the case of comparing freshmen and seniors to the Shudra and Brahmin of the Hindu caste system. After all, Webb isn’t just a school— it’s a full-blown society. Just like any society, Webb continually struggles to fin a balance—between rights and security, structure and liberty, liberal and conservative—that benefits everyone. All Webb students want to get as much out of their experience at school as possible. Understanding these issues and intricacies helps us improve the common good at Webb as we take on increased leadership roles in the future.”

In teacher Claire Abisalih’s new Honors American Crime and Punishment class, students look at specifi court cases, and read excerpts from a variety of sources including Bryan Stevenson’s book, Just Mercy, Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, Piper Kerman’s Orange Is the New Black, and Helen Prejean’s Dead Man Walking. “We also examine some fictio al narratives and popular television shows, including Netflix s fictio alized adaptation of Kerman’s memoir, since much of our more casual understanding of the criminal justice system, sadly, may come more from entertainment than reality,” Abisalih added.

APPLYING THE RULE OF LAW TO LIFE AFTER WEBB 21 In his book, The Rule of Law in the Real World, Paul Gowder writes “The rule of law is a way of respecting the equal moral worth of all humans; we ought to say so, and work to build this equality across the world.” To that end, Webb alumni are endeavoring to provide access to justice—the ability of people to seek and obtain a remedy through informal or formal institutions of justice. The Hon. Ronald M. Whyte ’60 recently retired after 27 years on the bench, most recently on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He was described as intensely devoted to doing justice. Mark Lemley, a professor at Stanford Law School and partner at Durie Tangri in San Francisco who is an expert in the fi lds of intellectual property and antitrust wrote: “Judge Whyte is the dean of the Silicon Valley bench. He has been involved in most of the cases that shaped IP and technology law. And he has worked tirelessly to improve the law.” Laura King ’98 and Matthew Bishop ’89 are lawyers at the Western Environmental Law Center. According to Bishop, their effor s are very much about the rule of law and how it impacts the common good.

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“My work and the focus of the Center is to use the power of the law to defend and protect the West’s treasured landscapes, iconic wildlife, and rural communities and ensure these resources remain resilient in the face of a warming and changing planet. The issues can be divisive, but regardless of one’s political affiliation, I think working to conserve wildlife habitat for key animals like lynx, grizzly bears, and wolverine or protecting mountain watersheds and rivers from pollution and climate change benefits the public at large and contributes to the common good.”

King added: “At Western Environmental Law Center, we spend a lot of time ensuring that agencies are following the law, not the whims of agency offic ls. Our job is to provide a check on agencies that act beyond their authority. That’s important to keep agency action faithful to the intentions of Congress. Our task, like the agencies’ work, must begin with the famous direction of Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter to ‘(1) Read the statute; (2) Read the statute; (3) Read the statute!’” The common good is a notion that originated more than two thousand years ago, in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero. It has persisted through the centuries. As a Webb education suggests, the common good does not just happen. Establishing and maintaining the common good requires the cooperative effor s of many people. Tom Bingham, author of The Rule of Law, wrote in his book’s conclusion: “Even those who do subscribe to it fin it difficult to apply its precepts quite all the time. However, the rule of law is the greatest unifying factor for a world divided by diffe ences of nationality, race, colour, religion and wealth. It remains an ideal, but an ideal worth striving for, in the interest of good government and peace, at home and in the world at large.” At Webb, the tradition of doing the right thing is a mainstay of a well-rounded education. The means of learning may change and advance with ever-developing technologies, but the obligation to do the right thing and contribute to the common good is as timeless as the Honor Code itself—the foundation on which the school was built. W

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

Further Reading on Creating the Self: The Teenage Brain - Jensen and Nutt (A broad overview of teen brain development that focuses on how we help teens develop.) Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard - Heath and Heath (A look at rational decision making and emotional decision making in adults and teens.) Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Duckworth (How to fin happiness and passion through a lens of persevering through challenge.) Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - Pink (A look into what motivates us—autonomy vs. mastery.) Search Inside Yourself – Tan (Delves deep into mindfulness, self-exploration and identity formation.)

SELF, COMMUNITY, AND THE COMMON GOOD. AT WEBB.ORG

Bienven

WEBB

TODAY S T U D E N T S

Fantastic Voyages TRAVEL PROGRAMS AT WEBB

In 1925, in an early model sedan, Thompson Webb, his wife Vivian, and son, Thompson Jr. ’35, took Robert Paine ’25

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on a trip to Northern California so that he could attend Stanford University. On the way, they stopped in Yosemite to drive their car through the Wawona tree, a famous giant sequoia that stood in the Mariposa Grove until February 1969. That adventurous spirit is still very much a part of the Webb experience. Today, however, Webb students travel the world in pursuit of new knowledge, authentic experiences and cultural immersion. In Global Competence Is a 21st Century Imperative, a 2010 policy brief, the then president of the National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel, stated: “It is important that American students—pre-school through college—begin developing a deeper understanding of the world’s economic, social, and political issues.”

By developing a global perspective, Webb students have a greater understanding of the world’s increasingly interconnected and interdependent global society. According to Van Roekel’s paper, students who travel “acquire thinking that embraces tolerance, a commitment to cooperation, an appreciation of our common humanity, and a sense of responsibility.” Sally Mingarelli is Webb’s director of experiential learning and she explained that the purpose of these trips isn’t to send Webb students out into the world as tourists. “We’re sending them out to learn,” she said.

And what better way to do that then travel?

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Webb trips promote unbounded thinking, global fluency, and global citizenship through fi ld study, cultural exploration, language immersion, and community service. This spring, teacher Michael Kozden, World Languages department chair, led a trip—Cultural Comparison of Asian Cities: Beijing & Tokyo—with math teacher Brian Caldwell. He has previously traveled to Asia and Mexico with Webb students. “When we travel, we don’t want to be just getting on-and-off the bus,” he explained. “Before we leave, we talk to students about what we want to accomplish and what the kids want to see. We want them to rub elbows with people. In Japan, in addition to the major cultural sites, students could explore things they like to do, like manga, (a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels) and video games.”

The trip to Asia was organized through Atlas Workshops, which bills its programs as “preparing students to be creative problem solvers, ready to tackle global issues as leaders, entrepreneurs, & engineers in every fi ld.” The trips emphasized comparisons not only of Japanese and Chinese cultures, but modern and ancient customs as well. Director of Student Life Peter Bartlett, has twice been to Costa Rica with students, but when he heard that Cuba was opening to tourism he applied immediately to travel there. Though the Cuban government is very specifi about what tourists can do in the country, Bartlett says the group covered a lot of ground in the country, from cities to the Bay of Pigs. “We traveled as an arts and culture tour,” said Bartlett. The group visited schools that are specific lly for artistic pursuits, and learned history from a Cuban perspective.

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

ido

On the trip with Webb students, he pointed out that Costa Rica is an important player in eco-tourism. “We’re the inventors of sustainable development. The goal is to share the forest, even as we try to share it with the world,” he explained. Cardalliaguet and Roblero have also led trips to Spain. “It’s important for students to get out of their routine,” said Cardalliaguet. The “Road to Compostela” found students taking classes and enjoying cultural activities at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, visiting museums, and a traditional market (complete with gastronomic tour); the last six days of the trip, students walked the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route.

Throughout the journey, they studied history, art, “We saw fabulous cities that have been preserved since their golden days,” said Bartlett.

geography, literature, and gastronomy. And, as part of their stay at the university, students lived with

Because there hasn’t been a lot of tourism, the natural elements, such as reefs were pristine.

host families, so they were able to practice their

“But that’s changing as more and more people visit,” said Bartlett.

language skills.

Two students on the trip, Paulino ’16 and Julia ’19 Yanez were able to visit the site where their grandparents had once owned a restaurant that was a favorite watering hole of Ernest Hemingway. The tour guide also made contact with a group of semi-pro baseball players who played a 3-inning game against the Webb students.

panish teachers Sonsoles Cardalliaguet and Andres Roblero led a trip to Costa Rica where they traveled from city to jungle. The itinerary included stops at the Central Market in the capital city of San Jose where the group learned about and sampled native foods; the Volcán Arenal, an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica, and the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, which climbs 6,000 feet and consists of 6 ecological zones, 90% of which are virgin forest. The forest also has an extremely high biodiversity, consisting of over 2,500 plant species (including the most orchid species in a single place), 100 species of mammals, 400 bird species, 120 reptilian and amphibian species, and thousands of insects. The last 3 days were spent in the coastal areas. Roblero is from Costa Rica, so he shares a native’s perspective of the region. “I was a tour guide for 14 years in Costa Rica,” said Roblero.

Cardalliaguet related that at the end of the fi st week, university professors described the Webb students as motivated, educated and very well behaved. The course is designed for university students from around the world and this was the fi st time a high school group had completed the program. During the spring, there was also a domestic trip to visit colleges on the East Coast with Assistant Director of College Guidance Anthony Shin. Upcoming trips include the Hefner Initiative in China, founded by Robert Hefner III ’53, which elects young individuals and adults from the USA, China, and Asia to participate in two-to-four week cultural and educational activities abroad. Henry Miller said, “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Webb students who travel experience the vibrancy and diffe ences of cultures not their own by talking with people of other nationalities, trying new foods, and embracing the excitement and, even sometimes, the adversity of adventure. “There’s such a variety of people on the trips, from freshmen through seniors,” said Cardalliaguet. “Some don’t even know each other, but by the end, everyone is friends. Traveling with your peers, going to another country, and meeting other people is a unique experience that makes everyone closer.”

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We are the Gauls! FALL/WINTER SPORTS RECAP

W E B B Fo o t b a ll

The 2016 season ended on a high mark for the WSC varsity football team. The Gauls won their final two games by a combined 38 points. The wins over San Joaquin League foes Fairmont Prep and Capistrano Valley Christian gave the Gauls a 2-3 league record. The team finished the year 4-6. Head Coach Amahl Thomas called “responding positively to negativity” the team’s biggest accomplishment. W S C Wa t er Polo

The 2016 Webb Gauls won their second straight league title with a thrilling 9-8 win at Sage Hill on October 25. The Gauls ended the season with a loss to Aliso Niguel in its opening round game of the CIF playoffs. Mitchell Fargo ’17 ended the season as Academy League MVP, an honor he says he’s “dreamed of working towards ever since freshman year.” He finished with an incredible 122 goals, 72 draws, and 98 steals. The Gauls ended the season 11-14. V W S Vo lle y b all VWS volleyball ended the season 9-15 with a 3-0 playoff loss to Archer School for Girls. Coach Destinee Sales dubbed the match’s end the highlight of the season for her. Down 24-17, and trailing 2-0 in the match, Webb scored five straight points before Archer scored again for the win. Jordan Fuelling ’17 capped an incredible season (261 kills, 238 digs, 56 aces) by signing a D1 NCAA volleyball scholarship with the University of Hartford. V W S Te n n is VWS tennis put together a 5-1 San Joaquin League record and won regular season and league tournament championships. Thea Kirkpatrick ‘18 won the league singles tournaments, Katie Hawkes ’17 and Emily Schoffmann ’19 rolled to an 18-0 regular season record and a league doubles crown. VWS’ season ended with a first-round CIF playoff loss to Flintridge Prep. The Gauls ended the season 10-8. V W S G olf In its third year of existence, VWS varsity golf team reached new heights in 2016. The Gauls set new high marks in wins (6), league wins (4), and number of players (13). Head Coach Gabriel Sanchez says he was “ecstatic” at the team’s progress in 2016. The team’s season ended October 17 at the league prelims with an overall record of 6-7.

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

W SC & VW S C ross Countr y

Raphael Huang ’17’s selection as San Joaquin League Most Valuable Runner capped the Webb cross country team’s season. WSC claimed its third straight league title as a team, while VWS won its second consecutive San Joaquin League title. Webb sent a bevy of runners to the CIF-SS Finals meet in Riverside on November 19. WSC finished 10th in the finals race, while VWS finished 15th. Huang represented Webb at the state championship meet in Fresno the following weekend, finishing 31 in his race. W SC B a sk e tb all WSC basketball Head Coach Rick Duque got his 100 win at Webb when the Gauls beat St. Monica Academy on December 5. Duque was very humble about the accomplishment: “it’s all because of them,” said Duque of his players past and present, “I didn’t win one game, they won all those games not me.” The team dedicated their season to Webb alumnus Adam Cave ’12, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in December. Webb went 6-14 in its first season in the San Joaquin League. VW S B a sk etb all VWS varsity basketball went into the 2016-17 season with an official team mantra: “The Relentless Pursuit of Greatness.” In a season wrought with highs and lows, that pursuit never stopped for coach Veronnica Alvarado’s team. Led by the scoring and rebounding presence of team captain Jordan “J-Roc” McClure ’17 and leading scorer Chloe Stewart ’20, the Gauls roared out of the gate, going 8-1 in the month of December. The stretch included close wins over Montclair and Holy Martyrs, and big victories over Saddleback Valley Christian and Woodcrest Christian. In the end, the Gauls were awarded a wildcard spot in the CIF-SS Division 5-AA tournament, but came up one quarter short at Pasadena Poly in their playoff game. Led by Stewart and Thomas, Vivian Webb is sure to be a forceful team in 2017-18. Vivian Webb finished 9-10, and 2-6 in San Joaquin League play.

W SC So ccer WSC captured its second straight San Joaquin League title. Under new head Coach Greg Gerken, Webb went 17-2-3, allowing just eight goals all season. Led by seniors Wyatt Albert, Jonas Gerken, and Yolbars Myhre, and star underclassmen like Liam Gerken ’20, the Gauls played Fairmont Prep for a chance to win league outright. WSC was ranked as high as 6th in the weekly CIF-SS Division Six Poll, and reached CIF second round.

V W S S oc c e r VWS soccer rode an unbeaten season towards the program’s first ever league championship. The Gauls outscored opponents by a staggering 29-3 margin. VWS showed strong talent from each class, including seniors like Dylan Wensley and Alex Wilson, juniors Ellie Canty and Payton Williams, sophomores Izzy Martinez and Emily Stepanian, and freshmen Victoria Romero and Bridgette Lee. The Gauls went 14-1-2, were ranked as high as eighth in the weekly CIF-SS Division Six Poll, and reached CIF quarterfinals.

V W S Wa t e r Polo

VWS water polo enjoyed a landmark season in 2016-17. Coach Tom Jurczak’s team won the Valle Vista league, the first ever league title for VWS water polo. Chandler Luebbers ’17 will play at Occidental College in the fall. Fellow seniors Emily Chu and Maya Fassler joined her among the team’s top scorers. Sophomores Rylie Brick, Lindsay Jung, and Mary Davis were also standouts. VWS finished 20-6 and was ranked as high as third in the weekly CIF-SS Division Six Poll, and reached the quarterfinals of CIF. W r e st lin g Webb Wrestling finished its regular season 6-6 under first year Head Coach Leif Williams. Williams says the program is growing in numbers and passion. Seniors like Andy Christiansen, Josh Logan, and Dmitry Semenov were excellent in their final season on the mat. The program is sure to grow with Spencer Easley ’18, Simon Dawson ’19, and Robbie Reimer II ’20 leading the team’s future. Webb competed in the Cross Valley League Finals on February 9, with all wrestlers qualifying for CIF.

Tr ia t h lon Webb’s triathlon team can be seen running, biking, and swimming around campus, the surrounding hills, and nearby roads nearly every afternoon. The team included 18 boys and seven girls, and competed in two events, including the Race on the Base on February 25 in Los Alamitos.

L e a g u e MV P’s

Wyatt Albert - WSC soccer Mary Davis - VWS water polo Dylan Wensley - VWS soccer

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A R T S

Hitting the Right Notes

The Instrumental Music Program at Webb

Music surrounds Webb students every dayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

from the trill of native birds in the natural landscape enveloping the school to the melodious sounds emanating from the practice rooms and studios of the Susan A. Nelson Center for the Performing Arts and the Copeland Donahue Theater. At Webb, the diverse selection of music courses, ensembles and activities offe s students the chance to make music a richer and deeper part of their lives. And nowhere is that more true than the instrumental music program which has developed and expanded over the years. The program allows for the training of classical music lovers and provides opportunities for other music enthusiasts to create, improvise and perform in a variety of musical venues and to play a diverse repertoire.

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Director of Instrumental Music Linda Silva says the focus of the program is to help students learn a skill in performing arts and to understand the historical contexts in which the music they play was created. “It’s a nurturing environment,” explained Silva. “We’re considering their needs and expanding upon that.” Students in the Sinfonia Orchestra: String class, and Sinfonia Orchestra: Wind and Percussion class perform with The Webb Schools Orchestra, the string or wind ensembles and small chamber groups. There is also an Honors Sinfonia Orchestra which is designed for advanced musicians who have demonstrated exceptional performance skills and musicianship. “We have close to full instrumentation (15 diffe ent instruments) in the orchestra, including strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion, which is rare for a small high school” explained Silva.

In addition to Silva, who has wide ranging experience as a professional musician playing clarinet in numerous Southern California orchestras, and teaching at local colleges and universities, as well as instructing private students, the program is also assisted by Kyle Champion, the principal cellist with the Redlands Symphony. Champion works part-time with students and he and Silva also bring in professionals to instruct specific sections such as Wendy Waggener, who performs with the Redlands Symphony and San Bernardino Symphony, work with students playing string instruments.

“Since I work in the greater educational world and am an active performer, I can connect my students with professionals who can help them advance in their studies,” said Silva. She also encourages students to take private lessons in order to expand themselves. Lengyi Zhang ’17 is one of two female percussionists in the orchestra. “I started to play percussion instruments in sixth grade. At that time, I was living in China and it was still very rare for a girl to play drums,” explained Zhang. “Most parents want their children to play instruments like piano or violin, believing these instruments represent elegance. Once I passed by a music store and I saw a young drummer playing along with the music. I was so in love with its unique sound and the passion behind the rhythms. I told my mother that I really hoped to learn this instrument and surprisingly my mother agreed. I bought a drum kit and tried to practice every day till my neighbor knocked on the door and complained about the noise that I created.”

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

As much as students enjoy performing, they also appreciate the other opportunities associated with the program including attending live performances. The school’s proximity to Los Angeles allows students to participate in musical experiences at institutions in the city. With funds from the Mortimer Fleishhacker ’50 Endowed Arts Fund, Silva took the group to a performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic where Gustavo Dudamel was conducting a piece that the Webb orchestra was also working on. “I had them write a concert report—an experiential synopsis of the experience—‘what did it make you feel like, what was new about it?’” she said. “Dudamel didn’t even have a score in front of him, we talked about it later—‘how did he do that?’” Chelsea Chen ’18, who plays clarinet, said that some of her fondest musical memories at Webb are the multiple concerts she has attended, including a trip to the recording studio at Disneyland where the young musicians spent a couple of hours reading through various short snippets of music from Disney films and then promptly performed it to track (recorded it to film) “These experiences connect my classmates and I through the music program outside of the classroom,” she explained. Most students (as many as 90%) stay with the program for four years said Silva. And the level of play is very high, with many participants entering the program having a minimum of two years’ experience in a junior high or equivalent orchestra. This year, trombonist Eric Liu ’20 was honored with an invitation to participate in the selective CAIS Honor Music Festival. “We teach them the three B’s: Bach, Beethoven and Brahms,” said Silva, “but there’s also a lot of new music, including swing and ballad styles. I try to help them conceptualize the music,

to problem-solve and to integrate the music into their lives— it’s not just about practice.” According to Silva, there are many transferrable life skills in the study of music: • Discipline – how to follow through on a project from beginning to end, and how to be a part of something larger than yourself, • Recovery – how do you recover from a mistake? It takes a professional musician about 1 second to recover from a mistake. If you get lost, you have to step out, and fin where you are in the score—that in itself is a skill, • Life Skills – how do you support your colleagues and take care of yourself? How do you know how to appear on stage, to accept praise and learn grace? And, as much as the orchestra can be an extracurricular activity, there are Webb graduates who study music in college and go on to viable careers in music, including: Ben Davis ’11 played the French horn at Webb. After graduating from the USC Thornton School of Music in spring 2016, he is working as a music director and experienced guitarist. His sister Mary Davis ’19 currently plays in the Webb orchestra. Kevin Kumar ’92 played violin at Webb. Today, he is co-artistic director of Salastina Music Society, a chamber music ensemble that performs throughout Southern California. He has also been a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra, West Los Angeles Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic, and the Peninsula Symphony. For current students who are interested in pursuing advanced instruction, Silva can help them apply to prestigious summer institutes including pre-college and youth summer programs at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute and the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program. In fact, Elias Kim ’20 was selected to participate in BU’s Tanglewood Institute this summer. Some students even take it upon themselves to form bands. David Hou ’17 plays guitar and put together a rock band— “It’s great to see my bandmates improve as musicians, and although we have conflic s during rehearsals sometimes, these are the people I appreciate most at Webb.”

Numerous studies show that music learning supports all learning—a study by the U.S. Department of Education (with data on more than 25,000 secondary school students) found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show “significa tly higher levels of mathematics proficienc by grade 12.” A teenager practicing music must tap into multiple skill sets, often simultaneously.

“ My life at Webb, admittedly, is busy and sometimes

it can be hard to keep up with practices and improving my playing,” said Chen. “However, the fi e arts program plays a big role in my life. To pursue my passions and hobbies, I remind myself that going to practice isn’t something that should be hard. Every time I sit down with my music and instrument, time fl es. The music program is an important factor of my Webb career and can be placed at an equal value as all of my other commitments like leadership and dance.” Music also helps students understand important life lessons. “With an orchestra, you are building citizens, better citizens for the community,” said L.A. Philharmonic’s Conductor Gustavo Dudamel in a 2008 interview with The Washington Post. “Accepting mistakes during a performance is the same as accepting any mistakes in your life,” related Zhang. “We need to learn how to face imperfection.” Many students arrive at Webb with significa t playing and performing experience, while others are ready to discover new musical skill and encounter new knowledge. The depth and breadth of the music program at Webb supports all students who share a passion for music.

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ALF WEBB

THE

News from the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology at The Webb Schools

Coming Soon... World Class Status for Alf Museum 34

The Alf Museum currently leads the way in secondary school paleontological research, with over 50 published papers in the past 15 years, 32 with Webb student coauthors. Recently, the museum also achieved major improvements in staffing and facilities thanks to the generosity of Gretchen Augustyn and family and Andrea & Blake Brown ’68. These include: 1) addition of first-ever full-time collections manager (Gabe Santos) 2) modernization of Malcolm C. McKenna Fossil Preparation Lab 3) installation of Don Lofgren Research Lab. Now the only project that stands in the way of the museum earning true “world class” status, the lack of space for our ever-growing collection of fossils (170,000 specimens and counting), is scheduled for completion in July 2017. Currently, most of our fossils are stored in the Main Collections Room within metal storage cases stacked two high and arranged in five rows that are bolted to the floor. In a few months we will install a collections compactor system where rows of storage cases are placed upon a rail system so that

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

Current fossil storage cabinets were installed over 20 years ago during the museum’s initial drive for national accreditation; photo from 1996, with Elisa Choi ’96.

individual rows can be opened and closed laterally. Thus, three additional rows will be added within our current space, creating a 60% increase in fossil storage capacity. Full funding for this $300,000 project has been secured. We have already ordered 70 new storage cabinets and 560 drawers for fossils. Also, we have retained McMurray Stern, a Southern California company that specializes in collections storage design, to install the compactor system. The project will be a major organizational and logistical challenge for the museum because every specimen drawer and cabinet in the Main Collections Room will have to be removed during construction. First, oversized track slabs were moved to the museum’s Kiva Room during Webb’s Spring Break in April. In late May, the rest of the collection will be moved to the Hall of Footprints because no other space is available to temporarily store the fossils and cabinets (the exhibit hall will be closed for two months during construction). Then, McMurray Stern and their subcontractors will install the compactor floor rails and carriage system in June. In July, the fi al step will be to move all the fossils and new and old cabinets to the Main Collections Room. We are counting on an army of student volunteers to help us with this massive undertaking! The project will be complete by mid-July, allowing us to continue to act, without further disruption, as an internationally recognized educational and research institution. We thank those who helped fund the project, including Andrea & Blake Brown ’68, Yanji Luo & Li Jiang, Zemurray Foundation, Sam Zemurray ’61, Dodd Fischer ’61, Ronald Quon ’55, Hugh Pitcher ’68, Richard Kron ’68, and seven others. The Alf Museum will be truly world class because of this generous support.

Although this shows another museum collection, the same idea is employed with metal cabinets housing fossils, where rows can be moved laterally to create additional storage without expanding the size of the room.

Dinosaur Joe Returns from Japan Last March, “Dinosaur Joe” set off on a grand tour of Japan as part of Dinosaur Expo 2016. Since then, our baby duck-billed dinosaur (Parasaurolophus) was seen by nearly 800,000 expo visitors! Now, 10 months later, Joe is back at the Alf Museum.

35 L: Forklift crew about to load the crate containing “Dinosaur Joe” for its flight home. R: Organizers and paleontologists at the closing of Dinosaur Expo 2016; Gabe Santos on right.

To bring Joe home, the museum’s collections manager Gabe Santos traveled to Japan to pack and escort the skeleton on its return fl ght. The trip required an international team effort First, Santos went to Osaka, the last stop of Dinosaur Expo 2016, to help close the exhibit and examine the skeleton to ensure it was ready for transport. The next step was to pack Joe in its custom built crate (by Masterpiece International) and transport it to Narita International Airport in Tokyo. Once at the airport, Joe cleared custom inspection and was loaded on a Japan Airlines fl ght. Nippon Express, the shipping company that handled all transport for Dinosaur Expo 2016, gave Joe their best care when loading it on the plane. Due to the fragile nature of the skull, Santos hand-carried this precious cargo on his nine-hour fl ght back to Los Angeles. Dinosaur Joe’s tour throughout Japan was an incredible success. Many thanks to Nippon Express, Japan Airlines, and Masterpiece International for giving Joe such special care, and the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo for inviting the Alf Museum and Joe to be a part of the expo. The success of Joe’s exhibition in Japan is an example of the productive collaborative work of Alf Museum paleontologists, Webb students, and staff of the US Bureau of Land ManagementUtah that manage the unique paleontological resources of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

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The Alf Welcomes New Museum Trustees

For Page Thibodeaux, a lifelong fascination with paleontology began at age 5 with a visit to Utah’s Dinosaur National Monument and enduring memories of the dinosaur bones exposed on the rock wall there. His fi st fossil find were Devonian brachiopods found near his childhood home in Ohio. Page’s recent association with the Alf Museum began with numerous Alumni and Friends Peccary Trips, where he always found exceptional specimens. Over the past four summers, Page has been a highly valued volunteer “dinosaur hunter” on the museum’s annual research expedition in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. Page and wife Kathy also visited the Gobi Desert of Mongolia with the Alf Museum in 2008. A mechanical engineer by training, Page has been in technical sales and marketing for more than 25 years. In 2014, he founded Summit Technical Marketing, a manufacturer’s representative company in northern California. An avid outdoorsman, Page enjoys mountaineering, hiking, birding, and cycling, and is active in the Boy Scouts, where he is course director for the Snow Camping & Winter Safety Course. Page has also served on the board of the local chapter of Alliance Français, a worldwide organization promoting French language and culture. Monica Atiyeh Whitaker ’96 attended Vivian Webb School as a day student and was actively involved in various sports, committees, El Espejo, and the Peccary Society. She also worked for the Alf Museum for two summers during the fi al stages of the museum’s accreditation drive in 1996-97. Monica attended Willamette University in Oregon for both her undergraduate degree and law school, and she has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 2003. Monica has served as lead Senior Administrative Law Judge in her program area with Oregon’s Office of Administrative Hearings since 2011 and THIBODEAUX

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

has extensive experience conducting contested case hearings for various state agencies. She also mentors and trains other judges and has presented at continuing legal education classes, including advanced family law. In her free time, Monica enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors with her husband, Ben, and their two children, David and Paul. She frequently returns to Southern California to visit friends and family and to attend Webb functions, and is honored to join the Alf Museum board and to give back to an institution that she holds in the highest regard. The father of James Hall ’59 (Jim) was an Episcopal minister and friend of Thompson Webb who was often invited to give Sunday chapel talks at Webb. Jim would accompany his dad on these trips and remembers visiting the Alf Museum in the basement of Jackson Library. Enchanted by Webb, Jim enrolled in 1954 and went on Peccary Trips and played football. He eventually attended Pomona College and then the University of California, Riverside, where he earned a PhD in biophysics. Jim did a post doc at Caltech and became one of the pioneers in the study of ion channels. This closed a loop for him because he had been strongly impressed by Ray Alf’s nerve impulse model in his Webb Biology class, and ion channels are the molecules that conduct the nerve impulse. Jim served as assistant professor at Duke University and then associate professor at the University of California, Irvine, where his research expanded into the movement of water through cell membranes and the effec this has on the formation of cataracts. Although retired, he maintains an active lab at UCI. Jim was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1994 and has served on the Alumni Council of The Webb Schools. Jim and his wife Jean live in Laguna Beach.

W H I TA K E R

HALL

Alf

raymond m. Alf museum of paleontology

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Alf Museum Hosts Science Illustration Intern Jay Rasgorshek at his work station during the illustration internship

Fossils are important for paleontologists—and artists help to communicate that importance. A high-quality rendering of a fossil bone highlights major features for interpreting that fossil, and a creative restoration can ignite the imagination and breathe life back into long-dead organisms for the general public and scientists alike. Science and art are closely intertwined, and nowhere is this more evident than in the fi ld of science illustration. During the fall of 2016, the Alf Museum hosted its fi st-ever science illustration intern, Jay Rasgorshek. Jay came to the museum via California State University, Monterey Bay, whose science illustration program is one of the most highly regarded in the country. As part of the course, students are expected to complete an internship at a natural history museum or similar facility, working under the direction of museum staff to complete a series of projects that support the museum’s mission and also advance the skills and portfolio of the artist.

Life restoration of a beardog, by Jay Rasgorshek.

During his time at the Alf, Jay completed a life restoration of a beardog in its habitat (an animal that left a set of footprints near Barstow, California, now on display at the museum), a series of images used for public outreach, and also began illustrating fossils of a new pterosaur (flying reptile) from Utah. Jay worked closely with museum staff on he projects, and also was able to join the museum on fi ldwork and other opportunities. “We were really excited to host Jay for his internship,” said Augustyn Family Curator Andy Farke. “Collaborations such as this are a great boost for our museum’s mission of research, education, and communication, and help to put us on the map in the broader scientific ommunity.”

Webb students present at professional conference Continuing a long-running tradition, in October 2016, six Webb students attended the 76th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Salt Lake City, Utah. All members of the Class of 2017, Stephanie Aldaz, Stephen Chai, Emily Chu, Julian Diepenbrock, Dahlia Gonzalez, and Chandler Luebbers, joined Augustyn Family Curator Dr. Andy Farke and over 1,300 professional paleontologists from around the world.

Webb students with their poster presentation at the 2016 SVP conference, including (from left): Dahlia Gonzalez ’17, Stephen Chai ’17, and Julian Diepenbrock ’17.

In a poster session, Chai, Diepenbrock, and Gonzalez presented their study of the fauna from the Cripe Site in southern Utah, and how it fits into the overall educational program at Webb. During this time, they discussed their research with many conference attendees and also received feedback about their project, as well as suggestions for future work. All the Webb student paleontologists attended various technical presentations to learn about cuttingedge paleontological research. They also attended a paleontology educators lunch, where they met with leading paleontologists in education, museum outreach, and government. In addition to the student attendees and Dr. Farke, Alf Collections Manager Gabe Santos presented on one of his research projects, and museum Board Chair Larry Ashton ’70 joined the Webb delegation.

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F A C U LT Y

Our Innovative Curriculum in Action How does a high school prepare students for careers that might not even currently exist? For a world whose landscape is undefined and constantly shifting? How does it instill in them the creativity and flexibility to address future social, technological and economic challenges?

Research on teaching and learning has advanced in the last decade perhaps more than in the previous half century combined—the stand-and-deliver model of teaching and learning, while still valuable, is giving way to new methods founded on research about how children learn best. Five years ago, the faculty and administration of The Webb Schools embarked on a strategic planning process to answer, in part, these questions and more including: what qualities and habits of mind do we want for students as they head out into this diverse and ever-changing world? What are colleges and new employers looking for and, what are colleges and universities doing to address these same questions? After a deliberate and thoughtful process, which included visiting other boarding and day schools around the country and even nearby colleges (Webb is, after all, located in Claremont, home to the prestigious and highly-ranked Claremont Colleges— including Pomona College, Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College and Pitzer College as well at two graduate institutions: Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute), a dynamic new curriculum emerged.

Today, the courses designed for freshmen and sophomores are skills-based and cross-disciplinary. Building on the skills students develop during their fi st two years at Webb, courses for juniors and seniors introduce students to college-level advanced study and research. “ We looked at the example of the Alf Museum—the educational model there is inquiry based and hands on,” said Dr. Theresa Smith, director of academics affairs. “That model is part of Webb’s roots.” This year, there were 28 new electives in the humanities and six new science electives; in addition to honors level and AP classes and Advanced Studies classes which are AP-level courses that engage students in high-level intellectual pursuits which, according to the Course Selection Guide, “are characterized by their depth of study, the embrace of the latest in academic research and their attention to making connections among disciplines.” The following are representative examples of the ways in which the new curriculum is preparing Webb students to creatively address the world in the 21st century.

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THE LONG NOVEL

Weighing in at more than 1,150 pages, (approximately 560,000 words) War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy has long been regarded as a daunting tome—far too time-consuming to be part of the syllabus in an ordinary English class. But what if the book itself could be studied for an entire semester? Elizabeth Cantwell’s Advanced Studies class, The Long Novel, is a marathon—one with many challenges and rewards as students read-up to 30-40 pages a night and through class discussions and lectures, examine the cultural, social, and historical forces that combined to produce a great work of literature (future pieces might also include Crime and Punishment or Moby Dick). “In today’s distraction-driven world, it’s nice to engage with art in a long-term form,” said Cantwell. “We’re tracking characters over a span of years, looking at the geography of the place, and trying to understand the cultural context of the times.” “During the fi st half of class, we usually discuss the assigned reading,” explained Tom Liu ’18. “And then we might have a lecture about Russian society at that time—to give us context. We also talk about Tolstoy—what were his intentions, what was happening at the time?”

Cantwell encourages others, including faculty, in the community to get involved and join the reading. She posts comments about assignments on Facebook and inspires students to interpret the work using podcasts. Each student in the class will produce a podcast related to the book. Liu worked on his podcast when the class was just 100 pages into the reading.

“ It gave us a snapshot of the aristocracy at the time,

GeoGebra software is used extensively to visualize and investigate three-dimensional geometry; this class helps prepare students to take multivariable calculus in college. “There are so many applications of linear algebra—in computer science, fi ance, science, and engineering,” said Dahler. “This class gives students a solid foundation for advanced studies.

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

“This is really more typical of a class you’d be taking in college,” said Sally Mingarelli of her Organic Chemistry course. And, in fact, students in Mingarelli’s Organic Chemistry are working with college students in the lab of Daniel O’Leary, an organic chemist and the Carnegie Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Chemistry Department at Pomona College. “I reached out to Dr. O’Leary—his daughter Maggie ’15 attended Webb for two years—and he had students in his upper level spectroscopy class pair-up with Webb students,” she explained. In Webb’s new state-of-the-art advanced science and research lab, the Thornton Lab, which was supported by a leadership gift from trustee Ming Liu and the Liu/Cheung Family, students are synthesizing molecules at Webb, and then taking them to Pomona to look at them under the college’s infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers. “ I like science and math, but my family said, ‘you’re crazy!’ when I decided to take Organic Chemistry,” said Ellie Canty ’18. “There’s a lot of concept-based learning. Sometimes classes

so I explored those themes and interviewed other

are really specific—you’re learning to do well on a test, but in

teachers who were reading it, as well as my classmates.”

this class, we investigate what we’re interested in. This is

In the beginning, Liu explained, the book was very intimidating, “I wasn’t used to reading that much, but I got into the flow of it.”

like a class I imagine I’ll be taking in college.”

As a fi al project, the class will present a mock literary conference with panels and a keynote speaker.

Shyam Arya ’18 says people were “afraid for me” when he told them he was going to take Organic Chemistry. “But we’re in the lab creating medicines, learning why molecules are bonding the way they are,” he said. “The best part is discovering for myself—not just having a teacher tell me. We have the opportunity to build on the concepts we’ve learned. I’m building on previous knowledge to create new knowledge.”

LINEAR ALGEBRA

With more and more Webb students fi ishing the math curriculum in less than three years, teacher Jim Dahler knew he had to fin new challenges for his students. During a semester-sabbatical, he traveled to schools back east, talked to other educators and determined that Linear Algebra was the class he wanted to offe . “I attended a workshop in Boston on an innovative Linear Algebra curriculum developed by a team of educators working with a National Science Foundation grant. We went through their book,” he explained. “Webb’s course is meant to be conceptual, based on habits of mind—not just a teacher standing at the front of the class saying, ‘here’s how you do this.’”

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

L . A . L I T E R A R Y C U LT U R E

Tracy Miller has been interested in the literature of Los Angeles since she fi st arrived at Webb six years ago. “It seemed strange to me to be teaching Walden in California,” she said. With professional development funds to support research, she attended a National Endowment for Humanities Seminar on the writer John Steinbeck.

had a lot of conversations regarding the books we were reading and how the culture evolved. We were learning not only about the history of Los Angeles literature, we were learning about the history of Los Angeles and how it become one of the most popular cities in the world.”

BIOTECHNOLOGY Cutting-edge science is the order of the day in Lisa Blomberg’s Biotechnology class where students not only have access to the latest equipment in Webb’s McKenna Lab, but also at the Neil A. Campbell Science Learning Lab at the University of California, Riverside. Blomberg holds a master’s degree in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University. “The university was having a teacher workshop and my background is in research, so I went to the workshop. I think it’s important for students to have lab and research experiences versus traditional curriculum and textbook-driven learning,” she said. “When we started to brainstorm the new curriculum, I knew I wanted to teach a class on the writers from Los Angeles,” she explained. “A goal for the electives was to allow opportunities for authentic fi ld work. Well, we’re 30 minutes from downtown Los Angeles!” This year, the class explored the haunts of F. Scott Fitzgerald, including a major movie studio. Fitzgerald was in Hollywood in the late 1930s trying to write his way out of debt—he never saw one of his screen plays made into a movie (though he worked on drafts for Gone with the Wind, and revisions on Madame Curie, for which he received no credits), but he did write his fi al, unfi ished novel The Last Tycoon. The class also read excerpts from Ramona, a 1884 novel by Helen Hunt Jackson set in Southern California after the Mexican-American War, portraying the life of a Scottish-Native American orphan girl who suffe s racial discrimination and hardship, non-fiction by Joan Didion, and works by noir writer, Raymond Chandler. “I was particularly interested in that unit,” said Anne Jiang ’18. “ I loved reading and watching works by Raymond Chandler.

We watched Double Indemnity and read The Big Sleep. I found both plots to be intense, unpredictable, and suspenseful, three elements that I love to see in a story. I’ve lived in and around Los Angeles for twelve years of my life, but have never studied the city.” Arkadiy Golubinskiy ’17 is an international student who said he had “no idea about LA literary culture. But Dr. Miller and I

Biotechnology refers to any fi ld or area utilizing biological processes for industrial and other purposes, especially the genetic manipulation of microorganisms for the production of antibiotics, hormones, and more. “The lab at Webb is great—we were involved in the design and able to set it up to be conducive to students doing this kind of lab work and collaborating,” she said. “We have great equipment for studying DNA that isn’t commonly found in high schools.”

Dr. Susan Wessler, Distinguished Professor of Genetics, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, had collaborated with a high school science department when she was at the University of Georgia and welcomed the connection with Webb. “The students completed a lab experience at UCR in one day that would ordinarily take several class periods—it gave them the opportunity to apply many of the methods they’ve learned in class” said Blomberg. She describes her class as intellectually rigorous but said she does not feel tied to teaching a concept the same way each time. “There are so many applications for this kind of science out in the world,” she said, citing examples such as the DNA genetic testing and analysis company 23andMe. In class her students are not only conducting science, they’re talking about the ethical standards of biotechnology. “When we look at a company, like 23andMe, we discuss thinking about it from an ethical standpoint as well—now that we have the means to obtain information through medical testing, how do we use it?”

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Our Campus Home 42

NEW FACULTY HOUSING

Webb is a home away from home for its students, but it quite literally a home for its faculty and their families. HOOLS FACULTYisHOUSING - ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSION

APPROACH

In order to attract and retain the highest quality faculty, Webb provides on-campus housing as part of a competitive compensation package. In return, residential faculty are focused on creating positive interactions with students. Thei families grow up on campus and become part of the campus life. All students are welcome to visit faculty homes for advisory dinners or to ask for advice, academic or otherwise. Thus the community is not only conducive to learning together but also living together and supporting each other. Whether physically attached or not, faculty homes are seen as extensions of dormitories and an integral part of student life. Th size and configuratio of campus homes is increasingly important to Webb’s ability to create desired community life experiences. At present, Webb maintains 44 faculty homes of various sizes and types. Homes are dispersed throughout the campus, from Towne Avenue and Baseline Road, through the heart of the campus. Th majority of homes are located at or near the hillside to the north overlooking the c ampus. Th current housing inventory is not sufficie to meet demand. Approximately 72% of faculty live on campus. Webb estimates it is 12 units shy of meeting its current need, including replacement of fi e existing units in need of major repair. In 2014 and 2015,

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

the school undertook a careful study and determined the preferred location for future homes is within the existing residential corridor, adjacent to dormitories. Th Board approved the construction of two duplex units on a site north of Appleby and Holt student residences. Thes homes will be ready for occupancy in August 2017. Th $2.25 million project was made possible by two lead gifts and two supporting gifts. Webb trustee and alumnus Blake Brown ’68 and his wife Andrea have been instrumental in helping to transform the campus. Thei support of the Alf Museum, science labs, Hooper Center, and now these faculty homes has led the way for much of Webb’s recent planning effo ts. Similarly, Webb received a transformational gift from Yafei Yuan P’16, founder and chairman of Sanpower Group Co., Ltd. in honor of his daughter Donna Yuan ’16. Significan gifts were also received from Peter Jiang and Merry Yu P’14, P’16 and from Junsheng Zhang and Likun “Jackie” Jin P’17. An additional site further north, above the softball field has been reserved for the construction of two more duplexes. Webb is currently seeking funding for this phase of the project.

• For more information, contact Dutch Barhydt at dbarhydt@webb.org

Hornbuckle Family Establishes $500,000 Financial Aid Endowment Fund Webb’s mission statement sounds a unique and distinctive call, “ To provide an exemplary learning community that inspires boys and girls to become men and women who: think boldly, mindfully and creatively; act with honor and moral courage; lead with distinction; serve with a generous spirit.”

With their extraordinary gift commitment, Wendy and Bill Hornbuckle P ’19 are helping to ensure that The Webb Schools will continue to serve this distinctive mission and provide for generations of students to come.

he Hornbuckle family approached Webb with an idea to ensure that deserving students might have the opportunity to attend Webb without the barrier of fi ancial need. Previously, Bill and Wendy (Bill a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas) established an endowed fund at UNLV to provide fi ancial aid to deserving students. They enthusiastically decided that they wished to do the same at Webb, making a leadership commitment of $500,000 to establish The Wendy and William Hornbuckle Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at The Webb Schools. When fully funded, this endowed scholarship will provide significa t fi ancial aid for a student or students who will be known as Hornbuckle Scholars. Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale thanked the Hornbuckles, saying “Wendy and Bill Hornbuckle have made an extraordinary gift that supports the very heart of what Webb does, which is to provide an unbounded, lifelong education to young men and women. This gift will exist in perpetuity at Webb, providing generations of students this opportunity. Thank you Wendy and Bill!” The Hornbuckle Scholarship Fund will allow Webb to attract and support the best and brightest students who wish to build on an established foundation of personal integrity, hard work and personal achievement. This fund will support Webb students who have demonstrated fi ancial need—with a preference for students from greater Las Vegas, Nevada, where the Hornbuckles make their home and are heavily involved professionally and in numerous volunteer leadership roles. To provide both flexibility and accountability in this generous gift, Wendy and Bill have stated that in a given year, if there is

no candidate who meets the geographic criteria, this award may be given to a student or students with demonstrated fi ancial need from other geographic areas. The scholarship recipient, once admitted to The Webb Schools, must maintain a 3.0 GPA to qualify for the scholarship in the succeeding year. The successful recipient, in addition to fi ancial need, will possess: admirable qualities of character, demonstrated leadership abilities, academic excellence and the potential to contribute to the spirit and life of the Webb community through athletics, the performing arts, and publications, for example.

Bill serves as the president of MGM Resorts International. Wendy is a member of the Nevada Women’s Philanthropy Foundation where she serves on the Executive and Outreach Committees and chairs the Grant Monitoring Committee. “There are so many ways that parents and alumni can support Webb’s mission,” added Dutch Barhydt, director of institutional advancement, “whether it is a leadership gift that will live forever as an endowed fund like Wendy and Bill’s great gift, or by supporting a capital project, or annual giving through the Webb Fund, or a planned gift that Webb will receive through a donor’s estate. Webb is able to provide all that it does only because of individual generosity and commitment and we remain always grateful to each and every parent, alumnus and friend who chooses to support Webb.” For further information on leadership giving at Webb or endowed funds, please contact Bob Fass, senior director of development and leadership giving at rfass@webb.org or Dutch Barhydt, director of institutional advancement at dbarhydt@webb.org.

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N E W T RU S T E E S

44 Sara A dl e r P ’9 6 , ’ 0 0 Sara Adler has been a fie ce advocate and supporter of The Webb Schools for more than 20 years. She is an alumni parent of Joe ’96 and Caroline ’00, and spouse of Robert Adler. From 1996-2011, Robert Adler served on the Board of Trustees—from 2004-2011 as chair. Sara has been a professor of Italian at Scripps College in Claremont. She received her BA from Smith College, and her MA and PhD in Italian from Harvard University. “I am honored to have been asked to serve on the Board. I have a passion for education, and so does Webb.”

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

We n d i n S m i t h ’89 Wendin Smith ’89 is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. A graduate of Dartmouth College, she received her PhD and Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Wendin is a consultant and lecturer in combating WMD, national security, nonproliferation, environmental security, and related fi lds. “I look forward to giving back to the Webb community, with a focus on ensuring that the schools continue to develop a cadre of leaders with the skills to think boldly, mindfully, and creatively, and to set forth on paths of distinction. It is an honor to be asked to serve, and I am eager to work closely with the faculty, staff students, and alumni in the years ahead.”

Teachers of Webb

The Alumni Council’s Teachers of Webb Project is a collection of alumni remembrances. The newest addition to the website is an article written by Thomas Butterworth ’63, “The Protean Life of Ramsay Harris” Other faculty profiles include Jacques and Mimi Pauwels, Murray Alexander, Thompson Webb, Michael Parmer and Blair Maffris. Excerpt from “The Protean Life of Ramsay Harris” By Thomas Butterworth ’63

“

In fulfillment of his official duties at Webb, Ramsay taught history, English literature, Latin, and occasionally one of the Bible classes. Of course, he also performed the daily duties required of a faculty member at the time, presiding over study hall, serving as Officer of the Day, giving the occasional chapel talk and making himself available for nearly any activity that one or more students were enthused about. Who could forget Ramsay saying in study hall, “Gentlemen, sharpen your wits, not your pencils.”

”

Council Corner Dear Alumni, Always, our robust alumni body continues to fin new ways to live the motto of “leaders, not ordinary men.” This also means they are leading the way for our current Webb students. We continue to appreciate all of our alumni and parents who volunteer their time to mentor and provide internships for the Webb@Work program. We have internships for students and alumni to choose from, making this one of our most successful initiatives, with room to grow. If you are able to give your time to guide a student who may be interested in your fi ld, please let us know. We continue to gather information on teachers who were influential during their time at Webb. Our Teachers of Webb committee has produced several pieces, which you can fin on the alumni website. Was there a teacher who played an important role in your life while at Webb? If so, please let us know—who knows, you may be responsible for a future article about him or her!

As always, I want to thank all of our alumni who continue to support Webb through The Webb Fund. Without your support, Webb would not be able to provide the financial assistance, programs, and infrastructure that make Webb such a special place. This will be my last contribution to the Council Corner, as a new Alumni Council president will be stepping in at the end of my term this summer. Thank you to Taylor Stockdale, Laura Wensley, and the entire Alumni Council, past and present, for your ongoing support and dedication to Webb. Onward and upwards! Rahmi Mowjood ’90 Alumni Council President

Read more at www.webb.org/page/alumni

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NewsNotes FROM AND FOR THE ALUMNI OF THE WEBB SCHOOLS

22 and a half minutes with Sanjay

Dholakia ’87

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Powerful Priorities

is is an old-fashioned American success story—

a dynamic, first-generation businessperson who marries the girl he met in high school—yet it’s also remarkable to note: his story takes place in the lead-up to the 21st Century and not the 1950s. Sanjay Dholakia ’87 has held a handful of important leadership roles: CMO at Marketo, CEO of Crowd Factory, and CMO of Lithium. His career has paralleled the rise of technology and globalization, and he’s had the remarkable opportunity to help shape and participate in the early transformation of an industry. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Through one of the earliest applications of the Internet— findi g old classmates online—he reconnected with his high school friend, Melissa Barnes ’87. The year was 1996. Barnes was in Taiwan helping to build a school system (today, she is the founder of MBD Partners, supporting new and existing

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

charter schools in the areas of school design, goal setting and monitoring, and performance reporting). They dated throughout graduate school and in 1998 they married; they now have two children, Maya and Kai, and live in Bend, Oregon. His brother, Sameer ’91, also attended Webb. In 2001, the family established the Pravina Dholakia Scholarship at Webb, an endowed fi ancial aid fund, in honor of their mother, to provide scholarship support for a deserving Vivian Webb School student. “My mother used to tell us, ‘You can’t take anything with you when you leave this earth. The measure of your life is in the number of people you help,’” he explained. Dholakia currently enjoys working with boards and companies to help them achieve their maximum potential as well as giving back to his community. A community he is most appreciative of is Webb and this year, he stepped into its most vital volunteer role: Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Q&A

What are the board’s priorities and goals for Webb in the coming year?

Our overall purpose and mission is clearly to help the institution succeed and thrive; and, to help the leadership and the faculty execute their jobs. On the most basic level, there are two focus areas for the board this year: 1) To build-out and expand our board by adding depth and capacity as we approach The Centennial of the school, and 2) To celebrate The Centennial of the school in a meaningful and impactful way. We’re five years away from Webb’s 100th year (1922-2022) and we have had The Centennial Strategic Plan as our guide (www.webb.org/about); the board needs to help Webb’s leadership team execute that plan. Marketing is near and dear to my heart, and with Joe Woodward, director of strategic communications, leading the way, the board will be able to provide guidance and thoughtful partnership. As we move forward as an institution, we must get even better at focusing on our target markets and articulating our unique value to families and supporters alike.

It goes without saying that my life would not be what it is without Webb. To say I love the Schools is not hyperbole. As Webb nears its 100th anniversary in 2022, what do you see as the school strengths? And what are areas for continued success?

I always say that our greatest strength is our world-class faculty and leadership team. These folks really make Webb what it is for our students and families. In a broader sense, for the past five years, the board has worked hard with the leadership team to identify what is unique about Webb. There are five qualities we’ve distinguished: 1) Our location. Webb is the only boarding/day school located on the front porch of the Claremont Colleges and the greater Los Angeles area. We’re not isolated. We’re in the second largest urban region in the United States, facing the Pacifi Rim. And while our campus is snuggly protected at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, we have access to relationships, experiences and resources that uniquely come from living in a diverse, fast-growing region. Our students learn to be global citizens in the truest sense of the word. 2) Our museum. We are the only high school in the world with a nationally accredited museum on our campus, one that contributes to the unbounded thinking of our students in countless ways, from exploration and adventure to understanding basic precepts of science.

3) Our coordinate structure. With two schools on one campus —Webb School of California for boys, and Vivian Webb School for girls—we can provide the best of both worlds for our students: single sex education in grades 9 and 10 where it matters most, and co-ed education after that. Plus, a full range of leadership opportunities on campus with roles at each school for a number of students. 4) Our focus on unbounded thinking. This focus is producing young men and women who can think and act beyond traditional boundaries and lines. 5) Our Honor Code. It’s embedded in our culture and the mandate to graduate honorable leaders will never change. Still, the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement— we’ve worked on those five areas for a long time and we’re always looking forward. We want to continue to take advantage of our location and build partnerships that create an ever richer experience for our students—the sky’s the limit there; also, to achieve new heights of awareness for the Alf Museum and integrate it more fully at Webb. Honestly, the school does so much, so well. Not many institutions live to be 100 years old and are able to look beyond that.

What are the board’s long range goals?

We need to start thinking about the next 100 years. The key work will be increasing our endowment. But we also want to continue to develop a strategic marketing plan, one that will build Webb into the global thought leader in secondary education. In very tight circles, we’re known around the world for the caliber of our students and our innovative educational offeri gs. We want that thought process to extend to the masses—beyond the knowledge of other schools’ heads and to parents globally. How does a school like Webb honor its 100 years of tradition while at the same time move forward alongside the fast-paced changes in technology, society and educational pedagogy?

The key is honoring the underlying pillars of Webb’s success: its principles, culture and values. Sometimes people are confused by the defi ition of “tradition” in discussing a school, or any organization, for that matter. For example, you do things a certain way, like wearing a tie to dinner. But at Webb—and generally to me—tradition is about honoring the fundamental values. I sometimes use the examples of the big companies, Kodak and GE, to illustrate the point. Both were founded within years of each other back around 1890. Kodak is gone because it kept trying to do the same thing, over and over instead of trying to honor its underlying value of ‘trying to make taking pictures as easy as using a pencil.’ GE, of course, continues to thrive because it has had an ongoing commitment to innovation.

The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes 22 and a half minutes Webb’s mission is to provide an exemplary learning community that nurtures and inspires boys and girls to become men and women who: Think boldly, mindfully, and creatively,

Gratitude is what motivates people to give of their resources and time—they’re grateful for what they experienced as a student, grateful for a teacher who opened their eyes to a new way of thinking, grateful to the staff who helped them get into college.

Lead with distinction,

Parents are also grateful—grateful for the opportunities Webb gives their children, and for helping their children become students of the world.

Serve with a generous spirit

I am grateful. Webb has given so much to me, to my family.

Act with honor and moral courage,

But nothing in the mission speaks to how we must think or carry that out. For example, our innovative curriculum. Dr. Theresa Smith, director of academic affairs, has led the team that integrated the curriculum cross-functionally so that our students are thinking critically across subjects now— we’re breaking the mold of how things have been done for 100 years and creating an exceptional learning environment for our students.

with Sanjay Dholakia continued

What qualifications do you look for in a board member?

I’ve worked with many boards throughout the years, and the quality of The Webb Schools Board of Trustees is incomparable. The short answer is that the qualific tions vary—we look for diversity in life experience, in skills, in capabilities. But we might also be looking for a person with a legal, real estate or academic background or someone with fundraising capacity or marketing expertise. We also consider gender and ethnic diversity so that our board is fully balanced.

One qualification that must be consistent is a shared passion and love for the institution. It’s a labor of love to be a trustee at Webb. We might fi d someone who checks all the boxes, but if they don’t have that love for the institution, it’s not the right fit. As chairman of the board, I don’t need to inspire overtly because people come to the work inspired already.

What I do, what we do for one another, is to remind ourselves of our shared love for Webb. Whenever I step foot on the campus, I am lifted-up, it’s good for my soul. As an alumnus, married to an alumna, (as well as the brother of an alumnus!) you have a unique “family” experience of Webb – can you describe your feelings about the institution and what it has meant to your family?

The answer in one word is gratitude.

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

Melissa and I believe in giving back with our energy and resources. I showed up at Webb a shy, introverted kid and Webb showed me how to be a leader. This is a community that has always been there for me and my family when we needed it. It goes without saying that my life would not be what it is without Webb. To say I love the Schools is not hyperbole. What motivates you as a volunteer? A lot of your volunteer work has involved education—in fact, your family established the Pravina Dholakia Scholarship at Webb—how important is it for schools like Webb to continue to thrive, and why?

Our family believes education is the great equalizer—we not only have a great love for Webb, but Melissa has spent her entire career in education, founding a charter school in Oakland, and going on to continue helping new schools open in underserved areas. Statistics are rampant in the media—the top 1% of people control the same amount of the world’s wealth as the bottom half. The thing that levels the playing fi ld is education. My parents immigrated from Mumbai with $68 and a scholarship for my father to go to school at the Lowell Technological Institute, which is now a part of the University of Massachusetts. They were able to build a life and forever held a deep belief in the importance of education. And, I dare say, education will be even more important in the future. It used to be that the diffe ence between a good student and a bad one was who had the best memory. In the world of the Google search box and artifici l intelligence, that doesn’t matter anymore. In tomorrow’s world, the skills that will be rewarded are the ability to think critically and to solve problems. That’s why I love Webb—Principes non Homines—Leaders, not Ordinary Men. Webb has always been focused on building these attributes in young men and women. From the museum to academic classes to after-school activities, the mandate is always to get out in the world around you, discover things, and then come back and study it and describe it. It’s critical for schools like Webb to continue to thrive. We owe it to the next generations and the world.

A LU M N I S P OT L I G H T

N ko n ye O ko h

’02

Nkonye Okoh ’02 is the Head of Structured Product Distribution for Private Banks and Wirehouse at J.P. Morgan—an impressive title that means she is customizing investment solutions for private bank and wirehouse clients. She credits Webb with helping her realize that it was not only acceptable, but natural, for a woman to pursue a degree in mathematics or science, and to one day end up distributing cross-asset structured products to private and regional banks across the U.S. Okoh received her BSE in Operations Research and Financial Engineering from Princeton University in 2006. She says that it was her Vivian Webb School education where she started to prep for the real world. Okoh grew up in Oakland. An outstanding student, she was introduced to Webb through the A Better Chance program. Her father immigrated to the United States from Nigeria and attended boarding school in London so was enthusiastic for her to enjoy that experience with the one caveat: her mother said the school had to be in California. At Webb, Okoh relished the demanding academic environment and the sports obligation; she lettered in 4 varsity sports and served in several leadership roles including ASB President. She fondly remembers Coach Dan Pride calling her out on the playing court: “I’m from Missouri, the ‘Show Me’ state, you have to show me! You need to give 100% even if you can skate by on skills,” he would yell. “I realized then that there’s a greater application of those words in life,” said Okoh. “Webb, in general, prepared me for life,” she added. “At 13, I learned how to manage rigorous academics, sports, and to live with strangers—all while trying to figure out who I was. Webb pushed me to be dynamic and adaptable. It was in me, but Webb brought it out.” These were the skills she brought forth to Princeton and then her work in the banking industry.

“I chat with young women all the time and tell them, ‘you can have a STEM degree (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), and work in a variety of fi lds.’ I have an engineering degree, but I work in fi ance,” she explained. “There is an aspect of STEM in everything you like. Even to create make-up, you need a degree in chemistry. STEM is not boring!” Anne Graybeal, an English teacher, encouraged Okoh to pursue her love of the sciences. “ Ms. Graybeal was a game-changer. She would tell me, ‘you clearly prefer writing lab reports,’ because I was a passive writer,” said Okoh. “She helped me become a better writer, but also encouraged me to take AP Physics and Chemistry. Webb teachers help you develop your whole self—Ms. Graybeal made sure my Contemporary Lit essays were as good as my lab reports.”

Okoh also stays in touch with many of her Webb friends including: Jana Sims Howie ’03, Nadia (Gomez) Del Grande ’02, Cathy (Sun) Fredrich ’02, and Reena (Hasolkar) Amrute ’02. Her former roommate Michelle Fabregas ’02 founded the food company Dribble Dots in Spain and took Okoh on a culinary tour of Barcelona. Okoh has been busy planning her wedding (slated for September 2017) which will include a traditional Nigerian ceremony two days before the offic l nuptials. She also mentors young women entering STEM fi lds, and recently spent three weeks as a pro bono advisor to the Detroit Parent Network, which focuses on parent development and advocacy. She helped the organization update their fundraising procedures and marketing materials to better convey their core message and mission. It’s a busy life, but Okoh tries her best to live up to important parental advice: “My parents always told me, ‘when you get a seat at the table, make sure you pull up a chair for someone else.’”

The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes Events and Highlights Reunions, holiday parties and more... Alumni, Parents and Friends reconnect. Find more event photos at webb.org

On Campus Parents Weekend More than 450 parents attended Parents Weekend in October.

Webb Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ Spring 2017

Alumni Weekend More than 250 alumni and friends returned to campus for Alumni Weekend. Alumni represented seven decades of Webb, with some traveling from as far away as Canada, Switzerland, Spain, Korea, and China and others having flown in from more than 23 different states including Alaska, Hawaii and Florida.

Class of 1986

Class of 2011

Peccary Dinner More than 300 guests attended the 24th annual Peccary Society Dinner, which marked 80 years since Bill Webb â&#x20AC;&#x2122;39 and Ray Alf discovered the original peccary skull. Don Lofgren also celebrated 25 years at Webb.

The Webb Schools â&#x20AC;˘ WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes Events and Highlights

SILICON VALLEY In October two dozen alumni and friends gathered in Menlo Park for an evening with Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale. A big thanks to our hosts Regional Rep Sameer Dholakia ’91 and his wife Laura. Chairman of the Board Sanjay Dholakia ’87 and Alumni Council member Jessica Dholakia ’07 joined five decades of alumni – from Bill Birdsey ’61 to recent graduates Carly Olszewski ’13 and Akua McLeod ’16, now students at Stanford University.

NEW YORK More than 40 alumni attended a holiday networking mixer at CASK Bar in New York. Thanks to Regional Representative Timothy Tzeng ’06 and our industry mentors: Ingela Amundson ’95, a writer for national print and online publications; Alex Bell ’98, founding partner at Core Energy Partners; Andy Chai ’97, VP of Credit Trading at Deutsche Bank Asset Management; Julia Gilroy ’98, director of operations at Body Labs; David Loo ’79, Webb trustee and managing director at Hudson Realty Capital; Clay Pierce ’86, partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP; and Sonal (Girgis) M.D. ’99, director of radiation oncology at Mount Sinai’s Elmhurst Medical Center.

CHICAGO

PHILADELPHIA

College Webbies Roxanne Zong ’15, Su Yeon Yang ’14, and Alicia Zheng ’14 met up with Hector Martinez and Anthony Shin of the College Guidance Office.

Webb hosted a dinner at Garces Trading Company with Alexis De La Rosa ’11, Dave Pinder ’79 and Ruth and Edward Santana-Grace (parents of Dakota ’11).

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

SAN FRANCISCO More than 30 alumni and friends joined Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale for a holiday reception at the home of Webb trustee Michael Chang ’92 and his wife Alicia. Alumni Council members Jessica Dholakia ’07, Jessica Gupta ’05, and Will Habos ’04 joined trustee David Myles ’80, museum trustee Patrick Muffler ’54, and former trustee Jack Sutro ’53.

LOS ANGELES Some 90 alumni, parents, and friends attended the holiday gathering at the Jonathan Club, hosted by trustee and parent RJ Romero and his wife Laura (P ’12, ’15, ’20). Alumni Council members Bob Connolly ’89, Kathy Fredrich ’02 and Dwight Morgan ’65, and life trustee Paul Reitler ’54 were in attendance to ring in the holiday season.

The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes Events and Highlights

FOURTH ANNUAL WEBB 15 NETWORKING MIXER IN LOS ANGELES

Over 40 alumni attended the annual networking event in Los Angeles last August at Yassmin Sarmadi ’87s new restaurant Spring. Industry mentors included: Grant Cramer ’79, producer at Landafar Entertainment; Rebekah Ebner Swan ’87 of Hoffman Sabban & Watenmaker; Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ’93, a judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court; Ginny Kim ’93, VP of Corporate Integrity Program & Chief Compliance Officer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; dermatologist Sandra Lee Rebish ’88, best known as Dr. Pimple Popper; Brittany Loya ’06, International Business Development at the United Kingdom Department for International Trade; Michael McDermott ’83, founder of Gung-Ho Films; and Jack Wiese ’06, client solutions manager at Facebook. Alumni Council members Jason Blackwell ’91, Kathy Fredrich ’02, Dwight Morgan ’65, and Timothy Tzeng ’06 were also in attendance.

BOSTON

WASHINGTON DC

Boston area alumni gathered for an event in February at the Red Lantern Restaurant and Lounge with Museum Director Don Lofgren and Alumni Director Laura Wensley.

More than 25 alumni attended the D.C. networking mixer at Mission Resaurant Dupont. Thanks to Regional Rep David Ivey Soto ’82 and Brad Sargent ’94 and our alumni mentors: Richard Downie ’72, EVP for Global Strategies at OMNITRU Technologies; Burke Moeller ’86, owner of BRC Media; Peter Piness ’71, career foreign service officer at the Department of State; Scott Shalett ’88, managing director and head of civic engagement at JPMorgan Chase; and Eissa Villasenor ’98, refugee officer at U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

International

BEIJING

SHANGHAI

A dinner with parents and alumni was hosted by a current Webb family at The Ritz Carlton in the Chaoyang District.

An alumni and parent reception was hosted by Ping Xu P â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13 at the Fenyang Garden Hotel.

HONG KONG

SEOUL

Alumni and current and incoming parents met with Jamila Everett, Dutch Barhydt and Bob Fass from Webb at the Shangri-La Hotel, hosted by a current Webb family.

Top: Dinner with current Webb parents. Bottom: Alumni gathering in Seoul.

The Webb Schools â&#x20AC;˘ WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes T H E W E B B SC HO O L S 1947 • Join Bill Stead and your classmates for a 70th reunion celebration! Alumni Weekend is October 20-21. For more details contact Bob Fass at bfass@webb.org or (909) 445-8252. 1949 • Life trustee Hugh Evans has authored a novel entitled Honor Code. Set in 1969, the fictional coming-of-age story follows two high school seniors through moral dilemmas during the precepts of their classical education against the alluring freedom of the war-driven and radical counterculture. - 1 1952 • Norm Blackburn writes, “Class of 1952, our 65th reunion is coming up October 20 & 21, 2017. Be there to bring back all those great memories of Ray Alf, Les Perry, John Pettley, Ramsay Harris, other faculty and of course Pappy and Mrs. Webb and our classmates. Let’s Go Get ’em Gauls!”

Avery McCarthy and his wife Dot enjoyed a visit with Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale in January. - 2 1953 • Scotty Evans, Jack Sutro, Norm Blackburn ’52 and their spouses met in Glen Ellen, CA, at Jack London State Park to enjoy a song and dance performance with a picnic in August. Then in October, they reconnected again at Trione Winery in Sonoma, CA, for a fun day of wine tasting. - 3, 4 1956 • Leslie Epstein and his family were on hand for the exciting game 7 of the World Series. Les’ son Theo is president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. - 5 1958 • Joe Fidanque was recently in Sedona, AZ, with his eldest son Tercero and his family, Sandra, 13, Emily, 21, and Joe, 17. - 6

Chuck and Roni Work enjoyed dinner in Florida with Director of Institutional Advancement Dutch Barhydt and Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale. - 7 1960 • Brien Benson and Fritz Mulhauser had lunch in Washington, DC with Alumni Director Laura Wensley. They reminisced about Webb days and had lots of questions about the current students and faculty. - 8

After serving for an impressive 24 years with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Senior District Judge Ronald Whyte stepped down from his bench and assumed inactive status on November 1, 2016. In his years as a federal district judge, Judge Whyte emerged as a leading expert on patent and technology litigation. He led the development of model jury instructions, innovative patent rules, and model protective orders and lectured on intellectual property litigation nationwide. He previously served as Judge of the Superior Court of the State of California for Santa Clara County and spent 18 years in private practice and three years in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps. 8

1961 • The Class of 1961 returned to campus to celebrate their 55th reunion: Robert Carr (North Carolina), Dick Dunham (New York), Dodd Fischer, Don Girard and Larry Price (Oregon), Court Hazelton (Texas), Roger Millar (Ohio), Chris Reynolds (Colorado), Jim Warjone (Idaho), Bill Wideman (Georgia), and Dean Davidge, John Erving, Dave Fawcett, Sam McClure, and John Wallace (California). Many classmates joined to create the class gift designated to enhance the David D. Fawcett ’61 and Diane C. Wilsdon Scholarship Fund. The endowed fund was established in 2014 upon Dave and Diane’s retirement from Webb to honor their combined 69-plus years of teaching. - 9

Dave Fawcett enjoyed seeing Jennifer Ishiguro ’91 and her daughter Elise at Alumni Weekend in October. - 10

Dodd Fischer received the Colborn Distinguished Service Award during Alumni Weekend. Dodd has had almost every possible affiliation with Webb: alumnus, alumni parent, trustee, reunion chair, class agent, campaign volunteer, consistent donor, and regional host. He has regularly volunteered his services to Webb through his participation with Class of 1961 activities and through his service on the Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2009. He and his wife Nancy have also graciously hosted Webb events in Portland, OR, and in 2005 they established the Dodd Fischer ’61 Endowment Fund to support the operating budget of Webb. Dodd is also a member of the Thompson & Vivian Webb Society which recognizes donors who have made an estate commitment with Webb. - 11

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

A L U M N I P R O F I L E Jim Niss ’61 was preparing to retire from his law career in 2008 when he began volunteering in a New York City public school for adults in Harlem. The school, which accepts students over 21 who have a New York City address, offers six levels of English as a second language (ESL) classes, a full high school curriculum, and a few trade courses. “I volunteer three days a week in three separate classes of level-6 ESL. The students attend three-hour classes five days a week with an ESL teacher, and I come in and take over the class once a week for 80 minutes to work with the students on spoken American English—aural comprehension and pronunciation. Some of the classes have about 25 students, others are smaller. About 40% of the students are French-speaking West Africans, about 40% Spanish speakers (mostly from the Dominican Republic and Mexico, but also Ecuador, Venezuela, Honduras), and 20% from other countries. The education level varies enormously: most have secondary-level education from their own countries, and a few have never been to school at all. I’ve also had some post-graduate students from nearby Columbia University who wanted to improve their English.”

1962 • Save the date! Alumni Weekend is October 20 & 21, 2017. Join your classmates for the 55th reunion.

Chip Greening recently took a motorcycle trip through northwestern Mongolia. The trip began with his arrival in Ulaanbaatar (UB) and subsequent flight to Ulgii, capital of Bayan-Ulgii Aimag (province). The motorcycle trip ended with a return to UB. Mongolia has few two-lane, paved roads. Most travel is over dirt or rocky tracks. There are no road signs outside of UB, and very little of the country is GPS-mapped in detail. Very few people speak English, making communications nearly impossible. Welcome back, Chip!

1963 • Tom Butterworth has shared some wonderful remembrances of Ramsay Harris as part of the Teachers of Webb project sponsored by the Alumni Council. Many classmates contributed to the article. Visit bit.ly/WebbTeachers to read the full write-up.

In recognition of his many years of service to Webb, Peter Ziegler received the Colborn Distinguished Service Award during Alumni Weekend 2016. Throughout the years, his affiliation with Webb has been virtually uninterrupted. He served on the Board of Trustees for more than 20 years, was president of the Alumni Association, chairman of the Alumni Gift Committee for The Campaign for The Webb Schools and helped establish the Class of ’63 Endowed Fund. Peter was a lawyer for 34 years at international law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where he made partner in 1982 and co-partner in 1999. He was in charge of the Los Angeles office before he retired in 2008, and during his time with the firm, handled major corporate clients including Litton, Times Mirror Corporation, Grumman, TRW and the Tribune Company. - 12 1965 • Pat Stroop and his wife Mary spent time traveling the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He also celebrated his youngest son’s wedding on Cape Cod with his three sons and their wives, and five grandsons. - 13

The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes David Wright moved from the Boston area to South Orange, NJ, to live near family members and New York City. He is now reviewing the New York Philharmonic and other concerts for NewYorkClassicalReview.com. 1966 • Eighteen members of the Class of 1966 celebrated their 50th reunion in October. Included were Alumni Council member Doug Gregg and Alf Museum board members David Mirkin and Ron Hagander. Special thanks as well to reunion volunteers Jonathan Wygant and Clag Offutt. - 14 1967 • Save the date for the 50th reunion! Alumni Weekend is October 20 & 21, 2017. Contact Bill Halstead, Fletcher Strickler, or Claire McCloud (Kim) for more details.

In December Jim Wooldridge and Bruce Jaffe reunited in New York for a lunch with Alumni Director Laura Wensley. - 15 1970 • Joe Thomas is enjoying his first year on the Alumni Council. 1971 • It was great to see Peter Piness on campus during Alumni Weekend and again in DC at the Webb15 networking event!

1972 • The Class of 1972 is planning both on- and off-campus events to mark their 45th reunion. Jock Piel is hosting and organizing a weekend of activities in the Sierra Foothills hideaway of Murphys, CA, for the weekend of October 14-15, immediately preceding Alumni Weekend at Webb the weekend of October 20-21. Among those who have already indicated they will attend the Murphys events are Rea Ashley, Bob Morton, David Ditz, Shawn Libaw, Tony Rowland, Bill Chadwick and Garland Reiter. Chadwick and Ditz are firm to attend Alumni Weekend and are reaching out to others to attend. “Looking forward to our first get-together since #40 in 2012 in Bend, OR!”

Richard Downie and David Ditz had lunch in Washington, DC, this summer. David and his wife Gigi were in town to visit their sons Austin and Garland. - 16 1974 • It was nice to see Kyle Spain in September. He was on campus to visit the Alf Museum. - 17

17 12

1976 • The Class of 1976 celebrated their 40th reunion during Alumni Weekend in October. A big thanks to Tom Prendiville for chairing the reunion. “Sheila and I had a great time. Returning to campus after 40 years was surreal. The campus looked better than ever and it was a lovely day. It was fun to dine with headmaster Stockdale and his wife and reconnect with Paul Armstrong and Chris Kneib. We hope to see other 1976 alums at a future reunion.” - 18 1977 • We invite the Class of ’77 back to campus for the 40th reunion! Mark your calendars for Alumni Weekend, October 20 & 21, 2017. If you are interested in helping with the reunion, please contact the Alumni Office at alumni@webb.org. - 19 1978 • It was great to see David Sanger in Austin, TX. He enjoyed dinner with Webb staffers Rose Gonzalez and Bob Fass, and VWS alumnae Nida Krailas ’94. David is the drummer for Asleep at the Wheel, a Grammy-award winning western swing band based out of Austin. When David isn’t touring, he’s loving life with his two daughters, Willow 5 and Lisel 8, and his wife, Elizabeth. - 20 1979 • Kaz Hori is the CEO of two music companies: Taiyo Music in Tokyo, Japan and HoriPro Entertainment Group in Nashville, TN. Kaz works with various artists including KISS, REO Speedwagon, George Strait, Stevie Wonder, and Steve Vai. His son, Akira, is now a freshman at Webb and enjoying his new life on campus. - 21

Eric Pauwels honored his parents during Alumni Weekend with the announcement of the Jacques and Mimi Pauwels Fund for Excellence in World Languages and Culture. This fund will sponsor an annual award to a faculty member and/or student to pursue the study of world languages and cultures. Brother Michael, family members and classmates attended the ceremony, including Larry Recht, Ed Nachtrieb, Grant Cramer, Blair Brown and Jonathan Bunis. - 22 1981 • It was great to see members of the Class of 1981 on campus for the 35th reunion: Christopher Brown, Mark Cherry, Jon Congdon, John Duden, Russell Latimer, Walt Linaweaver, Tim Masterson and Michael Turner. A big thanks to John and Michael for co-chairing. - 23

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

Jon Congdon received the Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award during Alumni Weekend in recognition of his outstanding professional accomplishments and contributions to the community. Jon’s company Beachbody LLC reached over $1 billion in sales in 2014. Jon recognized teachers like Hank Sharp for being important influences on his life. - 24 1982 • Class of 1982! Save the date for the 35th reunion during Alumni Weekend 2017, October 20 & 21. Contact Jason Keyes or Robbie Warner for more details! 1983 • Anthony Villalobos visited Michael McDermott in Bejing. Anthony is a criminal court judge in Riverside, CA. Michael’s daughter Allegra is now finishing her junior year at Webb. - 25

Ed Ratinoff, Roland Reynolds and Rob Seltzer ’80 attended the Jonathan Club event. Ed’s son Josh will graduate from WSC in June. - 26 After 8 years at Baird, Anthony Siu has started a new career at BDA Partners, an investment banking firm that advises on international mergers and acquisitions, private placements, capital raisings, valuations, distressed situations and financial restructurings. Anthony’s sector coverage includes advanced industrial manufacturing, consumer products, consumer retail, healthcare, TMT and business services in Greater China. 1985 • Mark Lee and his wife Sharon Johnston have been named artistic directors for the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB), taking place at the historic Chicago Cultural Center from September 16 through December 31, 2017. CAB is a platform for groundbreaking architectural designs, projects, and experiments that show how we can transform our experience with innovation and creativity. - 27

We enjoyed visiting David Shernoff at Rutgers University, where he’s an associate professor and the director of the Center for Mathematics, Science and Computer Education. David co-authored the book FLOW, with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who is the Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Management at Claremont Graduate University. David and his family are enjoying life in New Jersey. He frequently returns to Claremont to visit with family. - 28

59 27

1986 • The Class of 1986 celebrated its 30th reunion during Alumni Weekend with 42 members. This is a new attendance record for a 30th reunion! Classmates flew in from 4 countries (Chan Woo Sung and Chris Kimm from Korea, Jerry Chang from Canada, Tom Monroe from Switzerland, and Eric Rubin from Spain), and 11 states! A big thanks to the reunion committee: Norm Carnick, Coleen Martinez, Faye Karnavy Sahai, Dawn Fortis-Lawless, Simon Jones, Charles Keagle, Jan Mitchell and Min Yoo for organizing the reunion activities. - 29, 30

Burke Moeller is the owner of BRC Media, a media production company in the Washington, DC area. His clients include The McLaughlin Group and Soul of the South. He was one of the industry mentors at the Webb15 networking event in DC. - 31 In January, Tom Monroe, CEO and co-founder of Vaxxilon, spoke to students about his work with vaccine technologies. His talk “Synthesizing Sugars to Stop Killer Bacteria” discussed the ways that we use our knowledge of anatomy, biology, and chemistry to create new vaccines. Faculty member Sally Mingarelli said that his presentation was very well received by the students. “Afterwards in my Organic Chemistry class, we spent almost 30 minutes discussing the chemistry component of the talk, reviewing both the technical details and the fascinating reality surrounding the timeline for development of organic synthetic pathways. Students were fascinated by the idea that what took six post-docs 18 months to achieve is now done on a much larger scale by two chemists in eight weeks. It was an excellent conversation that we would not have had if they hadn’t been at Tom’s talk.” - 32

1987 • Time flies when we’re all having fun! It is time once again for the Mighty WSC and VWS Class of 1987 to gather for our 30th reunion this year! Please hold, block, and make travel plans for the October 20-21 weekend now. If you think reconnecting on Facebook and seeing pictures of everyone’s families has been fun, just wait for the in-person hugs and stories over food and drink! We can’t wait to see you all on campus!

The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes Tanya Newkirk is still living in Jackson, MS, with her 12 1/2 year-old son, Liam. “I’m in my 15th year as an administrator at Millsaps, an excellent small, liberal arts college in Jackson. For the past eight-plus years, I’ve served as the main study abroad advisor in the Office of International Education. It’s very fulfilling to send our undergrads out into the world and see the growth and mind-opening change that ensues! My entire family still resides in Southern California and my dearest friends (all made during those pivotal years at VWS!) are there, too, so I try to get “home” every chance I get. Best wishes to all from hot and steamy summertime in Mississippi!” 1988 • Claudia Hackethal and Deven Desai ’89 gave chapel talks at Sunday chapel in September. Claudia’s daugthter, Izzy, a VWS junior, introduced the two speakers - 33

Robert Lee and Clay Pierce ’86 were industry mentors at the Webb15 holiday networking mixer in NYC. Pictured with Christie Chang ’15 (NYU Tisch School of the Arts) and Charlotte Pu ’15 (Columbia). - 34 1989 • It was nice to see Alex Hsu on campus in November. He lives in Taipei, running the family’s textile business. His children attend Taipei American School, where he is on the Board. He enjoyed catching up with Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale, who was his economics teacher at Webb. - 35

Congratulations to Lisa Miller who was promoted to the position of national director of marketing, foundation & institutional advisors at Northern Trust. “I develop and implement the marketing strategy across the country for the company’s foundation and institutional advisors practice. Our division manages assets for foundations, endowments and nonprofits with $10 million and up of investable assets.” - 36

After over 10 years with the Disney Company, Andy Wu is now director of finance at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Andy met up with Ada Li, Timothy Sun and Bob Fass at the Webb event in Hong Kong. - 37 1990 • Last summer Michelle Markel backpacked around South America. One of the highlights of her trip was singing with a band of itinerant Columbian blues and rock musicians in Vilcabamba, Ecuador!

1991 • Class of 1991 celebrated their 25th reunion in October. It was great to see Jason Blackwell, Heather Shaina Colover, Sameer Dholakia, Michi Fu, Jennifer Ishiguro, Raymond Lee, Alix Rosenthal, Laura (Benson) Vandenghe and Jeff Weber. A big thanks to the reunion committee of Jason, Sameer and Laura. - 38, 39 1992 • Class of 1992! Mark your calendars for the 25th reunion taking place on October 20 & 21, 2017. If anyone is interested in helping with the reunion, please contact Naveen Jeereddi, Naren Desai, Tia (Christiana) Rajasingham and Jennifer Wong Gatewood.

Farhad Sarmadi and his wife Anna visited campus recently. They were married in Latvia in August. Farhad is a general contractor working on projects in Los Angeles. - 40 1993 • Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong and Ginny Kim were mentors at the Webb15 Networking Mixer in LA in August. Maame is an LA County Superior Court Judge and Ginny is VP of corporate integrity and compliance at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. - 41 1994 • We had a nice turnout from Class of ’94 at the Silicon Valley event in October. Attendees included: Will Bradshaw, Rodney Jones and Joyce Song with her brother James Song ’95, Adam Hershman ’96 and event host Sameer Dholakia ’91. - 42

Amanda Gresham (Hammerman) has founded a branch of a unique music program, United by Music North America. The program is for exceptionally musical people with developmental challenges, such as autism. Amanda and the talented artists and mentors of United by Music North America recently completed a 10-day performance experience in The Netherlands where they joined with other United by Music artists from The Netherlands, Norway and Denmark to play in six sold out concerts! Visit www.ubmna.org.

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

GO GAULS!

News on the Class of 2016 College Athletes!

David Albers is a member of the UC San Diego men’s water polo team, serving as a utility player. “We’re quickly moving on in our official transition from Division 2 to Division 1, and we finished the season ranked in the top ten of Division 1. Also I just declared an international business major.” - 1 Hailey Arteaga received a softball scholarship to attend Seton Hall University in New Jersey, a Division 1 school competing in the Big East Conference. “A normal day consists of waking up at 5 or 6 a.m. to practice or lift weights, going to class, practicing or lifting (again), and finally, doing homework. This has been a constant routine to prepare for our season. Now that we’re in season, our team will travel around the country to compete against some of the best teams and I am excited to have the opportunity to earn a spot in the outfield. Webb has definitely prepared me for the rigor of my college classes and the ability to balance a busy schedule. Go Pirates!” - 2 Barrett Fischer is a center midfielder for the Pomona-Pitzer men’s soccer team, which finished their season with an 8-6-2 record in conference play. - 3 Ray Dahlstrom is rowing with the Cal Bears, the current Pac 12 and National Champions. The full race season began in April, but last fall, Ray made the Freshman 8 that won the Princeton Chase, beating the Ivies. He is enjoying Cal classes too, majoring in molecular biology in the College of Natural Resources. - 4 McKenna Lamb is a midfielder/forward for the Mount Holyoke soccer team. She scored a hat trick in the season opener and three more before the end of the season. McKenna is majoring in pre-med and bio-chemistry. - 5 Keely Marquez is playing softball for Emerson College. “I have 6 am practices four days out of the week and we usually go to the gym the other three days. Emerson softball has one of the highest GPAs out of Division III softball. I balance all of this with my six course class schedule and the productions I am working as an assistant scenic designer for the theatre program here. Being a college

Shey Newton redshirted his freshman season with the University of San Diego football team. “2016 was great! We finished the year 10-2, which included an undefeated 8-0 season. In the first round of playoffs, we competed at Cal Poly, finishing the night with a 35-21 win over the Mustangs. We then traveled to North Dakota to compete against the #1 ranked and five-time consecutive champs NDSU Bisons, where our season came to an end. I think there is a lot to say about student-athletes. We are full time studentathletes with 12+ hour days. When others are napping, we are icing our bodies or stretching. But I love it because in the end, I’m going to leave with a great experience and, better yet, a great education! - 7 Matthew Paik is a member of the Pomona-Pitzer men’s basketball team, which competes in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Matthew is studying computer science and economics at Pomona College. - 8 Richard Parnell is swimming for Chapman University, competing in the 100 free, 100 fly, and 200 free this year. He’s studying film and English, double majoring in Creative Producing and English. - 9 Ryan Whithorn is redshirting this year with the Concordia University baseball team. “Practices and training are like no other. I am playing shortstop and preparing for the 2018 spring season. I take my classes early in the morning after we lift in the weight room, and I’m done with classes by 10 a.m. every day. After lunch, I get to the field around 12 and don’t leave until 6 p.m. on average. We are the only Division 2 school in Orange County, so a lot of MLB players (who are alumni) come back and bring their teammates. Yesterday we had six pros come out and practice with us! It’s a lot of fun, being around these types of players. I am enrolled in the school of business and focusing on sports management.” - 10

athlete has proven to be very challenging, but at the end of the day I wouldn’t trade it for the world! - 6

For more news, search the website for “Alumni Athletes in College.” If you have college athletic news to share, email us at alumni@webb.org The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes In February, Nida Krailas joined David Sanger ’78, Rose Gonzalez and Bob Fass for dinner in Austin, TX. Nida enjoys being a stay-at-home mom to her son four, and daughter seven, and rock climbing in her free time. She lives in Austin with her husband Hailuat and two children. Joyce Song is the deputy director at Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, CA. She came to campus last year with her husband Alex Key and their two children Ruby three, and Johanna six. 1995 • Ingela Amundson (Ratledge) was an industry mentor at the Webb15 holiday mixer in NYC. Ingela is writing for national print and online publications such as Cosmopolitan, Parents, Real Simple, and TV Guide. She specializes in lifestyle content, including celebrity profiles, entertainment reporting, and stories about fashion, beauty, relationships, parenting, women’s health, pop culture, food and travel. She’s also appeared on camera to provide commentary for Access Hollywood, Today, Weekend Today, Nightline and other programs. 1996 • Joe Adler and his wife, Carrie Black Adler, welcomed a little sister for their son, Ben. Penelope Autumn Adler was born on October 13, 2016, weighing 6 lbs. 10 oz. - 43

Sarah White Mollenkopf and her husband, Jack, welcomed Owen John on January 6, 2017. Owen was 8 lbs. 7 oz. and 22 inches long, and joins big brother Grayson, 3. - 44

What a memorable time for the Class of 1996’s 20th reunion! Not only did the families and kids have fun on campus, but they were able to celebrate Don Lofgren’s 25 year anniversary. Many thanks to our terrific reunion chairs: Monica Atiyeh Whitaker, Brian Zipser, Mary Hsieh Valencia, Stephanie Baron, Megan Tracy Benson, Jason Pasley, and Mahta Shafieha! We’re looking forward to the 25th in 2021. - 45 Jason Pasley was in a recent Baltimore Sun article that discussed the harsh realities of gun violence. Jason, who was previously the lead trauma surgeon and a major in the U.S. Air Force at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, is now at the Maryland Trauma Center. In his interview, Jason talked about the daily lessons learned from the battlefield and the importance of teaching hemostasis to first responders. - 46 1997 • Class of 1997! Save the date for your 20th reunion at Alumni Weekend 2017, October 20 & 21. Anyone interested in helping with the reunion should contact reunion chairs: Namath Hussain, Paul Matson, and Lisa Shonnard Sipprell.

Namath Hussain played in our 3rd annual Alumni versus Students basketball game in January. Namath is a neurosurgeon at Loma Linda University Medical Center. - 47 1998 • Alex Bell enjoyed dinner in NY with College Guidance Director Hector Martinez. Alex lives in NY with his wife Ju-Lie and their three children. - 48

David Wang and Keating Leung visited campus in January. It was David’s first time back in over 10 years. He is an electrical engineer at Northrop Grumman, and lives in San Diego with his wife. Keating was in town for the CES convention in Las Vegas. He is serving his 4th year on the Alumni Council as a co-regional rep in Hong Kong. - 49 1999 • Sonal Sura Girgis was an industry mentor at the Webb15 holiday mixer in NYC. She’s the director of radiation oncology at Mount Sinai’s Elmhurst Medical Center. She’s also finishing up an executive MBA at NYU’s Stern School of Business. 2000 • Sumit Rana and his wife Kessee welcomed daughter Kenzie Elizabeth Rana on December 20, 2016. - 50 2001 • Michi Abe has lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for the last nine years, most recently engaged in entrepreneurship. He has formed a company in the field of nutrition and health.

Congratulations to Matt Lauria and his wife Ashley, who welcomed baby boy Brooks Wellington Lauria on December 27, 2016. - 51 In December Elissa Seto enjoyed catching up with College Guidance Director Hector Martinez at the Webb15 event in NY. Elissa is the senior manager of marketing and sales at eScholar. She lives in NY with her husband Tom Flynn. - 52

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

2002 • That’s right, ’02! Save the date for our 15th reunion on October 20 & 21, 2017. Catch up with Duque, Valera and Caldwell, and hear all the real-life updates we’re NOT sharing on Facebook. We’ll host a happy hour event Friday night in the Village and we’ll be on campus all day Saturday.

It was good to see Jonathan Lau and Ben Chen at the Hong Kong event in November. - 53 On August 10 at 6:29 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Nadia Del Grande (Gomez) welcomed twin baby girls Sofia (4 lbs. 14 oz.) and Olivia (6 lbs. 13 oz.). “Our world is forever changed and we love them so much!” - 54

It was great to see Sara Lo, Harason Horowitz, Neil Patel, Kathy Frederich and her husband Chris, and Jessica Franks ’04 at the holiday party at the Jonathan Club event. - 55 Nkonye Okoh is an executive director at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and she is recently engaged. - 56 2003 • After six years with Slate PR, Alex Schack has been promoted to vice president. She has worked extensively with a client roster that includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Nicola Peltz, Joey King, Isla Fisher, Nicolas Cage, Deepika Padukone and Phoebe Tonkin among others. Alex spoke at Sophomore Career Evening last year, telling students about her career in the entertainment PR field. - 57

Jayson Sohi and his wife Cecilia welcomed a baby girl, Olivia Ynes Sohi, born May 8, 2016. - 58 At the Peccary Dinner in October, Doc Lofgren was thrilled to see former students Rob Zondervan, Andrew Raser ’01, Whitney Hanlon ’04, Thea Hinkle ’05, Mimi Issa ’05, Harason Horowitz ’02, and Jessica Franks ’04. Andrew and Rob traveled across the country to help celebrate Doc’s 25th anniversary at Webb and the 80th anniversary of the original peccary discovery. - 59 2004 • Adriana Alejandro Coe and her husband Kevin welcomed daughter Athena on November 29, 2016. - 60

63 57

Loren Horowitz and his wife Laura welcomed daughter Hadley Elizabeth Horowitz on April 13, 2016. - 61 Pilar Mitchell married Christopher Campbell on October 14, 2016, at the Vellano Country Club in Chino Hills. “I was lucky to be surrounded by many friends and family, among them my Webb family. It was perfect. Chris and I now live in Fresno, CA, where I am the managing attorney for a law firm. I have to thank Webb for all of the opportunities it gave me. I would not be where I am today without the school and all of the experiences, friends and connections I made there.” - 62 In the fall, Sarah Mojarad will join the faculty at USC to teach a new course on social media and digital communications. 2005 • In September 2016, Matt Burris assumed the position of company commander of U.S. Army Reserves headquarters company in Southern California that coordinates preparedness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear detection and treatment. After six years in the U.S. Army Reserves, he was offered the highest position at the company level to plan, train, and prepare soldiers for what may lie ahead. “As a reserve company commander you take on a full-time role for a part-time job while trying to balance your normal life and full-time civilian career. I knew that this new role would require additional energy, timemanagement, and coordination beyond what I was used to. This new role has truly been a great opportunity for me to work on building my capabilities.” - 63

Rebecca Hsia is a captain in the U.S. Army and is currently commander of the 571st Military Police Company. She is stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Tacoma, WA.

The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes Sara Slatkin (Cohen) is in the Stanford Internal Medicine Residency Training Program. She’s been conducting an independent research project at the Sean N. Parker Center for Asthma and Allergy Research. We enjoyed seeing her at the Silicon Valley alumni event, along with Akua McLeod ’16 (Stanford University) and Jack Wiese ’06. - 64 Rachel Welsh (McReynolds) is spending the 2016-17 academic year researching municipal and ecclesiastical archives in Madrid and other small towns in central Spain. She is researching medieval manuscripts, handwritten on parchment over 700 years ago, and examining the use of the body as legal proof in medieval Iberia between 1050 and 1300. She is also investigating medieval medical, theological, philosophical, and legal understandings of the body. - 65

2006 • The Class of 2006 celebrated their 10-year reunion in October with 23 members of the class attending. Many thanks to the reunion committee: Timothy Tzeng, Jack Wiese, Sarah Lewis, Heidi Marti, Thomas Yu, and Jordi Baron. - 66, 67

Nick Vechik is working at The Phelps School, a boarding school in Pennsylvania. He is a physics teacher and also coaches cross country and track. Last fall he won the PAISAA cross country coach of the year. Nick’s sister Sarah Garcia joined Webb’s admission office in July as assistant director of admission. - 68

Jack Wiese recieved the Young Alumni Rising Star Award at Alumni Weekend in October. Jack is a client solutions manager for Facebook. He liaises with small and large companies to help them reach their target audiences for advertisements on Facebook and Instagram; his responsibilities encompass market research, data analytics and creative. His enthusiasm for Webb is boundless. In addition to his work as class agent for the past five years, Jack served as co-chair for the class of 2006’s 10th reunion and also spoke at Sophomore Career Evening in 2014. - 69

2007 • Save the date for the 10th reunion, October 20 & 21, 2017. If you are interested in getting involved with your reunion, please contact Jessica Dholakia.

It was a mini reunion in NY for Deboki Chakravarti, Riley Lewis and Samina Lutfeali. - 70 Congratulations to Aviana Gracial who married John D’Souza in August 2016. They had two ceremonies - one in Mangalore, India, and one in Pasadena, CA. Her maid of honor was her sister Lisette Gracial ’09 and her bridesmaids included Hitomi Asano, Joia Adams, and Ashley Talleur. - 71 Congratulations to Ryan Harbison who married Sarah Bantz on June 25 at Georgetown University. Webbie classmates in attendance were Riley Lewis, Raahi Seth, Alyssa Sittig, Lilly Amirhekmat, and Deboki Chakravarti. - 72 Steve Kim and James Kim visited campus in September. They both live in Korea. Steve is married and works for Samsung in sales and marketing. James is finishing his master’s degree in engineering. - 73 2008 • Gina Charusombat started her masters of public policy at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Alice Jiang is a program manager of sales systems and tools at Twitter. 2009 • Alya Ahmad started medical school this fall at Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Doug Hernandez sends greetings to all from Madison, Wisconsin! Doug is a server systems engineer at Epic where he helps design, optimize, and stabilize the databases that Epic’s customers rely on. Epic is an electronic healthcare record software company that currently serves over 190 million patients. Prab Marwah is the social media specialist at Omaze, an online charitable giving platform that democratizes traditional auction-giving by offering everyone the chance to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences for a small donation. As the social media specialist, Prab works to craft and execute marketing strategies on behalf of the influencers, celebrities, and charities Omaze collaborates with. “Overall, it’s great to work at this intersection of entertainment and social impact; it allows me to pursue multiple passions while raising money for incredible causes that need funding. It feels good to leave the office every night knowing that we make a difference.”

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

A L U M N I P R O F I L E Mallory Thompson ’13 spent her summer in Boston as a student intern at Shriners Hospital for Children and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. At Shriners, Mallory was an operating room family liaison, which involved updating patients’ family members while they were undergoing surgery. As a pre-med student, Mallory took advantage of the opportunities to observe and talk with doctors and nurses by asking questions regarding various cases. Shriners is a non-profit organization and most of the patients come from outside the U.S., brought to the hospital via outreach programs for treatment. For these patients, the doctors are not only concerned about their medical treatment while at the hospital, but also what will happen to them once they complete their surgical treatment. This experience peaked Mallory’s interest in public health, a subject she hopes to learn more about while in school. At Beth Israel, Mallory was an intern in the cardiac stress testing lab. Her internship involved prepping patients and interpreting exercise or pharmacological tests to then be sent back to the patient’s doctor. She helped monitor the EKG system during the test and was trained to recognize any abnormalities that could occur during the test. She also compiled patient histories before the test, which consisted of looking into the patient’s medical record and noting anything of importance that the physiologist might want to know before performing the test. Her internship at Beth Israel was extremely eye-opening for Mallory thanks to her supervisor, who was incredibly invested in the teaching process, having weekly lunches with the interns and testing them on unique cases he had seen. In addition to her two internships last summer, Mallory also took summer classes at Boston University where she is currently in her senior year. She is very excited to see what the future brings!

Bryan Yokote married Megan Milne on October 22, 2016, in the Chicago area. Alumni in attendance were Kevin Sack, Kyle Jung, Andrew Standley, Matthew Huber, Doug Hernandez, Sabrina Nobile, and Ian Cave. - 74 2010 • Brent Silver, Matt Abrams, Katherine Kilmer, and Lucy Herrero celebrated the holiday season with Webb at the Jonathan Club in December. - 75 2011 • The Class of 2011 enjoyed catching up at their 5-year reunion in October. Over 30 members of the class reconnected at Walter’s Restaurant on Friday night and on campus on Saturday. Thank you to the reunion committee: Ben Davis, Kelly Dualan, Emily Kan, Dakota Santana-Grace, Rachael Schiffris, and Brittany Lamon-Paredes for chairing such a great event! - 76, 77

Madison Fuelling is living in Milwaukee, WI. She is working as a project coordinator for a website development company operating in the healthcare industry. Christina Lee is in her second semester at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education working on her masters in education in prevention sciences and practice with a specialization in adolescent counseling. - 78 2012 • Class of 2012! Save the date for the five-year reunion at Alumni Weekend, October 20 & 21, 2017. Join your classmates in reconnecting during the fun-filled weekend! Contact Ben Geleris, Abby Hess, Megan Kilmer, Sam Woodward, Henry Xu and Seraphina Oney for more information.

Since graduating from Boston University, Sidney Leung has returned to Hong Kong where he’s working at an environmental consultancy firm called Ramboll Environ. Alison Wang is a training associate at Massachusetts General Hospital. Alison was a Webb@Work intern with Kip Konwiser ’81 a few years ago. The internship included assisting with research and logistics related to upcoming documentaries, contacting companies, non-profit organizations and universities to advance the filmmakers’ interests, and helping with casting and recruitment. A big thanks to Kip who served as a reference for her new position. “Kip’s reference was definitely a huge help and my team was so interested in hearing what I worked on with him during the interview process.”

The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

NewsNotes Rachel Zheng is a curatorial fellow at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art. Rachel, a former Peccary Scholar, enjoyed catching up with Museum Director Don Lofgren at the annual Young Alumni Holiday Party. - 79 2013 • Kabir Mohideen is majoring in physics and minoring in economics at Emory University. After he graduates, he’ll head to Chicago to work for Capco, a management consulting firm.

Terence Tien and three teammates from UC San Diego competed in the 2017 Walt Disney Imagineering Imaginations Design Competition. They designed Pacific Trove, a place at UC San Diego where slides twist and turn around Torrey Pine trees and suspension bridges tower over waterfalls. It includes Garibaldi Grotto and New Moon Beach where guests can find peace around aquariums or socialize near fire pits. Their team was one of just six finalists selected from a pool of more than 300 that entered the competition, which challenges students to apply the same design principles used in creating Disney’s theme parks to develop new outdoor spaces at their own college. Photo credit: Gary Krueger @Disney Photo. - 80

2015 • Thanks to our young alumni panel who spoke at the January Affiliates meeting: Adrian Hui (Pomona College), Erik Chu (Pomona College), Melissa Wellman ’14 (Chapman University), Taylor Leonard (University of San Diego), Will Martinez ’16 (Georgetown University), Tristan Duque ’14 (University of Puget Sound), and Tiffany Kim ’16 (Claremont McKenna College). - 81

Amy Jin tapped into Webb’s LinkedIn network this summer to connect with Faisal Yaqub ’07 in San Francisco. He’s an iOS engineer at the tech start-up Slack. It’s always great to see the Webb network in action! - 82

Morgan McClure interned at FOX Sports at USC this past summer. “This is my third time working with them and each time it’s an awesome experience.” She is choosing between a major in business administration or communications while in her sophomore year at USC. 2016 • At Northwestern University’s Tech Expo, in conjuction with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, freshman Richard Chen, along with his teammates, won the best design award after building a medical prototype for use by partially-paralyzed stroke survivors. Richard’s team’s device enables patients to independently access and apply mobility support without the aid of healthcare personnel. His first-place prototype design consisted of a five-inch portable hands-free nylon strap that attaches to an ankle-foot orthotic via rivets, enabling patients to put on their shoes hands-free.

FO RM E R FAC U LT Y, STA F F & F R I E N D S

Eric Forsbergh, a graduate of The Webb School in Bell Buckle, TN, works with Lisa Ivey, wife of David Ivey Soto ’82. Eric and his wife Yvonne joined California Webbies at our DC holiday event. - 83 Blair Maffris was at Alumni Weekend with his son Christopher ’96, who celebrated his 20th reunion. Blair is keeping busy. He’s working on a number of commissions for projects in Los Angeles, consulting on developing studio art spaces, and teaching an Intro to Fine Arts class at Rio Hondo College. - 84 Scott Mattoon is the General Studies Principal of the Upper and Middle Schools at Maimonides School in Brookline, MA.

Dan and Judy White shared some favorite moments from their time at Webb. For Dan, it was hiking out of the Grand Canyon with the Class of 1985. And for Judy, it was teaching great kids from around the world after helping to admit them to Webb.

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

2017 A hearty congratulations to the Class of 1989 and a big thank you to all alumni who participated in the tournament.

The Webb Fund March Madness tournament raises awareness about The Webb Fund, our annual giving campaign that provides institutional support and enhanced opportunities for current students on campus. Through class solidarity, alumni classes challenge one another to earn the most number of points by making gifts to The Webb Fund. Emphasizing the importance of alumni giving, The Webb Fund’s role on our budget is powerful and enables the flexibility to meet emerging needs throughout the school year.

Webb in Scottsdale, AZ

Webb in San Diego, CA

Webb in Denver, CO

This year’s March Madness Champions are the Class of 1989, who embody Webb’s strong tradition of alumni giving. The tournament ran March 1 through April 14, and included events in Scottsdale, Denver, Los Angeles and San Diego. Alumni Council members, class agents, and event participants contacted classmates, shared social media posts, and reached out to show their Webb pride while earning points for their class. The Class of 1961 was a strong contender until the very last week of the tournament, when 1989’s participation and playoff round double-points takeover ensured the win. Classes of 2006, 2012, 2009, 2004, 1970, 1986, 1987, 1963 and 2003 rounded out the top ten. One hundred forty alumni participated, making over 200 gifts totaling nearly $92,000!

Missed the Madness? There’s still time to make a Webb Fund gift that’s meaningful to you before the June 30 deadline. Please visit webb.org/giving today.

Webb in Los Angeles, CA

The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

In Memoriam

Steven J.B. Hanley passed away on December 24, 2015. Steve taught English at Webb from 1961 through 1969, while enthusiastically coaching the swim team and Webb’s first soccer team. Steve is predeceased by his wife Geri, and is survived by his former wife Jean and his six children, including his two eldest, Alison and James, who grew up at Webb.

and friendship of the faculty and students.” Ronald earned degrees from Princeton and Columbia, becoming a nephrologist and settling at University of California, Irvine, where he founded and directed the Program in Medical Ethics, receiving tenure in 1972. He taught residents and medical and undergraduate students, authored over 100 publications on end-of-life care and presented over 300 invited lectures.

1945 William “Bill” H. David died on December 19, 2016. He entered Webb at age 12 and graduated at age 16. While at Webb, Bill helped Thompson Webb build the Vivian Webb Chapel by making adobe bricks. He was also a member of the Rifle Club. After Webb, Bill attended Stanford University. He was a founding partner of Ark Asset Management Company and a member of a team responsible for managing $20 billion of institutional assets before being appointed director of research. He is survived by his wife, Judith Miles, his brother, John David, his daughter and her husband, and his two grandchildren.

1952 Jack Wertheim died at his home on Christmas morning in 2016 after an extended illness. At Webb, Jack was captain of the football team and credited Les Perry with the invaluable mindset of never refraining from challenging one’s self. Jack later graduated from Harvard College and became a securities trader for Goldman Sachs. He is survived by his wife Jill, daughters Alison and Sarah, son Mark, grandchildren, and brother Arthur Wertheim ’53.

1947 Carl A. Hirsch, M.D. passed away in 2016. At Webb, his exceptional piano skills, strong interest in science, membership in the Chess Club and Lincoln Debating Society propelled him to become class valedictorian. After Webb, he attended California Institute of Technology. He graduated in 1951 during the Korean War and enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving as a weather observer. Upon completion of medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, Carl became a clinical pathologist and researcher at New England Medical Center and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. He retired in 2002 to spend more time on the Maine coast with his wife Rita, and their children and grandchildren. 1950 Jefferson Alison III passed away in 2016. Jeff earned varsity letters in baseball, basketball and football, and was the co-captain of the WSC football team. He was in the Drama Club, a life member of California Scholarship Federation, and editor of the Blue & Gold. Jeff ater graduated from Princeton University before beginning his career as a commercial real estate broker. Throughout his life, Jeff enjoyed being a member of the Rotary Club of Coronado, CA. Ronald B. Miller, M.D. died on March 9, 2016, at his home in Irvine, CA, after a short illness. Thompson Webb described Ronald as “instinctively a gentleman, meriting the respect

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

1954 Gregor B. McCurdy passed away on September 19, 2016. At Webb, Greg utilized his skills as a photographer for both El Espejo and the Blue & Gold, and was a member of the Camera Club. He played guard for the varsity football team, and played the saxophone and the piano. A Stanford University graduate, Greg obtained his law degree from Santa Clara University and went on to work for the FCC before opening his own law practice. Greg is survived by his wife Betty, and their two children. 1958 Jack H. Halgren passed away on April 10, 2016, at home in the company of his family. Jack was a photographer for El Espejo, served on the Honor Committee, the dance and movie committees, and sang in the choir. Thompson Webb commented he was “outstanding and entirely reliable in every way.” Jack graduated from Wesleyan University and then Stanford Law School, teaching law at UCLA before becoming partner at a law firm. ack is survived by his wife Ferne, son Justin, daughter Jessica and stepson Matthew West ’91. 1960 Mahlon E. Arnett II passed away on October 16, 2016. At Webb, Mahlon was a member of the Camera and Drama clubs, played soccer and lacrosse, and threw shot put for track and fi ld. He later graduated from the University of Virginia to teach journalism, career investigation, and banking. He and his wife purchased a 1912 farm house in Hutto, TX,

A celebration of life

where they lived on a 30-acre farm. Mahlon enjoyed collecting pieces by Millard Sheets, who designed the Alf Museum and the mosaic peccary that greets visitors at the museum’s entryway. He is survived by his wife Roberta, sons Bert and Tres, and brother Jeff Arne t ’43. 1963 James O. Gross died on August 12, 2016, after a valiant battle with cancer. At Webb, Jim played soccer and lacrosse, and was known by the soccer coach as having “the temperament of a wasp.” He graduated from California State Fullerton and began his aviation career, becoming one of only a few pilots licensed by the FAA to fly any type of aircraft, be it singleand twin-engined, private or military fighter jets, jumbo jets, seaplanes, gliders, helicopters, blimps, or hot-air balloons. Jim broke many commercial aircraft speeding records and was an FAA gold seal fl ght instructor for over 40 years, making more than 10,000 touch-and-go’s at John Wayne airport. After retiring as a captain from American Airlines, he continued as a fl ght instructor and NASA consultant. He is survived by his wife, Donnita. 1964 Peter Becker passed away on August 1, 2016. Peter was on Webb’s Track B Team and a contributor to the literary magazine, Sage. He finished his schooling at La Jolla Country Day School before earning his bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Barbara, and his master’s degree in architecture at the University of Colorado. Peter was an architect in Los Angeles working for many notable architects of the time. He co-authored three books on architecture with Charles Moore including The City Observed: Los Angeles, before moving on to work with Frank Gehry and Michael Lehrer. He later established his own architecture firm, hich along with his home, are located in the last remaining complete building of the Flying A Movie Studio. Built in 1913, it is now a City Historic Landmark. He is survived by his wife, Julie. 1965 David P. Speyer passed away on August 14, 2016, at his apple orchard in Oak Glen, CA. At Webb, he enjoyed playing soccer and baseball, contributed to Blue & Gold, and sang in the school choir. After graduating from University of California, Santa Barbara, he became a CPA, a profession from which he retired. Later in life, David shared his time with his friends sailing off the coast of California. He is survived by his companion Lynn Ivey, and brother Pieter Speyer ’60.

1966 We recently learned that David L. Sterling passed away on May 4, 2012. 1974 Guy G. Earl passed away on July 13, 2015. While at Webb he was a member of the basketball team. After graduating from University of the Pacific, he orked as a home design consultant, and fi ished his career in insurance sales. He is survived by his wife, daughter and granddaughter. 1984 Thomas E. Kendall died on June 24, 2016 after battling cancer. At Webb, Tom was a member of the water polo and swim teams, a KWEB DJ, and a member of Block W. He received his bachelor’s degree from Pomona College before earning his law degree from Santa Clara University. Tom was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and reached the rank of captain before being honorably discharged in 1999. In 1994, Tom opened his own legal practice as the sole practitioner, with his sister Kristine as the paralegal. He spent the next 20 years working as an attorney, specializing in family law. Tom was a dedicated alumnus. He spoke at Sophomore Career Evening in 2014 and chaired his 20- and 30-year reunions. Never one to pass up an opportunity to get in the pool, Tom played in countless alumni water polo matches during Alumni Weekend. He is survived by his wife, Cathy.

2012 Adam A. Cave passed away after a traffic cident on the evening of December 6, 2016. While at Webb, Adam played on the JV basketball team, helped found and later became captain of the boys’ volleyball team, took up golf, and worked in summer sports camps. He participated in five theater productions and was the driving force of the Improv Club. He was ASB Vice President his junior year and ASB President his senior year. After Webb, Adam attended Pitzer College where he was an assistant coach for the Pomona-Pitzer Men’s Basketball team before graduating with a degree in media studies. He worked as an intern with the Los Angeles Clippers in their data analytics department, for the Los Angeles Sparks in their Public Relations Department, and moved on to land his dream job as the video coordinator for the Los Angeles Lakers’ Development League team, the D-Fenders. Adam is survived by his brother Ian ’09, and his parents Bob and Susie Cave.

The Webb Schools • WEBB.ORG

Final Word By Gabe Romero ’08

Playing Every Shot

was recently on an orientation fl ght around Fairbanks, Alaska— mostly off the controls and navigating by landmarks. It was a rare, relatively stress-free fl ght for a young military aviator like myself and I was enjoying it. As the fl ght was ending and my co-pilot turned to make our fi al approach, I gazed down and located the giant house below that I had been using for months as a reference point. As I was looking at it this time though, I noticed it was edged with the lines of a golf course. All winter I had unknowingly been using the Chena Bend Golf Course Clubhouse as my turning point on approach to my home airfi ld.

Everyone who knows me knows that my life and golf have been intimately intertwined. My time at Webb was marked with many important golfi g moments. I vividly remember two: the pleasant shock of being told after two years of petitioning the school that fi ally Webb would once again form a competitive team, and second, the incredible sting of losing in a playoff to advance to the CIF individual tournament. Still, neither of these beats the pure elation I recall when, as an assistant coach, I watched the Webb golf team win their fi st league championship! Each of my golfi g landmarks connected with Webb has been pronounced and packed with emotion. And even now, with my Chena Bend landmark below me, I’m drawn back to Webb once more—to one golfer in particular, Adam Cave ’12. I fi st met Adam at the Claremont Golf Course the summer after I graduated from Webb. He was an incoming freshman who I was hoping would play golf for Webb to ensure the continuity of the fledgling program. My fi st impression of Adam was that he was quite the converser, which is unusual as most golfers tend to be introverts. In fact, within the fi st few holes, we were engaged in such dynamic and genuinely fun conversation that I quickly forgot we were even playing golf. His upbeat positivity and lack of frustration was especially striking for a beginner golfer. Yet, the most distinct memory I have from golfi g with Adam was his insistence on playing every shot and fi ishing the hole. He refused

“I now see that Adam became the complete archetype of what Thompson Webb envisioned from a graduate of his school.”

to take “gimmes” on short putts and instead played his round shot-for-shot all the way until the ball found the bottom of the cup, a lesson that stayed with me throughout my college tournament play. While not the most technically gifted golfer, there was no doubt that Adam enjoyed the game and I enjoyed playing with him. As time passed, I always looked forward to seeing Adam, either at Webb events or on campus at the Claremont Colleges— where we were both students later. Each interaction with him was noteworthy—I often left the conversation smiling and feeling better than I did before. So, of course, like so many this December, I was shocked and heart-broken to learn that Adam had been killed in a traffic accident. He was only 22 years old. Truthfully, I used to believe that Adam’s unique ability to be good and to make others feel good about themselves was a character trait—something he inherited, probably genetic. But, as I thought about it after his death, I now see that Adam became the complete archetype of what Thompson Webb envisioned from a graduate of his school. Adam Cave is the standard for what it means to be a kind, gentle, and honorable man. While the bar he set is unattainable by most of us, I am comforted by the fact that I see many elements of Adam’s personality and character in other Webb students, graduates, faculty, and staff alike. No one can ever replace Adam, but we can strive to use his memory as a catalyst to love more deeply and live more fully. To be good. Winter in Fairbanks will likely last longer than the California winters I’m used to. And like winter here, the pain we all feel after losing Adam will linger and not soon be forgotten. I do believe that spring will eventually come, and with it warmer weather and less solemn days. In fact, when I return I think I’ll fi ally play that Chena Bend Golf Course, and do it without any gimmes—playing every shot. I will smile and be grateful and remember Adam.

Gabe Romero ’08 is an Aeromedical Evacuation Officer currently flying Army Blackhawks in Afghanistan. His home station is Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He graduated with an MBA from The Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University and a BS in Geology from Pomona College. At Webb, he was a member of the Honor Committee, a Day Student Prefect, Captain of Varsity Golf, and a Rogers Scholar. Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

Credits

A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

Volume 20, Number 1

Taylor B. Stockdale Head of Schools Dutch Barhydt Director of Institutional Advancement

Executive Editor Joe Woodward

Peter Bartlett Director of Student Life

Contributors Lexus Beaman ’08, Debbie Carini, Andrew Farke, John Ferrari, Harason Horowitz ’02, Don Lofgren, Laura Wensley

Jamila Everett, EdD Director of Admission and Financial Aid

Design Michael Stewart • Stewart Creative

Donald L. Lofgren, PhD Director, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology

a summer of amazing opportunities begins right here:

webb.org/summer EXPLORE. DISCOVER. COLLABORATE. BUILD. RESIDENTIAL SUMMER PROGRAMS 2017

Junior Scholars Program in

GRADES 7, 8 & 9

Paleontology, Leadership, Digital Arts, or Science & Engineering

10-day residential program 2 sessions: July 8 -17 and July 19 -28 Bridge Session: July 17-19

summer@webb.org • 909.482.5214

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Hector Martinez Director of College Guidance

Photography Peter Bartlett, Sonsoles Cardalliaguet, Phil Channing, Nancy Newman, John Lawrence, Scott Nichols

Tracy Miller, PhD Dean of Faculty

Printing Dual Graphics

Janet K. Peddy Director of Finance, Planning and Operations

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M A G A Z I N E

save the date

Saturday, October 21

alumni week end WEBB

twothousand

Spring 2017

“Be good and do the right thing.”

Invitations will be mailed in July. Classes celebrating reunion: 1947, 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012

THE WEBB SCHOOLS

SELF

•

COMMU NIT Y

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THE COMMON GOOD

A T H R E E – PA R T C O N V E R S AT I O N

For more reunion information visit

www.webb.org/reunion2017 or call 909.482.5277

CREATING THE SELF • ACT REACT DECIDE • THE COMMON GOOD