Westminster Magazine Spring/Summer 2024 - The Innovation Issue

Explore. Innovate. Inspire.

Our campus is alive every day as Wildcats imagine, design, and problem-solve. Beginning with our youngest Wildcats in the Lower School and increasing through our Middle and Upper Schools, opportunities for discovery, challenge, and leadership are countless. Your gift to the annual Westminster Fund turns ideas into reality, ensuring that our students’ innovative mindsets and skill sets continue to be nurtured and developed. Make your gift in support of innovation at Westminster today and help our Wildcats go above and beyond. Make your gift by visiting westminster.net/giving or scanning this QR code.

Executive Editors

Liz Ball

Emilie Henry

Managing Editor

Kathleen Poe Ross ’01

Production Manager

Marisa Crissey

Art Director

Alyssa Henderson

Editorial Staff

Kavita Athalye

Alyssa Henderson

Landon Rowe

Contributors

President Keith Evans

Jane Lauderdale Armstrong ’74

Andrew Blaisdell ’99

Katie Christy ’15

Mallory McKenzie

Pamela Nye

Brandi Tant

Regina Wood

Tiffany Wooten

Art Direction & Design Green Gate Marketing

Photography

Kavita Athalye

Chris Berry

Clyde Click

Alyssa Henderson

Frederick Johnson

Mithru Kumar

Rodrigo Rosenthal

Landon Rowe

StarChefs

Gabriella Valladares

Paul Ward

Matthew Warren

Student, faculty, staff, and parent photographers

The Lewis H. Beck Archives at Westminster

Printing

Perfect Image

Innovation at Westminster

Developing an innovative mindset is crucial for tomorrow’s leaders. Westminster is empowering students of all ages to think in new and dynamic ways and creating state-of-the-art learning environments that foster creativity, collaboration, and connection.

On the Cover

2 From the President

4 Wildcat Tracks

30 The Westminster Fund

32 Wildcat Den

36 Faculty and Staff

38 From the Beck Archives

40 Alumni News

46 Class News

STAY CONNECTED

Address comments to Liz Ball, Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications and Events, at lizball@westminster.net.

Submit class news items online at westminster.net/classnews.

Change your address or update your contact information online at westminster.net/updateyourinfo.

William Warren ’04 designed and illustrated the cover for this issue. William is founder and CEO of The Sketch Effect, a visual communications agency based in Atlanta specializing in live event sketching (“graphic recording”) and video animation solutions for its corporate clientele. He published his first book, The Conquering Creative: 9 Shifts to Build an Unstoppable Creative Business, in 2023. “In my business, I consider innovation as a present-day investment in future success,” William says. “You may not know when or how the investment will pay off, but the experimentation, growing, learning, exploring, and development you do today will inevitably bring rewards, open doors, and unlock possibilities tomorrow.” Learn more at thesketcheffect.com and theconqueringcreative.com

Dear Westminster Community,

There are few claims you can make in life that are guaranteed to be true 100 percent of the time, but here is one that certainly comes close: As you are paging through this edition of Westminster Magazine, you are surrounded by innovation. We are more likely to notice it when innovation captures the headlines (can you even keep up with the news on AI?), but the truth is that each day someone is working around the clock on a new idea to solve a problem and make our lives better. We are so conditioned to shiny new things, we may not even pause to notice.

So, as I write on my Apple laptop, an example of innovation almost too obvious to cite, I enjoy a cup of coffee that was ready for me when I wanted it from my smart coffee maker. My workspace is lit by a light-emitting

percent more energy efficient and has a dramatically longer lifespan than the incandescent bulb it replaced. Nearby, my cable TV equipment is in boxes ready to ship, as the Evanses are full-time streamers now—late to that party, I know, but old habits die hard. The same three five-dollar bills have been in my wallet for months, as using cash increasingly feels ... awkward? unnecessary? inconvenient? “Unwelcome” is the right word for some businesses in our increasingly cashless economy.

Not all innovation is driven by technology. A natural, fragrant wreath hangs nearby, part of a birthday gift to my wife, Emilie. I say “part” because when I was shopping online (another innovation so taken for granted it is not worth mentioning), I found a company that offers a “wreath subscription” and automatically sends four wreaths over the course of a year, one for each season. For husbands seeking to sustain the glow of birthday thoughtfulness, it is an innovation without equal. Is applying a subscription strategy to the eucalyptus wreath business evidence of genius? Perhaps not, but I would bet it is a successful enterprise that brings a measure of joy to a lot of people.

with elected officials, are renovating defunct motels, retrofitting shipping containers into modular apartments, splitting space in single-family homes to multiply the stock of affordable one-bedrooms, and more. This same spirit of innovation is being applied to food insecurity, access to medical care, and employment readiness across our city.

Keep reading and you will find examples of how Westminster students are in the vanguard of the next generation of innovators—inventors, entrepreneurs, and problem solvers. They are not waiting around for some mythical moment when they enter the “real world.” They are in it—engaged with both their school community and city, focused on what needs to be fixed or improved, and passionate about getting after it. And they are supported by generous donors like Liz and Frank Blake and the Goizueta Foundation as well as by a community of faculty, parents, and alumni who are devoted to their success. Innovation, leadership, and gratitude are all parts of the same story at Westminster.

And then there is innovative thinking that alleviates suffering and solves real human problems. For example, Atlanta is becoming known as a leader in creating innovative solutions for housing our fellow citizens experiencing homelessness. Leading organizations in this effort, in collaboration

So before you turn the page, scan your surroundings near and far and be assured that the seeds of a new era of innovative thinking are being sown among the Wildcats. And enjoy this preview of what’s next!

Onward,

Keith Evans President

ADMINISTRATION

Keith A. Evans

President

Toni Boyd Vice President for Finance and Operations

Frank Brown ’04 Director of DEI and Community Engagement

Lauren DuPriest Head of Lower School

Emilie Henry Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Jim Justice Dean of Academics and Curriculum

Leslie Ann Little Head of Middle School

Marjorie Dixon (Mitchell) Williams ’82 Head of Enrollment Management

Danette Morton Executive Director, Center for Teaching

Thad Persons ’88 Dean of Faculty

Chanley Small ’87 Head of Upper School

Shannon Soares Director of Athletics

Torrey Williams Chief Information Officer

2023–2024 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Katharine W. Kelley ’82, Chair

Allison Bolch Moran ’86, Vice Chair

Marilyn S. Black

Elizabeth Kilcullen Blake

Javan T. Bunch ’81

Mahnaz R. Charania

J. Donald Childress

David D. Cummings

Clare H. Draper IV

Michael J. Egan ’74

Rand Glenn Hagen ’95

F. Sheffield Hale ’78

Scott D. Hawkins

Angela Hsu

Ira L. Jackson ’83

Suja Katarya

Stephen S. Lanier ’96

Jenny Pocalyko Latz ’91

Janet M. Lavine

David M. Love ’90

Lisa Olivetti McGahan

Richard V. McPhail III

Floyd C. Newton III ’73

R. Davis Noell

Rahul Patel

Leslie D. Patterson

Natosha Reid Rice

Louise Scott Sams ’75

Jeffrey P. Small Jr. ’85

Timothy P. Tassopoulos

Dana Weeks Ugwonali

D. Scott Weimer

PRESIDENT

Keith A. Evans

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

REPRESENTATIVE

Andrew G. Blaisdell ’99

EMERITUS TRUSTEES

Claire L. Arnold

Betsy Barge Birkholz ’69

Lisa Borders ’75

James E. Bostic Jr.

David E. Boyd

Rosalind G. Brewer

Peter M. Candler ’60

Samuel G. Candler

Richard W. Courts II ’55

Ann Draughon Cousins

Suzanne LeCraw Cox ’71

F. T. Davis Jr. ’56

Harold A. Dawson Jr. ’82

Virginia Gaines Dearborn ’56

W. Douglas Ellis Jr.

J. Rex Fuqua

Thomas K. Glenn II ’65

Joseph W. Hamilton Jr. (d)

Allen S. Hardin

Douglas J. Hertz ’70

Thomas D. Hills ’62

Ronald P. Hogan

Barbara Benson Howell

W. Stell Huie

L. Phillip Humann

M. Hill Jeffries Jr. ’73

James C. Kennedy E. Cody Laird Jr.

J. Hicks Lanier ’58

Dennis M. Love ’74

James E. Love III ’75

Carolyn Cody McClatchey ’65

Terence F. McGuirk

R. Brand Morgan ’94

Joel T. Murphy ’76

William T. Plybon

Olga Goizueta Rawls ’73

Kelly A. Regal

Margaret Conant Reiser ’73

B. Clayton Rolader ’72

John W. Rooker ’56

S. Stephen Selig ’61

Alana J. Shepherd NAPS ’47

C. Austin Stephens ’93

L. Barry Teague

John A. Wallace (d)

James B. Williams (d)

George B. Wirth

(d) Deceased

Wildcat Tracks

From the end of summer until the start of the winter holiday, Westminster students are always at work—or at play—learning, doing, performing, and creating. These happenings, celebrations, and milestones are just a few of the events that serve as building blocks of the Westminster experience throughout the year.

Welcome Back, Wildcats!

Members of the Class of 2024 kicked off their last year at Westminster with the traditional front gate welcome and a class photo on the steps of Barge Commons to mark the occasion. The Senior Spaghetti Supper, another long-standing tradition that starts this special year, followed a few weeks later, bringing seniors and their families together for fellowship and food.

Leadership 101 at the Georgia Supreme Court

The eighth grade Leadership 101 classes had the opportunity to visit Georgia’s Supreme Court to meet with and learn from Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren ’00. In addition to sharing about the roles and responsibilities of a Supreme Court justice, Justice Warren also talked to the students about the importance of leading with empathy and kindness. After talking with Justice Warren, the students had the opportunity to participate in a mock oral argument.

Love Hall’s Day of Play

The Lower School’s Day of Play shows our youngest Wildcats how all kinds of play can inspire creativity, build trust, strengthen relationships, and foster innovation. To kick off the 2023–24 school year, students in Love Hall participated in activities based on the themes move, explore, imagine, dream, discover, and create.

Turn to page 14 to learn more about the importance of play in our Lower School

Ancient Civilizations Parade and Living Museum

In late September, fifth grade students took over the campus quad as they embodied various gods, goddesses, and historical figures from ancient times during the annual Ancient Civilizations Living Museum following a parade through Love Hall. Students conducted research and crafted informational monologues to perform as community members gathered to see these mythological and historical figures come to life.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month was a joyful learning experience for Wildcats across all divisions. Through interactive assemblies, informative displays, and more, students learned about history, culture, and everyday life under the umbrella of Hispanic heritage around the world. The Middle School later hosted Wildcats of all ages at a festive Dia de los Muertos celebration at Stembler Amphitheater featuring traditional dance, food, and music.

66 Seniors Honored by National Merit Scholarship Program

In the fall, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognized 66 members of the Class of 2024 with letters of commendation. Out of those honorees, the 29 students pictured here were named National Merit semifinalists.

To see the full list of National Merit honorees, visit westminster.net/magazine.

Wildcats at Harvard International Debate Competition

Last summer, Hamilton Henderson ’25 was a finalist at the Harvard International Debate Competition, placing second out of more than 250 participants around the world. Hamilton competed as a representative of the Atlanta-based Veritas Debate Institute (VDI) and finished the tournament with a record of 8–2. Five more Wildcats will follow in Hamilton’s footsteps as members of the 2024 VDI cohort competing in Cambridge this summer.

Shark Tank Comes to Clarkson Hall

Middle School students in the eighth grade Economics for Entrepreneurs course immersed themselves in innovation through the annual Shark Tank unit, inspired by the TV show of the same name. They pitched their creative ideas for new products and services to a panel of expert alumni and parent judges. After presenting their ideas to the special guests, the students received feedback and discussed how things might play out in the real world.

For more information on Westminster’s innovative eighth grade electives, turn to page 16.

Lovestock Music Festival

The third annual Lovestock music festival was another resounding success! Leading up to the event, our third graders learned the craft of songwriting working hand in hand with professional songwriters from Atlanta and Nashville. The musicians took lyrics the students wrote, set them to music, and performed more than a dozen of these original songs for an enthusiastic audience of students, parents, faculty, and staff. Lovestock is not only a highlight of the school year, it provides a glimpse into the minds and hearts of our Lower School Wildcats as they think about friendships, hardships, family, and the future.

Watch Lovestock 2023 on our channel

Wildcats on Parade

Diwali: A Festival of Lights

The Westminster community celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, with an evening of Indian food, music, and dance in the Oglesby Room hosted by the School’s Office of DEI and Community Engagement and the Upper School South Asian Affinity Group (SAAG). Families attended in festive traditional attire, and Taal Tadka, a South Asian fusion a cappella group from Georgia Tech, provided additional entertainment.

The annual Halloween Parade, one of the School’s most beloved traditions, saw dozens of dinosaurs, wizards, and cheerleaders—as well as many Mario Bros. characters and multiple eras of Taylor Swift—marching through the quad to spooky tunes played by the Upper School bands. The Lower School administrative team dressed up as construction equipment and tools and performed a choreographed routine to the ’80s anthem “We Built This City” in a nod to the ongoing renovation and expansion of Love Hall.

A Magical Season in Kellett Theatre

The Westminster Players and Junior Players brought beloved fairy tales and other magical stories to life on the stage this fall. The Upper School StageCats opened their season with selections from Grimm Tales, followed by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s acclaimed musical Into the Woods, which weaves together many of these same fairy tales and explores what comes after “happily ever after.” In the Middle School, the Junior Players presented a dramatization of C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first of the author’s famous Chronicles of Narnia novels.

Middle School Science Fair

The Middle School took over Barge Commons for their annual science fair, where eighth graders showcased experiments and research projects for the whole Middle School to learn from. Sixth and seventh graders had an opportunity to come through and ask questions, and a team of faculty and alumni judges had the challenging task of narrowing the field to honor particularly outstanding work.

Student Artwork On View

In early December, the Barge Commons Art Gallery hosted an opening reception to recognize student artists from across all three divisions of the School whose work had been selected for the latest exhibition in Westminster’s newest visual arts gallery space. If you’re on campus, make sure to stop by the lobby of Barge Commons to check it out!

A Community That Serves

The Glenn Institute for Philanthropy and Service Learning kept students busy learning, volunteering, and engaging with our community partners throughout the fall. Students and families connected with organizations through supply and food drives, fundraisers, guest speakers, field trips, and volunteer opportunities both on campus and beyond the gates. The 17th annual Alternative Gift Fair brought together more than 50 student organizations and community partners, who created and sold unique gifts to the hundreds of community members who attended. All proceeds from the Alternative Gift Fair were donated to local and global charitable organizations.

Celebrating Christmas on Campus

In December, Westminster’s beloved Christmas traditions brought families together on campus for a heartwarming and festive end to the semester. All the students in Love Hall participated in the telling of the nativity story in the Lower School Christmas Pageant, which included a prelude concert by the Fourth Grade Orchestra. The next day, the Upper School Chamber Orchestra and combined choruses presented the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah, a Westminster holiday tradition for more than three decades.

These were among our top Instagram posts of the fall semester.

Homecoming Royalty Merry Christmas, Wildcats!

Thanksgiving Services

IT for Breast Cancer Awareness Pigskin Picnic

Peter Drucker, known in the late 20th century as the father of modern management, wrote, “At the heart of entrepreneurship is innovation: the effort to create purposeful, focused change in an enterprise’s economic or social potential.” He asserted that innovation comes mostly not from flashes of brilliance but from a disciplined search for opportunities to innovate.

Westminster’s robotics team, the WiredCats, has been competing across the globe for almost two decades.

If that is true, teaching students to innovate means teaching them how to search for opportunities— recognizing patterns, responding to changes, and harnessing the discipline to continue the search when the answers aren’t easy to find. Throughout its history, Westminster has equipped its students to do just that— introducing them to academic opportunities like some of the nation’s first Advanced Placement classes, giving them the freedom and support to build award-winning programs in debate, robotics, and broadcasting, or asking them to draw real-world connections through immersive, experiential programs like CATapult, MayATL, and JanTerm.

“Innovation is both a way of thinking and a way of doing,” explains Head of Upper School Dr. Chanley Small ’87. “The tools are immensely important, but without the underlying innovative, creative thought, they are just machines. We believe teaching students these underlying skills—building their creativity, resilience, and courage—is integral to creating future innovative leaders.”

In 2020, an interdisciplinary group of faculty from all three academic divisions set out to define, align, and elevate Westminster’s approach to igniting an innovative spirit across campus. Supported through the generosity of the Goizueta Foundation, which had established The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Innovation at Westminster earlier

that year, these six newly named Innovation Coordinators distilled this vast charge into a guiding vision:

Innovation is driven by a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. Innovation is based on curiosity, the willingness to take risks, and experimenting to test assumptions. Innovation is based on questioning and challenging the status quo. It is also based on recognizing opportunity and taking advantage of it.

The core mindsets and skills of empathy, agility, curiosity, creativity, and resilience became the framework for innovation at Westminster, as these habits of mind empower students to hone the skills that are core to innovative thinking and work: problem seeking, questioning, prototyping, iterating, collaborating, and communicating.

As one of the School’s original six innovation coordinators, Upper School Innovation Specialist Mark Labouchere helps align the innovation priorities of each division so that the entire School can work in tandem toward common goals using a defined set of skills and mindsets.

With this aligned vision for implementing an innovator’s mindset, the entire campus has become a lab where our students can explore, observe, tinker, and test. From as early as pre-first and all the way up through senior year, students are being inspired to become innovators and leaders for the future.

PLANTING THE SEEDS OF INNOVATION

CULTIVATING RESILIENT AND CREATIVE YOUNG LEARNERS THROUGH PLAY

What do slime, yarn, and overhead projectors have in common? In Westminster’s Lower School, these materials are central to the division’s gleefilled Day of Play—a relatively new but beloved tradition that puts the myriad benefits of play for young students in the spotlight.

“Research has shown us that play is a biological necessity for children,” says Whitney Woodward ’97, director of teaching and learning in the Lower School specializing in pre-first through second grade. “Our children need it, we need it; we are incredibly fortunate that play is valued and we make time for play here at Westminster.”

The first Day of Play in the Lower School took place in May 2021 as a modified Field Day: traditional field games in the morning and unstructured, collaborative, and playful pursuits in the afternoon. One of the new activities, YarnA-Palooza, called for several boxes of yarn on the playground—that’s all—and resulted in colorful webs woven intricately throughout the trees and into the play equipment as kids simply followed their imaginations together.

Bolstered by an enthusiastic response from teachers and students, compelling research to support the benefits of play for kids of all ages, and several play champions on the Lower School faculty, Day of Play has evolved into a daylong festival of fun that kick-starts the school year. During the most recent Day of Play, in August

Lower School students explore light and dark using an overhead projector and colorful transparent shapes.

Each Day of Play station features a different style of play, from physical and loud to calm and quiet.

2023, students rotated through six different stations with the themes of move, explore, imagine, dream, discover, and create, each targeting a different style of play or play personality.

“There’s always going to be a bouncy house in the gym, because why mess with a classic?” Whitney says. “But there are also ways of playing where you’re just quietly sketching or doodling. These different spaces let children be and hear and try new things. Play plants the seeds for innovation, and that’s a pillar of the Westminster experience.”

Put another way, play and innovation speak the same language. When children play, whether freely or within a more structured framework, they learn to think creatively, follow their curiosity, take chances, and experience positive adversity—as in, when their Lego creation topples over, they will try again and see what might work better. If we think about the innovation process as a way of developing resilient risk-takers, play is the ultimate springboard.

Fourth grade teacher Lee Steele is another play expert in the Lower School who is constantly seeking ways to embed it in the school day. One of her goals, she says, is to keep play alive in the older grades.

“As students get to third, fourth, and fifth grade, we see academics ramping up, and we think, OK, we’re gonna put play aside, they’re a little too old for that—well, play can actually extend as long as we nurture it, as long as we allow it,” Lee says. “Play and academics can actually coexist, and play can enhance what we get out of our kids in terms of learning.”

Across Love Hall, the morning arrival time has become an intentional time for play of various kinds throughout the week. In Anna Kate Foley and Ann Tedesco’s second grade classroom, every Wednesday begins with “Morning of Play,” where students build with wooden KEVA blocks, create marble runs, play chess or Clue, or explore color and light. One of their students told Ann that he does his very best work on Wednesdays because he gets out his energy and is ready for the day. In pre-first, all classes start their day with purposeful play and exploration, which pre-first

teacher Melissa Williams says is as essential to the students in the morning as a cup of coffee might be to their parents or teachers.

Lee and her co-teacher, Stephanie Frame, incorporate Tinker Thursdays—a time for openended investigation that might find them taking apart a calculator to see how it works—and a range of thematic Fun Fridays that sometimes extend into the rest of the school day. These are times when they get to step back as teachers and let the students explore, innovate, and lead.

“Play affords our students countless opportunities to succeed, to develop relationships, to take risks, to fail, and to persevere,” Lee says. “When we then shift from play to academics, the students are equipped with all of those skills. They feel seen and successful, and they feel more prepared to take risks in their learning and persevere through tricky moments.”

What our teachers see in their classrooms reflects the ever-increasing body of research focused on how play builds resilient children, giving them the skills to be phenomenal innovators—and that’s what Whitney and her colleagues are looking for.

“We’re an academically rigorous school, and we allow our students to have that space for play because we value who they are and we value them as learners and innovators,” Whitney says. “If we want our students to reach their full potential, we have to make space for play.”

Students work together to build creations with blocks and other classroom materials.

MAKING ROOM FOR EXPLORATION

EMPOWERING EIGHTH GRADERS THROUGH EXPERIENCE

Being the oldest students in the Middle School comes with some perks and privileges for our eighth graders, including the ability to chart their own paths by choosing two semester-long electives. Core subjects still take up a majority of their days, but a few times a week, these students are able to take a deep dive into something they haven’t gotten a chance to explore in depth in school before.

“The eighth grade electives are prime opportunities for innovation,” says Head of Middle School Leslie Ann Little. “Our teachers have the chance to think outside the box and offer these incredible projects that deepen learning.”

In the 2023–24 school year, eighth graders had nearly a dozen options to choose from. There are writing-focused courses like Journalism, Creative Writing, and Meet the Wild: Journaling Nature; hands-on technical courses like Coding, Architectural Design, DIY Design, and Economics for Entrepreneurs; and thought-provoking, bigpicture courses like Future Cities, International Relations, Leadership 101, and EngageATL. This slate of innovative and STEAM-oriented classes is a microcosm of how our Middle School students can encounter innovation when they’re in Clarkson Hall.

in which participants use technology and equipment to model, devise, and fabricate creative solutions to design challenges. In DIY Design, other Middle School teachers are the clients, and the students’ job is to transform their classroom in order to improve the learning experience.

“Students learn and use technology that is used in the real world, and when they are done, they have that skill. Students pitch to real clients, the ideas are evaluated and accepted or rejected, and they have to live with those decisions and follow through because it’s for the good of the team or class or client,” Tim says. “Ego needs to be put aside, because innovation happens when teams come together to do something greater than the sum of its parts.”

While electives focused on writing may seem less outwardly innovative than design or coding classes, they put the “A”—for arts—in

Tim Shabanowitz is the Middle School’s Goizueta Center for Innovation coordinator and director of the division’s Innovation Lab, and he currently teaches Architectural Design and DIY Design,

STEAM, encouraging creativity of thought and expression. In Clark Meyer’s class Meet the Wild: Journaling Nature, students break out of the classroom and explore nature through drawing and writing. Westminster’s 180-acre campus serves as both laboratory and inspiration as students cultivate a sense of wonder at the natural world and learn to express it. Creative Writing students similarly demonstrate their innovation mindsets and skill

DIY Design is one of several innovation-based elective courses eighth graders can take.

sets at work as they conjure creative narratives through authentic dialogue, genuine characters, and world-building skills.

“We are not using cutting-edge technology and tools in a STEAM lab,” says Creative Writing teacher Tyree Churchill ’92; “rather, students are innovating with their minds and imaginations.”

The popular Economics for Entrepreneurs class teaches students the fundamentals of the field, but instead of incorporating the classic stock market game or another simulation, the capstone of the class is a Shark Tank project, inspired by the competition reality TV show of the same name. Students come up with concepts, brainstorm products that address a problem or need, create them, and pitch them to alumni posing as potential investors.

Over the course of the semester, Francisco Simbaña sees his students stretching themselves and acquiring new skills as they try to design and fabricate something truly innovative. Their most significant area of growth often shows up at this stage as they contend, quite realistically, with the possibility of failure.

“They have to get used to failing a lot. They get over one hurdle, and then immediately it fails again. Sometimes it’s not going to work, and that’s going to be okay,” Francisco says. “These failures help build that resilience to try again, make that breakthrough, and then come out the other end realizing they’re better for it.”

Classes like Leadership 101 and EngageATL allow students to experience the community and

city beyond Westminster’s gates. In Leadership 101, students learn about emotional intelligence, practice public speaking, interact with leaders throughout the city, and examine their own leadership journeys through discussions, presentations, and hands-on work with others. EngageATL gives Wildcats a range of service learning experiences as they hear about the issues Atlanta is facing and encourages students to think critically as they analyze possible solutions.

“As leaders, they learn how to work with others on projects large and small, inch beyond their comfort zones, and gain empathy for other perspectives and circumstances,” says Carter Thomas ’98, who teaches both courses. “I don’t think there can be innovation without empathy.”

These electives hold valuable lessons for students at an important time in their development, both academic and personal. Some electives may rotate out over time, but the Middle School’s commitment to empowering students with a choice of classes and the chance to do something new in their studies remains constant.

“When kids experience that novelty, then they start rethinking the possible,” Leslie Ann says. “Why can’t they? Why don’t they? What if we?— you never want to squash that kind of questioning, because that’s our ultimate goal: helping our students think creatively and innovate to the next level that deepens learning and solves problems.”

Students in DIY Design collaborate with Middle School faculty members to transform their classroom environments and improve the learning experience.

Eighth graders design and build custom furniture as part of each DIY Design classroom project.

INNOVATION IN REAL TIME

STUDENTS RUN THE SHOW IN FILM AND BROADCAST PROGRAMS

Westminster Upper School students are becoming experts in digital media communications—and they’re doing it largely on their own time. WCAT, Westminster’s student-led broadcast program, and StudioW, the School’s film production club, are regularly winning awards while giving Wildcats opportunities to tell stories that matter to them, whether they’re in front of the camera, behind the scenes, or in the production studio.

Established in 2010, WCAT brings sports, assemblies, special events, news, and more to audiences everywhere through live and prerecorded broadcasts accessed through their YouTube channel. Upper School students are welcome to join WCAT as their schedule permits, whether for a single event or for an entire year.

“I’ve tried to keep it as organic as possible since day one,” says WCAT faculty adviser Daniel Searl. “The more you do, the more you’ll stay plugged in, the more responsibilities you’ll have. You invest yourself, and you get a lot back.”

There’s no application for WCAT, and often there isn’t time for rehearsal or prebroadcast training as students are starting out; newbies get “coached up” as they go. A student may be on camera for the first time ever during a live broadcast, and it will probably be far from perfect. The resilience this approach fosters is a key part of innovating in real time.

Daniel and his fellow faculty and staff advisers Bobby Bryant and William Turton ’19—himself a WCAT alum—have created a culture in which the students know they have the freedom to come up with an idea and run with it as far as they can—and they’re encouraged to do so.

“Every innovation we make is from a student pushing, wanting,” Daniel says. “My biggest request is, are we going to use it? Is it viable? Do we have enough kids? If it’s too technologically advanced, maybe we don’t do that. If we can do it pretty quickly, we’re gonna make it happen.”

As a result, the WCAT team is agile and resourceful, excellent at finding ways to bring new ideas to life. Daniel recalls when the football broadcast team wanted to enhance their production with replay technology, but it wasn’t in the budget—so a student devised a work-around using TiVo and a monitor. The WCAT Weekly News broadcast and the intense sports “hype” videos—now fixtures in the life of the Upper School—are both examples of initiatives that started with students.

The student-run WCAT team broadcasts football games from the McGahan Family Press Box, complete with play-by-play commentary and sideline reporting.

In addition to sports broadcasts, WCAT live streams campus events throughout the year, including the annual Halloween Parade, assemblies, and performances.

StudioW is another outgrowth of student interest. Jonas Du ’21 was a student in filmmaking classes with Daniel Searl and Kate Morgens ’91 when he founded this club on the belief that filmmaking is the most powerful medium to tell stories, spread ideas, and inspire change.

Since it was established in 2017, StudioW has provided a platform for students to create narrative and nonfiction films, planning every aspect of production from writing screenplays and making budgets to scouting locations and acting on screen. In addition to producing films, StudioW participates in the All American High School Film Festival in New York City each year. Locally, In 2018, StudioW founded the Atlanta High School Film Festival, which accepts hundreds of film submissions from high school students nationwide.

At a recent StudioW meeting, Kate sat back and watched as club leaders laid out their plans and goals for the rest of the school year.

“These kids are thinking outside the box, creating projects that are forward-thinking, constantly researching, understanding current inventions and innovations in the field, and then taking those and applying them to their own work—plus, creating their own new ones,” Kate says.

There is significant crossover—and crosspollination—between WCAT and StudioW. The groups share a home base, equipment, a faculty adviser, and several student participants. Most notably, both of these organizations bring together both the thinking and doing aspects

of innovation at Westminster— the mindsets and the skill sets advanced by the Goizueta Center for Innovation.

Curiosity, creativity, and empathy are necessary tools of reporters and screenwriters; agility and resilience are called upon constantly, particularly when someone on camera has to pivot or something goes haywire on the technical end of things.

Kate and Daniel observe students questioning, iterating, and collaborating at every meeting as they work together to get ahead of challenges, push for improvements, and ultimately share the stories that are important to the Westminster student body and the broader community.

Members of StudioW film a scene on location during the All American High School Film Festival in New York City.

Student crews work together to create WCAT Weekly News in their Askew Hall studio.

In February 2024, President Keith Evans announced the latest project in Westminster’s Campus Plan—an academic building dedicated to innovation in the heart of the School’s historic quad. “This building, The Blake Center, will bring together innovative and award-winning programs in shared spaces with intentional, designed adjacencies to encourage new possibilities. For Wildcats seeking to innovate, it will be a home for their flashes of brilliance, their moments of connection, and their disciplined searches for opportunities.”

Made possible by a generous and visionary leadership gift from Westminster Trustee Liz Blake and her husband, Frank, The Blake Center will bring many of the Upper School’s most dynamic departments and programs together under one roof in the center of campus. A total of 40,000 square feet of instructional and innovation space spanning three floors will be dedicated to programming that inspires discovery and leadership in our students.

The building’s main level will open onto the quad, directly across from Pressly Hall, and will house WCAT and StudioW, Westminster’s student-led broadcast and filmmaking programs, in addition to computer science and digital media labs. It will also be home to the Upper School’s Goizueta Catalyst Hub—a collaborative, open-access innovation space—where students can brainstorm, create, pitch, and share, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. The hub includes inviting “Spanish Steps,” one of The Blake Center’s

most striking architectural features, overlooking the quad and linking the main floor to the top level.

The lower level of the building is dedicated to robotics, engineering, 3D art, maker spaces, and a fabrication lab. On the back side of the building, facing Clarkson Hall, the Goizueta Catalyst Plaza will further extend the footprint of the School’s Goizueta Center for Innovation and provide a bridge between the Middle and Upper School innovation spaces—particularly useful for Westminster’s internationally recognized robotics teams. Wildcats in these programs will be able to open up the lab’s garage-style doors and bring their work outdoors for more space and increased collaboration. The entire top floor will be a new home for the Visual Arts Department and includes both a gallery space and an outdoor art terrace.

Frank and Liz Blake

The Blake Center will be located at the heart of campus on the current Scott Hall site. The new center will serve as a hub of innovation and inquiry with new spaces that will cultivate collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and leadership.

“When The Blake Center opens, our art classrooms will be next door to the best fabrication facilities on campus. We’re going to be visible. You think about how the RoboDen and WCAT are scattered across campus; now all those places are being put on display and brought into one place where crosspollination is much more likely to occur—the building is actually designed for it to occur,” says Ben Steele, Upper School visual arts teacher and department chair. “That will have a huge impact on what we do in our classes. All of a sudden, now I’ve got a metal shop and a wood shop right next door to my sculpture class and my AP 3D Design class. It’s going to dramatically expand the capabilities of what we’re able to make in all the disciplines.”

The same could be said of every future resident of The Blake Center. All of these programs—many of which are currently located in basements across campus—will have new neighbors and new insight into what adjacent departments do, enabling them to take advantage of the synchronicities they discover thanks to the openness and transparency of the building. Once students involved in signature programs like WCAT, visual arts, engineering, and robotics start to make connections and can work

together in the spaces available in The Blake Center, there is no limit to the number of collaborative ideas they can pursue.

When it opens in 2026, The Blake Center will serve as a hub of discovery and inquiry, realizing the vision that Westminster’s innovation coordinators developed beginning in 2020 as well as School leadership’s vision for flexible, future-focused spaces that nurture curiosity and enable students to fulfill their most ambitious goals and aspirations.

“Throughout Westminster’s history, heroic acts of philanthropy have helped us transcend limitations, providing students with diverse opportunities to explore, discover, and develop capacities that enable them to lead and serve with confidence and passion,” says Emilie Henry, vice president for institutional advancement. “The Blake Center represents another such moment in Westminster’s journey, and we are deeply grateful to Liz and Frank Blake for their partnership and belief in our vision for the School’s future.”

Liz and Frank were closely connected to Westminster’s campus transformation efforts

from the start, as Liz has served as a member of the School’s Board of Trustees since 2016—not long after she retired from her role as senior vice president and general counsel for Habitat for Humanity International and just as Westminster’s ambitious campus planning process was getting under way. Among their grandchildren are four Wildcats, members of the classes of 2021, 2026, 2033, and 2035. The Blakes’ philanthropic investment demonstrates their belief in the power of innovation to push boundaries and make the world a better place. It’s also a strong endorsement of the collective potential of Westminster students. Their transformational gift to the School will seed and sustain an invigorating environment of possibility on campus today and into the future.

Large, flexible-use classrooms will provide much-needed instructional space for programs like computer science, graphic art, engineering, and robotics. Transparency in these high-traffic areas will engage students and cultivate curiosity throughout the community.

The entire third floor will be dedicated to the visual arts, providing much-needed space for students to create and curate their artistic works. Classrooms will feature ample space for students to use a variety of materials, tools, and techniques and will open up to a nearby art gallery and outdoor art terrace.

“It is humbling and terribly exciting to be part of the creation of such an exceptional facility, Frank and I have both been impressed with the commitment Westminster has to innovation starting at the Lower School and continuing through Middle and Upper School—all with excellence and at the highest possible level. We hope that The Blake Center joins the other facilities at Westminster in supporting and inspiring learning, collaboration, and excellence in education for many years to come at Westminster.”

— Liz Blake

The ground floor of The Blake Center outside the robotics and engineering labs will have open space for socializing and collaboration.

Enhancements to the quad like improved walkways, thoughtful landscaping, and designated gathering spots will increase interaction between faculty and students outside of class and draw even more social activity to the center of campus between Pressly Hall and The Blake Center.

The Blake Center’s “Spanish Steps” overlook the quad and provide welcoming spaces where students can collaborate on projects, pitch ideas, study, or hang out.

The Goizueta Catalyst Plaza is an extension of the Goizueta Center for Innovation. Students will be able to open up the hub’s garage-style doors and bring their work outdoors.

The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Innovation is the catalyst that drives immersive learning experiences across campus that help students think and act like innovators. Established in 2020 and made possible through the continuous generosity of The Goizueta Foundation, The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Innovation is not a single building or program— its impact is far-reaching, providing professional development in innovation for teachers as well as a collection of state-of-the art spaces located across campus to ensure access and flexibility for students and faculty alike.

“The Goizueta Foundation’s partnership and generosity has provided us the opportunity to study how you teach and cultivate innovation in a K–12 school,” says Vice President for Institutional Advancement Emilie Henry. “The significant support of The Goizueta Foundation is helping us prepare students for a world that defines leadership with words like creativity, insight, change, empathy, and innovation.”

Through The Goizueta Foundation’s support, Westminster has launched opportunities like the Innovation Fellows Program, a leadership development and service learning course that requires students to take on independent innovation projects while helping other students take advantage of the offerings in the Goizueta Catalyst Lab. Between August 2023 and March 2024, the Upper School’s Goizueta Catalyst Lab was reserved for more than 250 different projects, training sessions, consultations, experiments in learning, and intentional explorations of possibilities—and that doesn’t take into account the instances of students and faculty dropping by with a spur-of-the-moment idea or an exciting question.

“Our campus is alive with new projects and collaborations that reflect the way our students and faculty are embracing innovation and all of its potential. The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Innovation inspires students to stretch their limits every day,” Emilie says. “As a champion of studentcentered engagement, The Goizueta Foundation equips students to lead on campus and emboldens them to set high aspirations for the impact they can have on the world.”

Olga Goizueta Rawls ’73, chair and CEO of The Goizueta Foundation, Westminster Trustee from 1998 to 2015, and chair of Westminster’s board from 2009 to 2013, has a deep personal connection to both sides of this especially fruitful partnership.

“As an emeritus trustee, an alumna, and a parent of three Westminster graduates, I have a particular appreciation for the excellent education that Westminster offers,” Olga says. “It is The Goizueta Foundation’s hope that the Goizueta Center for Innovation at Westminster will be a critical part of preparing students for the future. From the youngest learners in Love Hall through Upper School seniors, there will be a place for every student to engage in the School’s pipeline of innovation programming.

“My father would undoubtedly be a strong advocate for the Goizueta Center for Innovation. Westminster’s most important work has always been to create leaders of conscience who exemplify excellence and serve their communities. The work of the Goizueta Center for Innovation will prepare students to be intellectually curious, motivated, bold, and discerning leaders.”

Roberto Goizueta, the keynote speaker for Westminster's 1994 commencement ceremony, crosses the stage ahead of former school President Bill Clarkson.

Empowering Innovation Across Campus

The Blake Center will house the newest spaces that are part of The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Innovation—but did you know that the Goizueta Center for Innovation already has a footprint in each division? These are the Goizueta-supported spaces on our campus where today’s Wildcats can go to innovate and explore:

Clarkson Hall’s Goizueta Catalyst Hub, formerly known as the Innovation Lab, is home to the Middle School STEAM Council, Robotics, and countless electives and projects. Tools in the Goizueta Catalyst Hub include a laser cutter, a 3D printer, a computer numerical control (CNC) router for cutting materials, and equipment for woodworking, sewing, cooking, virtual reality, podcasting, and more—plus, everything is on wheels for ultimate flexibility. With faculty offices, 3,000 square feet of maker space, and easy access to the outdoors, the hub can handle projects of any size.

The Goizueta Catalyst Hub in Hawkins Hall, anchored by the Goizueta Catalyst Lab, has been the Upper School’s go-to spot for working out thorny problems or tinkering with technology since it opened in August 2020. The lab hosts the Upper School Innovation Fellows program as well as regular meetings of the Innovation Professional Learning Cohort for faculty. Students and teachers can drop in anytime to work with one of three lab managers.

Love Hall will open its new Goizueta Catalyst Hub this August, broadening the capabilities of their design thinking labs where current Wildcats go to tinker, create, and iterate. The addition features five labs dedicated to visual arts and design thinking, flexible collaboration spaces, and quick outdoor access via garage doors. The Lower School robotics team and the MakerCats club are two of many groups that will take advantage of these exciting new interdisciplinary spaces.

The Goizueta Catalyst Lab in Hawkins Hall

Design thinking labs in the Lower School

The Middle School Goizueta Catalyst Hub

Remembering Roberto C. Goizueta

Roberto C. Goizueta was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1931. He attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Havana and, after graduation, spent a year learning English at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut before enrolling at Yale University. In 1953, Roberto completed his degree in chemical engineering and married his high school sweetheart, Olga Casteleiro.

Not long after his college graduation, Roberto answered a blind classified ad seeking a bilingual chemist in Havana. He accepted the job, which turned out to be an entry-level position with The Coca-Cola Company. In 1960, a year after Fidel Castro rose to power, Roberto fled Cuba and emigrated to the United States with his wife and three children. He left behind his material belongings but carried with him three things that Castro could not take away: his character and integrity, his education and his job at The Coca-Cola Company.

Once in the United States, Roberto rose through the ranks at The Coca-Cola Company, moving to Atlanta to work out of the company’s headquarters in 1964. When he became vice president of technical research and development, he was the youngest vice president in the history of the company. He was named president of The CocaCola Company in 1980 and CEO and Chairman of the Board in 1981. During Roberto’s 16 years as CEO, the company saw tremendous growth, introduced some of its most popular brands, and increased the value of its stock dramatically. Roberto extended the global reach of the company as Coca-Cola became the most recognized brand in the world under his leadership.

“Schools are invigorating because they are places to experiment, to grow, to try out new ways of thinking about life. Schools are a window to the future—and, in my mind, no experience is more invigorating than the impassioned pursuit of knowledge and ideas.”

– Roberto C. Goizueta, 1994

Westminster Commencement Address

When Roberto Goizueta died in 1997, he was remembered not only for his professional success but for his curiosity, intellectual courage, shrewd risk-taking, and integrity. His name and legacy live on through institutions like Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and Westminster’s Goizueta Center for Innovation—both of which underscore his belief in the power of education—as well as through The Goizueta Foundation, which he established in 1992 to support educational and charitable institutions. Today, The Goizueta Foundation strives to give young people the opportunity to succeed through education, seeking partnerships with forward-thinking organizations that reflect the foundation’s six core principles, inspired by Roberto’s life: love of learning, inspirational leadership, creative thinking, courage and commitment, transparency and trust, and excellence and integrity.

The School’s current innovation spaces are open to all subjects and areas of inquiry, and The Blake Center will be no different. Faculty and students from across the Upper School will be encouraged to drop in anytime to brainstorm or troubleshoot with an innovation coordinator, peer, or colleague in the hub. In fact, in the new building, classes will be able to complete a multiphase, multidisciplinary innovation project without ever needing to leave the premises.

Upper School Latin teacher Brent Cavedo’s annual class project, silvae statuarum—which translates to “forest of sculptures”—provides a template for what that might look like. In this project, Brent’s students find examples of ancient Mediterranean statuary to 3D print in miniature using patterns found online. Following translations of historic texts, they paint their statues to show knowledge and evidence of ancient artistic practices gleaned through their study. At the end of the semester, students present their painted statues to their peers in both English and Latin and lead a gallery walk in Latin based on these presentations.

In The Blake Center, students can fabricate the miniatures in the maker space, paint them in an art lab, give presentations in the pitch space, and host the final gallery walk in the art gallery or on the terrace. At the project’s conclusion, Brent will take the new generation of statues to his classroom in Hawkins Hall, where his tabletop forest of colorful miniatures proliferates year after year.

A One-Stop Shop fo r Innovation

Students in Brent Cavedo’s Latin class 3D print and paint miniatures of ancient statues.

Outside The Blake Center, the newly envisioned, fully accessible quad will create an expansive, inviting—and, importantly, level—outdoor space for campus events like Prom, Reunion Weekend, and Commencement right at the heart of campus.

When The Blake Center is finished on the current Scott Hall site, the two buildings will sit opposite one another, face to face across a broad, flat lawn. Enhancements to the quad like improved walkways, thoughtful landscaping, and designated learning and gathering spots will increase interaction between faculty and students outside of class and draw even more social activity to the center of campus.

This dramatic change to the physical landscape of the School is one that will be felt by all who visit, even if they never set foot inside the new building. Anyone walking the path through campus will have a view of all the activity and achievement on display within The Blake Center. For students passing by on any given day, being able to see what goes on in these Upper School programs engages students who hadn’t previously sought them out and creates a new understanding of what’s possible. The energy that The Blake Center will bring to campus—both within its walls and outside on the reimagined quad—promises to redefine how students and the community experience Westminster.

The reimagined quad will provide a level outdoor space between Pressly Hall and The Blake Center for campus events like Prom, Reunion Weekend, Commencement, and more.

Excitement Building

“I’m really looking forward to the impact The Blake Center will have on StudioW! Our club’s mission is to create, teach, and inspire a passion in all of our members, and I think this new building will help us foster that goal. Since we are currently separated from the other arts and innovation spaces, I’m anticipating being around all the other hardworking and inventive students because I think we will inspire each other. The filmmaking community here on campus has big plans for the future, and I’m very excited that Westminster recognizes our passion!”

– Kate McDonald ’26

“I am most looking forward to the new robotics lab in The Blake Center. Our current robotics space is really small, and most times it cannot accommodate a lot of people. It’s also hidden from the Upper School, so if you don’t know where it is, it is very hard to find. I think that the new lab will make people more excited to join the robotics team and help people currently in the robotics lab learn how to collaborate with others in a bigger space. With the new robotics den, we can become more organized and put together as a team.”

– Christopher Miller ’27

“The dream is once we have this space, our programs can get bigger and go deeper into the field. If our work is a product of our environment, just imagine what our students will be able to do when we are surrounded by other innovative departments in a place where we have so many amazing resources.”

– Kate Morgens ’91, Director of Theater Arts

Thank You, Westminster Fund Volunteers!

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated alumni and parent annual fund volunteers, whose unwavering commitment and tireless outreach contribute significantly to the success of The Westminster Fund. Each volunteer’s efforts reach far beyond their financial contributions, touching the lives of every Wildcat across campus and strengthening the mission of our beloved School.

Thanks to these volunteers for being a driving force behind our success and making a meaningful difference in the student experience.

Campaign Leadership

Stephen Lanier ’96

Trustee Chair

Preston Moister ’99

Alumni Giving Chair

Nigel Walker ’13

Young Alumni Giving Chair

Anne and Charlie ’91 Henn

Parent Giving Chairs

Ellen and Buck Wiley

Parent Giving Chairs-Elect

Brenda and Charlie Moseley

Grandparent Giving Chairs

Alumni Volunteers

Leadership Giving Committee

Michael Wallace ’91

Mary Dickinson Trammell ’95

Jeff Perry ’96

Daisy Kraft Starr ’00

Ellen Persons ’01

Barclay Taylor ’01

Drew Spears ’01

Margaret Mansfield Ale ’06

Sallie McSwain Stinnett ’08

Stephen Shepherd ’08

Kealy Hartman ’10

Mihika Kohli ’13

Class of 1975

Kevin Sims

Class of 1980

Henry Grady

Class of 1990

John Wheeler

Class of 1992

Mary Beth Farr Hutchison

Class of 1993

Amye Evertz

Class of 1996

Wes Scott

Katie Stembler Bockstedt

Class of 1997

William Kitchens

Niki Walker McCann

Class of 1998

Nathan Kitchens

Class of 2000

Spencer Boice

Katherine Thomas Jacques

Class of 2001

Reid Childers

Meg Tawes Herlihy

Natalie Bolch Morhous

Class of 2002

Lee A. Peifer

Ellen W. Richter

Alison Reed

Diana Zakem

Class of 2003

Palmer Dobbs

Class of 2005

Laura Dopson Almquist

Class of 2006

Claire Hogan Nattans

Class of 2007

Stephanie Newton Bedard

Jill Reid

Class of 2015

Mallie Egan

Class of 2017

Jimmy Balloun

Class of 2021

Steven Crawford

“Our two children have benefited greatly from having transformative experiences throughout their time at Westminster—largely due to the generosity of countless families to The Westminster Fund. Such generosity has inspired our family to continue to pay it forward through our consistent volunteer and philanthropic participation. It is indeed a worthy investment in current and future generations of Wildcats.”

– Henraya and Juan McGruder P ’24, ’25

“Westminster is truly the gift that keeps on giving. It not only builds a strong academic foundation for students but opens up incredible opportunities to grow, travel, and engage with the Atlanta community. Most importantly, many of my most fulfilling and long-lasting relationships began at Westminster. I volunteer with The Westminster Fund and give back to Westminster annually to recognize and celebrate the many ways the school has given to me as a student and as an alum.”

– Stephanie Newton Bedard ’07

Parent Volunteers

Leadership Giving Committee

Jen and Ralph Alewine

Ash and Arif Alibhoy

Naga Meduri and Sivi Bakthavachalam

Bliss and Blake Campbell

Susan and Christian Charnaux

Ayesha and Chinedu Chidolue

Emi Shaffer Gragnani ’95 and Michael Gragnani

Kat and Steve Harrigan

Amy Harrison and Jay Harrison

Denise and Vern ’80 Hendrix

Stephanie and Ross ’02 Kimbel

Ahra and Madison ’00 Kitchens

Tiffany and Rich Kent

Anjeli and Raj Laungani

Henraya and Juan McGruder

Lindsey and Richard Myung

Sara and John ’94 Nastopoulos

Benton Routh

Nina and Todd Sprinkle

Nancy Dhue Suh ’95 and Chris Suh ’95

Jennifer and David Tetrick

Lilly Liang and Jason Yuan

Pre-First (Class of 2036)

Sineet and ChiChi Berhane

Laura and Bronson ’98 Smith

Mina and Mo Jooma

1st Grade (Class of 2035)

Bethany and James Cavazuti

Chantel Freeman

Sarah and David Gomel

Stephanie and Ross ’02 Kimbel

Courtney and Neale Nickels

Fatimo Salami

2nd Grade (Class of 2034)

Natalie Bolch Morhous ’01 and Hunter Morhous

Michelle and Ryan Murphy

Coogan and Chuck Perrin

3rd Grade (Class of 2033)

Marni and Julian ’92 Mohr

Stephanie and Ross ’02 Kimbel

Mylin Torres and Malik Smith

4th Grade (Class of 2032)

Michelle and Ryan Murphy

5th Grade (Class of 2031)

Anne Muller Weaver ’97 and Price Weaver

6th Grade (Class of 2030)

Ash and Arif Alibhoy

Naga Meduri and Sivi Bakthavachalam

Tiffany and Rich Kent

Willson and David ’92 Overend

7th Grade (Class of 2029)

Joy Jing J. and Heng S. Chen

Yuan Xu and Xiao Hu

Katie and Chris Kirtley

Kamilah Jones and Terence Norman

Anne Muller Weaver ’97 and Price Weaver

8th Grade (Class of 2028)

Ash and Arif Alibhoy

Dawn and Kevin Dwyer

Angelina and Leo Loughead

Elizabeth and Brian Moore

Nalini Singh and Sunjay Sood

Maggie and Michael ’91 Wallace

9th Grade (Class of 2027)

Melody and Lawrence Cooper

Ashley and Shawn Hall

Denise and Vern ’80 Hendrix

Toniette and Geoffrey Maloney

Marni and Julian ’92 Mohr

Angel and Brian Parks

Carolyn and Joe Patterson

Shannon and Jeff ’91 Sugarman

Brad Watkins

10th Grade (Class of 2026)

Kristin Adams

Shelly and Jason Cropper

Toral Fadia and Chirag Patel

11th Grade (Class of 2025)

Isioma and Chukwuka Okwumabua

Deanna and Marvin Shoyoye

12th Grade (Class of 2024)

Shelly and Jason Cropper

Tiffany and Rich Kent

Marni and Julian ’92 Mohr

Wandia and Anthony Mbuvi

Jenn and Boykin Robinson

Lilly Liang and Jason Yuan

FALL 2023 SPORTS

Boys Cross Country

The Trailcats had a standout season led by captains Esfan Daya ’24, Nicholas Guido ’24, Joseph Jacquot ’24, Willem Mandel ’24, Lucas Mepani ’24, and Tyler Robinson ’24, securing their place as state champions for the second year in a row. Esfan, Joseph, and Jacob Jacquot ’26 were recognized as all-state athletes, and Joseph’s achievements were particularly notable, as he was the fastest all-class runner at the state meet and earned the second-fastest time ever on Carrollton’s new course. The team won the Kosh Klassic, the Wendy’s Invitational, and the region championship in addition to the GHSA AAAA state championship. It was a season marked by exceptional talent and achievement for the boys cross country team, with Jacquot leading the way with his outstanding performances.

Girls Cross Country

The Sisterhood of girls cross country had a successful season, led by captains Sylvia Beaver ’24, Frazier Braintwain ’24, and Ava Ramsey ’24. The team achieved significant success by winning the GHSA Region 6 AAAA Championship, showcasing their strength and competitiveness in the region. Their hard work and dedication paid off with a commendable fifth-place finish at the GHSA AAAA state championship, demonstrating their ability to compete at a high level. Overall, it was a season marked by teamwork, determination, and accomplishment for the girls cross country team, setting a solid foundation for continued success in the seasons to come.

Football

The Wildcats had an impressive season, finishing with a solid record of 8–4. They secured notable victories against tough opponents like Lovett and Holy Innocents’ and tied for the region championship, showcasing their strength and determination on the field. Head Coach Gerry Romberg reached an impressive milestone of 234 career wins this season, ranking seventh in the state for most wins among active coaches. Coach Romberg’s dedication to the Wildcats’ football program was further underscored by his remarkable tenure of 32 years coaching at Westminster, making him one of the longest-tenured active coaches in the state. His commitment and leadership have been instrumental in shaping the team’s success over the years.

Softball

The BatCats had an outstanding season marked by exemplary leadership and impressive achievements both on and off the field. Led by team captains Helen Slawson ’24, Cece Schrader ’24, Maddy Weinstein ’24, Stella Chartrand ’24, Madeleine Monde ’24, and Cameron Hill ’24, the team secured their third consecutive region championship, showcasing their dominance in the region. Notably, the BatCats defeated four teams in other classifications, including a decisive 7–2 victory over Lovett. Cece’s outstanding performance on the field earned her the title of Region Player of the Year. Stella, Kate McDonald ’26, McKenna Bekkers ’26, and Adelaide Banks ’26 were recognized for their exceptional talent, earning spots on the first team all-region roster.

Volleyball

Led by captains Ellie Myers ’24 and Mary Campbell Pope ’24, the VolleyCats had an impressive season. With a solid 46–12 record, the team made it to the state semifinals, showcasing their skill and determination. Lucy Shi ’25 reached 2,000 career assists, Sophia Jo ’25 passed 1,000 career digs, and Ellie achieved 1,000 career kills. Sophia set a new record for career service aces, with 275 and counting. Ellie, Lucy, and Sophia earned all-state honors for their outstanding play, and Ellie was also named an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention selection.

WINTER 2024 SPORTS

Boys Basketball

Varsity basketball had a standout season, advancing to the state tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 1961. A highlight was hosting and winning their first state tournament game at home in nearly 20 years, where they defeated Catoosa County’s Heritage High School in a decisive victory. Despite their tough seasonending loss away at Baldwin High School in Milledgeville, the HoopCats finished second in AAAA Region 6 with a 12–5 record and built a solid overall season record of 21–10, showcasing their competitiveness on the court.

Girls Basketball

The girls varsity HoopCats had an impressive season, finishing with a strong record of 18–8. Senior captain Stella Chartrand ’24 emerged as a standout player, making history by setting a new record for the most points scored by a player in a single Westminster varsity girls regulation basketball game—an incredible achievement with 43 points. Although the team lost in the first round of the state tournament, they demonstrated resilience and determination throughout the season. Head Coach Katie Argall celebrated a significant milestone, surpassing 100 career wins, a testament to her leadership and the team’s consistent performance over the years.

Boys Squash

The varsity boys SquashCats had a great season, finishing seventh in Division IV at the U.S. High School Squash Championships in Philadelphia. Despite starting as the No. 15 seed, they advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating the No. 2 seed in a significant match. Coach Celia Pashley emphasized the team’s growth, stating, “It’s only the beginning. It’s been a long season, but all worth it as the program is growing and will become stronger and stronger.”

The team also competed at the 2024 MICDS Invitational in St. Louis, where they qualified to compete at nationals.

Girls Squash

The varsity girls SquashCats had an impressive season, placing second in Division V at the U.S. High School Squash Championships in Philadelphia. They clinched a spot in the finals after a tense semifinal match, winning 4–3. Despite a narrow 3–4 loss in the finals, their runner-up finish is a significant achievement. Coach Celia Pashley emphasized their potential for improvement, stating, “Runner-up at nationals is big, and I know we have so much potential.”

The team qualified for nationals after competing at the 2024 MICDS Invitational in St. Louis, showcasing their competitiveness against teams from across the country.

Boys Swimming and Diving

The Catfish had a solid showing at the GHSA 4–5A state championships, finishing fourth overall. Connor Christopherson ’27, a rising talent, set a new school record in the 200-meter freestyle. Connor continued his strong performance by securing second place in both the 200and 100-meter freestyle events at the state championships. The 400-meter freestyle relay team of Alex Wa ’24, Jake Scott ’24, Max Rodbell ’26, and Connor delivered an impressive performance, clinching third place at state. In diving, junior Trevor Dempsey ’25 represented the Wildcats, finishing in 10th place at the state meet.

Girls Swimming and Diving

The Catfish had a standout season, securing their seventh consecutive state title at the GHSA 4–5A state championship led by senior captains Katie Christopherson ’24, Sadie Clayton ’24, and Mary Katherine Boller ’24. Katie set new school and state records in the 200-meter individual medley and the 100-meter breaststroke as well as the 100-meter freestyle. Freshman Greta Myers ’27 emerged as a double state champion in the 200-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly. The 200-meter medley relay and 400-meter freestyle relay teams emerged as state champions of their events. In diving, Hallie Harris ’25 placed fifth and Ella Anthony ’25 sixth at the state meet, with four divers qualifying overall.

The 2023–24 school year has been an outstanding one for Westminster Athletics, with new initiatives and events happening all over campus. In October, Westminster hosted Northside Media Day for the HoopCats and neighboring varsity basketball programs, including teams from Holy Innocents’, Pace Academy, Mt. Vernon, and others. The Athletics Department elevated this yearly event in Westminter’s first year as host by including a media training session with WCAT for all coaches and studentathletes in attendance as well as extra photography for the athletes. Teams were able to gain exposure and practice their interview skills with a variety of media outlets, including 92.9 FM The Game and Prep Sports Network.

In December, Westminster Athletics and the Office for Institutional Advancement launched the inaugural Atlanta Coaching Collective Conference, a Saturday event focused on professional development for coaches and athletics staff. Sessions throughout

Wrestling

The MatCats celebrated significant achievements this season, with two athletes qualifying for the state meet. Robert Crim ’24 showcased his prowess on the mat by securing the region champion title in his weight class. His dedication and skill were further highlighted by surpassing the impressive milestone of 100 career wins with the Wildcats, a testament to his consistency and talent. Jackson Bailey ’26 also made history as the first Westminster sophomore in more than a decade to make it to the podium at the state meet, securing a fourth-place finish. Jackson’s achievement reflects not only his own hard work and determination but also the strength and depth of the Wildcats’ wrestling program.

Cheerleading

The CheerCats had an amazing fall and winter supporting the football and basketball teams from the sidelines! They showcased new routines, cheered their hearts out, and brought the Wildcat spirit to pep rallies, football games, and basketball games on campus and across the state. Varsity basketball cheer enjoyed an extended season thanks to both the boys and girls varsity basketball teams competing in the state tournament, with the boys pushing all the way to the quarterfinals.

A YEAR OF FIRSTS

BY KATIE CHRISTY ’15, ATHLETIC EVENTS COORDINATOR

the day included presentations and panels featuring current head coaches and Upper School student-athletes; leaders in sports diversity, equity, and inclusion; and experts in the fields of coaching development and name, image, and likeness (NIL) for high school athletes. The event, which also included a keynote address by thenFalcons head coach Arthur Smith, drew a large attendance and garnered great feedback from those both within and outside the Westminster community.

January featured the School’s first Night of Champions to celebrate the many team and individual state champion titles won during the 2022–23 school year and in fall 2023. In total, seven varsity teams were honored for their state championship titles: boys cross country, boys lacrosse, girls soccer, boys squash (national champions), girls swimming and diving, boys tennis, and girls track and field. Multiple athletes were recognized for their individual performances and gold medals as well.

In February, Westminster Athletics celebrated National Women and Girls in Sports Day for the first time with a special luncheon and panel discussion featuring eight incredible women

from across the sports industry. The panel, moderated by student-athlete and WCAT anchor Kate Harley ’24, included women in sports-related fields such as business, marketing, team management, law, and more. Westminster alums Kelly Black ’93, Fielding Kidd Jamieson ’07, and Dr. Miray Seward ’10 were joined on the panel by current Wildcat parents Mara Cunningham, Kelly Regal, and Jillian Tirath as well as former NWSL soccer player Tori Huster and President and COO of the Atlanta Dream Morgan Shaw Parker.

Westminster Athletics looks forward to continuing these events and adding new traditions in the future! Go Cats!

Catching Up with Retired Faculty:

Betsy Spruill

By Jane Lauderdale Armstrong ’74

“Good! Good! You did it! Now let’s try it this way.” As far back as 1979, countless Westminster students can recall hearing those encouraging words from math teacher Betsy Spruill. A consummate professional in every capacity in which she served the School, Betsy’s unwavering belief in her students and genuine enthusiasm for their accomplishments instilled in each of them the self-assurance that they could master not only math equations but any challenge that came their way.

Betsy grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, a mining town of 20,000 people, 50 miles from Pittsburgh near the West Virginia border. She attended Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania, where she majored in math and minored in accounting, thinking she might want to work for an accounting firm. However, looking back, she realizes that the seeds for teaching had already been planted in her, as she was always teaching her four younger siblings and spent five summers as a Girl Scout camp leader. She received her master’s degree in mathematics at Purdue University, where she was a teaching assistant and taught calculus for three years. While her husband, Carl, was finishing his PhD in statistics, Betsy worked in the Purdue library as she took education courses and did her student teaching.

The Spruills moved to Atlanta with their son, Bob ’90, in tow when Carl took a position teaching statistics at Georgia Tech. After David ’92 was born two years later, Betsy taught for a while at a Jewish school where the students took their academic courses in the morning and had religious studies in the afternoon. With day care available next door and teaching duties finished by noon, it was the perfect arrangement for the young mother.

It was Carl’s boss at Georgia Tech who recommended Betsy to Westminster. She was hired to teach seventh grade algebra in the Boys Junior High—classes were still separated by gender at that time. She thoroughly enjoyed her experience working with many of Westminster’s outstanding teachers and coaches. Carl was invited back to Purdue as a visiting professor for a one-year appointment, so the Spruills packed up and moved to West Lafayette, Indiana, where they savored all the opportunities of living in a college community. When they returned to Atlanta, Betsy came back to Westminster, which had combined the boys and girls seventh grades and merged them with the sixth grade to create a new junior high structure.

At Westminster, Betsy found supportive colleagues and opportunities for personal growth.

She enjoyed getting to teach computer programming, which Pete Davenport, fellow stalwart of the Math Department, helped her through. Pete and Betsy were also the sponsors of MathCounts from its inception. “I loved MathCounts because the kids who volunteered for it were so anxious to learn, and it always paid off for us,” she recalls. The program continues to be highly successful as Westminster students regularly compete at the national level.

“Betsy Spruill was an excellent math teacher—one of several I was fortunate to have during my time at Westminster,” says Ryan Carlisle ’07, one of Betsy’s former students. “She had a sharp wit, wry humor, and clear passion for the material that came through in both the classroom and in MathCounts. I remember her enjoyment in bringing students through a problem to a clever solution, and I’m happy that so many students got to share that experience.”

For many years she coached seventh grade girls basketball with colleague Diane Holcombe. Her years of coaching were particularly rewarding as she saw girls have opportunities in sports that had not been available to her when she was growing up.

Ellen Fleming was also an important part of her Westminster experience.

She reminisces, “I loved working for Ellen. She was my favorite kind of boss. She left me alone to do what I wanted, but she was always cooperative and helpful when I needed her. Her smiling face brightened my day.”

When the position of Middle School director of studies opened up in 2003, Betsy’s keen mind and attention to detail made her the natural choice. “I loved getting to know and work with all of the faculty and the head of the school,” Betsy says. “I must admit that at times I had trouble getting everything done—that was the biggest challenge. I treated the scheduling part of my job as a many-step math problem that required several months in order to work out a solution.”

After retiring from Westminster in 2015, she came back several times to fill a gap or cover for faculty on parental leave. “I looked forward to it each time I was called,” she says—and she swears that the last time truly was the last! Since then, she and Carl have at last settled into doing the things they enjoy: eating out, watching sports on television, doing puzzles, and catching up on some long-past-due reading. They did get a bit of a surprise recently after taking in a homeless cat from their neighbor: unaware that the cat was pregnant when she came to live with them, they gained five kittens six weeks later!

Of course, they enjoy opportunities to visit their sons. Bob was working on Wall Street until COVID moved him out of his office and eventually out of New York City. He now works from home in Poughkeepsie, New York, doing the same job as before. David is in New Orleans, where he is hospitalist medical director at University Medical Center New Orleans at Tulane University School of Medicine.

Reflecting on Betsy’s years of selfless service to her students and colleagues, Pete Davenport summarizes her influence on Westminster in this way:

“Betsy Spruill was a foundational part of the Junior High Math Department and served as our resourceful leader for many years. She probably taught every math course that was offered in the Junior High, and she cared deeply about her students and the curriculum. She also teamed up with me to coach decades of math team participants, seeing numerous individual and team successes at tournaments and getting to serve as the Georgia team coach at several national MathCounts competitions.

When she took on the role of director of studies, we could always count on her to superbly handle the overall course schedule as well as the periodic weekly schedule changes throughout the year. Betsy and I both started teaching at Westminster in 1979, and I was fortunate to learn from her both as a mentor and a trusted colleague.”

Jane Lauderdale Armstrong ’74 is a lifelong Wildcat—alumna, teacher, and daughter of David Lauderdale, one of our School’s earliest faculty members. She combines her love for Westminster’s history and her penchant for the written word to write profiles about retired faculty members for each issue of Westminster Magazine.

From the Beck Archives:

The Many Chapters of Scott Hall

Vision

From the beginning, Westminster’s founding President, Dr. William Pressly, envisioned three buildings to be constructed on the School’s property off of West Paces Ferry Road, as reported on October 26, 1951, in the first issue of the School newspaper, The Westminster Tattler. The first building would house the Boys High School (grades 8 through 12), the next would be for the Girls High School (grades 8 through 12), and a third building—what we know today as Scott Hall—would house the younger students from pre-first through seventh grade. Alternately called the “Junior School” and the “Elementary Classroom Building,” it was scheduled to be constructed at the same time as the President’s residence on campus. Until these classroom buildings were constructed, students used the former North Avenue Presbyterian School buildings, located at 341 Ponce de Leon Avenue. In 1953, with the merger of Washington Seminary into the Westminster community, the high school students could use the newly completed Campbell Hall (for boys) and Askew Hall (for girls) at the West Paces Ferry campus, and the younger students attended classes in the buildings of the former Washington Seminary at 1640 Peachtree Street.

Construction

By Pamela Nye, Director of Archives

In 1954, construction began on a new home for the Junior School. As reported in October 1954, the “Junior School, of Georgian architecture, will be across the driveway from the two high school buildings. Its capacity will be 400 students; 200 in the lower school which consists of kindergarten through the third grade; and 200 in the middle school, fourth through seventh grades. There will be 16 classrooms, two principals’ offices, a cafeteriaassembly room combination, and art and music rooms. The building was designed by Francis M. Daves and Associates.” As part of the fundraising campaign during the 1954–55 school year, students were able to purchase bricks for the new school, and in March 1955, the Junior School students took part in a bricklaying ceremony.

Dedication

Scott Hall was named to honor Miss Emma Byron Scott, a Westminster Trustee and former head of Washington Seminary, which merged with Westminster in 1953. “Miss Emma,” as she was affectionately known by her students, received her education at Washington Seminary (Class of 1893), Harvard University, the Sorbonne, and in Madrid. She later taught at Washington Seminary until 1906, then served as co-principal of the school with her brother, Llewellyn Davis Scott, until his passing in 1939. From that point, she directed the school on her own until its merger with Westminster 14 years later.

As early as October 1953, the Washington Seminary Alumnae Association created the Emma Scott Portrait Fund to honor both Miss Emma and the 75th Anniversary of Washington Seminary. On April 27, 1954, Westminster hosted an Alumnae Day celebration for the alumnae of both the North Avenue Presbyterian School and Washington

EMMA SCOTT AS PICTURED IN THE 1950 WASHINGTON SEMINARY ANNUAL, FACTS AND FANCIES

Seminary. Former students traded stories with Miss Thyrza Askew and Miss Emma Scott, who were both present for the festivities. One of the highlights of the day was the unveiling of the Miss Emma Scott portrait, painted and presented to Westminster by Mrs. A. D. Adair Jr., the former Mary Virginia McConnell WS ’37. The eldest alumna present, Mrs. Mary Davis Reed of the Washington Seminary Class of 1885, had the honor of unveiling the portrait, destined to be hung in the entry hall of the new school building.

Emma Scott passed away on August 7, 1955, at the age of 80 years old, months before the building opened. At the dedication of the Emma Byron Scott Building on October 30, 1955, Dr. James R. McCain delivered the principal address with Dr. Vernon Broyles presiding over the ceremony and members of the Scott family in attendance.

Scott Hall Through the Years

On September 6, 1955, the Elementary School students and faculty began their school year in Scott Hall, which at that point was nearing completion. The Elementary School at that time was composed of the Lower School— kindergarten, first, second, and third grades—and the Middle School—fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh grades. It was the first time since Westminster had been incorporated that all of the Westminster Schools were located together on the West Paces Ferry Road campus.

In 1962–63, the seventh grade moved from Scott Hall into Askew and Campbell halls, combining with the eighth grade (then called sub-freshmen) to establish the Junior High School. With this, Westminster had “embarked on a new experiment in its educational program in order to create an atmosphere particularly suited for the social as well as the academic development of the seventh and eighth graders,” according to the 1963 Lynx.

In the fall of 1978, the pre-first students moved from Scott Hall to the newly renovated Tull Hall, the former boys’ dormitory, and the sixth grade grew from three sections to five. Two years later, a massive renovation of McLarty Hall, the former girls’ dormitory, was announced in order to shift grades 1 through 5, about 450 students, out of Scott Hall and into McLarty at the beginning of the next school year. In 1981, when the Irene and George Woodruff Elementary School opened in the renovated McLarty Hall, the sixth grade joined

the seventh and eighth grades to form the new Junior High School in Scott Hall; Jack Shields served as the first principal.

Situated at the heart of campus across from Pressly Hall, Scott Hall served as the lively home of Westminster’s Junior High students for more than two decades. During that time, the needs of the Junior High School’s students, faculty, and staff outgrew Scott Hall’s 27,000 square feet, as classes eventually came to be scattered across many buildings during the school day. The School’s 2002 Strategic Plan detailed plans for a new Junior High building—an innovative, unconventional space that would create the “ultimate instructional environment” for 550 students across more than 100,000 square feet. Construction began in summer 2004, and on August 18, 2005, the new Junior High building—named Clarkson Hall in 2014—was dedicated and opened, leaving Scott Hall to be repurposed for mostly administrative uses.

By the fall of 2007, Scott Hall housed the Department of Technology (now IT Services), the Dean of Faculty, the Center for Teaching, Odyssey, the Campus Store, and band music rooms. The next year, Upper School counselors moved in. A major renovation of Scott Hall followed in 2012 that allowed the Business and Finance Department, The Glenn Institute for Philanthropy and Service Learning, and the Music Technology Lab to take advantage of the space as well. In fall 2016, the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Services moved out of Pressly Hall and into Scott, while Odyssey and the counselors relocated into newly renovated spaces in Pressly.

With the opening of Barge Commons in 2021 and other renovations, many of the administrative and programmatic offices that had called Scott Hall home found new spaces elsewhere on campus. Over the past three years, Scott continued to house IT and the Campus Store, and some former classrooms were used as instructional and practice space for the School’s instrumental music programs. When The Blake Center opens on this site less than two years from now, this location will once again become a central hub of student and academic life, as Scott Hall was for nearly 50 years.

STUDENTS OUTSIDE SCOTT HALL IN THE LATE 1950s

Alumni News

Greetings, Wildcats!

The 2023–24 school year was full of special moments and accomplishments. There was a palpable energy on campus throughout the year, and it was exciting to watch our students, faculty, and administrators in action. From the Blessing of the Backpacks at the start of school to the Class of 2024 crossing the commencement stage in May, it was truly a year of discovery and achievement inside and outside the classroom.

Our broader alumni community has shared this same energy. Throughout the year, we saw strong engagement with our alumni events and programs, including our regional events in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Austin, as well as our annual Homecoming and Reunion Weekend events. I want to thank our team in the Office for Institutional Advancement (OIA) for their hard work in bringing these special experiences to life. Celebrating my 25th Reunion with my fellow ’99ers throughout Reunion Weekend was a personal highlight!

Our alumni boards and councils were also hard at work throughout the year. The Black Alumni Council continued to build momentum with impactful programming and initiatives. The BAC and OIA undertook a targeted fundraising effort in support of a new endowed scholarship fund established by The Wilbur & Hilda Glenn Family Foundation and named in honor of Westminster’s first five Black graduates— the “Fearless Firsts”—to provide ongoing scholarship support for underrepresented students.

Our Young Alumni Council introduced new opportunities for engagement, including the firstever College Preview Day, which provided current students an opportunity to network with alumni attending different colleges and universities. The Young Alumni Council also debuted a new series of industry-specific networking nights for alumni with an event for alums in the legal field.

Our Alumni Governing Board has been hard at work with an ambitious vision for the future. As I mentioned in my last letter to the Wildcat community, one of our goals this school year was to refresh our Alumni Strategic Plan to guide how we engage alumni, enhance student-alumni interactions, and create meaningful opportunities for networking and mentorship.

That started in the fall with the successful completion of our first Alumni Survey since 2016. I am delighted that more than 1,600 alumni shared their perspectives, with responses spanning all class years and geographies. This feedback has been invaluable as we have developed our new strategic plan through the spring. I look forward to sharing much more about our Alumni Survey results and the new Alumni Strategic Plan in the next edition of this magazine.

Let me close with words of gratitude for my fellow volunteer leaders. The members of the Alumni Governing Board, Black Alumni Council, and Young Alumni Council are incredibly generous in their support for our School and the broader alumni community. Their passion and vision power our efforts, and I am personally grateful for their help and counsel. Together we have developed an exciting vision for what’s possible in the 2024–25 academic year and beyond. I can’t wait to get started.

Andrew Blaisdell ’99 President, Alumni Governing Board

Alumni and Community Events

College Alumni Summer Send-Off July 27, 2023

The Student Alumni Council welcomed college-age alums back to campus to reconnect with each other before heading off to their respective college campuses across the country and the world! This new event for college Wildcats also serves to welcome the newest graduates—those just about to head off to college for the first time—into the Westminster Alumni Association.

Student Alumni Council Freshman Welcome August 14, 2023

The Student Alumni Council provided a friendly welcome to the Class of 2027 as they arrived on campus for their freshman orientation. SAC shared school spirit, guidance, and welcome gifts of Wildcat swag to the newest members of the Upper School.

Battle of Buckhead:

Black Alumni Council Press

Box Social

August 18, 2023

Current and past members of the Black Alumni Council spent time together for a casual pregame social in the McGahan Press Box at Alfred E. Thompson Stadium before the annual Battle of Buckhead rivalry matchup against Lovett. They cheered the Wildcats to a decisive 41–8 victory over the Lions.

Board and Council Press Box Social

September 22, 2023

Members of the Alumni Governing Board, Black Alumni Council, and Young Alumni Council gathered together to root for the Wildcats in a win against the Riverwood International Charter School Raiders after the Pigskin Picnic.

Pigskin Picnic September 22, 2023

More than 2,500 students, parents, and community members attended the Pigskin Picnic on Broyles Field, which featured food from Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, treats from Dippin’ Dots, and appearances by the JV cheerleaders, the Upper School Jazz Band, and a cappella groups MAC and WAC leading up to that night’s varsity football game in Thompson Stadium. WCAT was on the scene to cover the beloved schoolwide event.

Thanks to Our Alumni and Community Special Guests!

Every year there are several opportunities for alumni and other members of the Westminster community to come to campus and interact with current Wildcats as special guests in the classroom or judges for an event. This past November, members of the Alumni Governing Board, Black Alumni Council, and Young Alumni Council enjoyed judging the annual Middle School Science Fair alongside current faculty members. A few weeks later, a panel of alumni and parent “investors” joined the eighth grade Economics for Entrepreneurs class for the Shark Tank unit, where they observed student presentations, asked questions about the products the students had created, and provided feedback from an expert perspective. Thanks to all who participated for sharing their time and expertise! If you’re interested in participating in these or other programs, let us know! Email us at alumni@westminster.net to get started.

Alumni Admissions Sessions

September 26 and October 16, 2023

Over two sessions, more than 100 alumni interested in applying their children to Westminster gathered in Barge Commons to learn more about the School’s admissions process and tour the campus.

Young Alumni Happy Hour and Trivia Night

September 27, 2023

The Young Alumni Council hosted alums from the classes of 2009 to 2019 at Round Trip Brewing Co. for a trivia night to reconnect with each other and engage in friendly competition. Some of the Wildcat participants called back to their days on campus by naming their team “What JanTerm Were You In?”

Pressly Leadership Society Celebration

September 28, 2023

Westminster honored the generosity of members of our Pressly Leadership Society with an oncampus celebration. Board of Trustees Chair

Katharine Kelley ’82, President Keith Evans, and trustee Ira Jackson ’83 gave remarks on the newly named Murphy Plaza before the assembled alumni, parents, and friends of the School entered Barge Commons for dinner and live music.

Homecoming Dinner

October 6, 2023

Westminster alumni and their families came back to campus for the traditional Homecoming fried chicken dinner and football game. Guests of all ages enjoyed seeing friends old and new and catching up with fellow alums, while the littlest Wildcats enjoyed spirit activities with the cheerleaders before the football team took on the Stephenson Jaguars.

Breithaupt Athletic Hall of Fame

October 6, 2023

The 2023–24 Breithaupt Athletic Hall of Fame inductees were honored on Homecoming weekend with a pregame ceremony and an on-field appearance at halftime before a crowd of family, friends, coaches, and alumni to celebrate this remarkable accomplishment. This year’s class included Maggie Wellborn ’14 (softball), Nicole Stafford ’13 (swimming), Sahara Fletcher ’13 (cross country, track and field), former coach Leon Scott, and Mason Rooney Sutherland ’15 (volleyball) as well as Charlotte Butker ’11 (soccer, not pictured).

NYC Annual Alumni Reception

October 12, 2023

The New York Alumni Chapter hosted its annual alumni chapter reception at the Soho Grand Hotel in October. Wildcats in the New York area came together to hear School updates from President Evans, socialize, and strengthen their Westminster connections.

Black Alumni Council Homecoming Social

October 6, 2023

Since its introduction in 2022, the Black Alumni Council Homecoming Social has become a favorite tradition during Homecoming week. Last fall, dozens of Black Wildcat alums gathered in Pressly Hall’s Carlyle Fraser Library to reconnect and reminisce before heading over to the Homecoming dinner or the stadium for the football game.

Black Alumni Council Candid Cat

Conversation

November 9, 2023

Candid Cat Conversations are an opportunity for Black alumni to gather and share perspectives and insights from their time at Westminster. Dr. Toral Fadia P ’26 and Upper School Counselor Jeremiah Neal, LMHC, NCC, joined alumni attendees at the fall Candid Cat Conversation to share valuable perspectives, insights, and, where appropriate, strategies for healing.

Columns and Cornerstone Brunch

November 9, 2023

Members of our Columns and Cornerstone Societies gathered for brunch in the ballroom atop the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, where they heard from four remarkable Upper School students who are part of Westminster’s Fellows Program, a unique academic framework rooted in leadership development.

Wildcats Work: A Legal Networking Night

November 30, 2023

The Young Alumni Council hosted alumni and community members at King & Spalding for a legal networking night. Alumni guest speakers Mike Egan ’74 and Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren ’00 engaged in a fireside chat, moderated by Franklin Sacha ’08, to share the stories of their careers, discuss critical skills to succeed in the legal field, and provide guidance for young alumni pursuing careers within the legal space.

College Alumni Holiday Lunch and College Preview Day

December 15, 2023

The Student Alumni Council welcomed more than 100 college-age alumni back to campus for an opportunity to catch up with each other and see former teachers and coaches. The lunch featured raffle items, a campus update from President Evans, and a new program called College Preview Day, which allowed the returning college alumni to showcase their experiences and share tips with current students exploring colleges and universities.

Class Notes

From travel to making connections to exciting career moves, Westminster alumni never sit still. Read on to find out what your fellow Wildcats have been up to! Visit westminster.net/classnews to join in and submit your updates for the next issue.

This issue reflects class news submitted by January 15, 2024.

1958

Allen Lockerman III celebrated with his granddaughter, Mason Rooney Sutherland ’15, as she was inducted into the 2023 Breithaupt Athletic Hall of Fame at Westminster. Both Allen and Mason share the honor of being inductees, for swimming and volleyball, respectively. They are pictured here with alumni family and friends, including Elizabeth Lockerman Rooney ’84, Peter Rooney Sr. ’80, Peter Rooney Jr. ’18, Allen Lockerman IV ’87, and current students Cate Lockerman ’25 and Lauren Lockerman ’28.

1962

Bill Pressly’s seventh, and last, book, America’s Paper Money: A Canvas for an Emerging Nation, is on open access and can be downloaded for free from the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press website (scholarlypress.si.edu). Bill writes, “I bought my first piece of American paper currency when I was eleven. In my second childhood, I decided to revisit my first. Thomas Wolfe was wrong: you can go home again.”

1963

Ken Fisher Gearon writes, “A group of alumni gathered together to enjoy lunch: pictured are Guerry Morris Redmond ’62, Lynne Akin Vickers, Wally Gay Hills, Flossie Collins Mobley, Ken Fisher Gearon, Shelby Mills Neely, and Jane Cocke Black.”

1967

Wesleyan School (a K–12 Christian school of 1,200 students in Peachtree Corners, Georgia) recently announced the renaming of its fine arts building for Sharon and Matt Cole ’67 for the impact of their love, generosity, and leadership in all aspects of the school. The building is now Sharon and Matt Cole Hall. Sharon attended Westminster in elementary school and was a member of the first pre-first class on the West Paces Ferry Road campus before her family moved to Charlotte after her fifth grade year. Matt, from Newnan, was a dorm student at Westminster and later taught in the summer school. Matt joined Wesleyan in 1998, retired from Wesleyan in 2018, and joined the board of Wesleyan in 2022. He played an essential role in building out the 87-acre campus in Peachtree Corners, where the school moved from Sandy Springs in 1996. His career at Wesleyan included roles as executive vice president of development, teacher of modern European

history, and college counselor. He also assumed many other roles, both official and unofficial, in service to Wesleyan students. Matt’s greatest joy was as a mentor to 10th through 12th grade students. Whenever he could help a student, he did.

Matt is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, where he received the Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his Wesleyan career, he worked in leadership roles for two Fortune 500 firms. Sharon is a summa cum laude honors graduate of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. They live in the Peachtree Hills area of Buckhead. They have two children, Martha and Lewis.

1968

Martha Thwaite Weeks writes, “Tidewater Tempest, the third in my Tidewater Series, came out June 8, 2021, under my author name, M. Z. Thwaite. My husband, Steve, and I continue to love the slow pace and every beautiful day here in the lowcountry of Beaufort, South Carolina.”

1969

Ren Davis writes, “My wife, Helen, and I continue to gather frequently (in person or on Zoom) with other ‘Westie’ 1969 classmates and their spouses. The group includes David Moore and his wife, Mary; Bill Millkey and wife, Jean; Clay Montague and Wendy Hurd Montague ’71; Ike and Margaret McKever Cobb; Richard Patterson and Georgia Hightower Patterson,

and Eric Harris and wife, Sharon. We have also recently reconnected with ’69 classmate Marc Davis. We continue to work on book projects and have a manuscript with the University of Georgia Press. If all goes well, it should be released in early 2025.

“The most exciting news is about our son, Nelson Davis. In May, his company, Analytic Vizion, was chosen by Inc. Magazine as one of the country’s ‘Best Places to Work’ for 2023. In the fall, he was honored by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association as a member of its ‘40 Under 40’ class for 2023. He and his wife, Alyson, have blessed us with four active grandsons who love sports and school. We stay busy attending games and school activities.”

“It’s the easiest money you’ll ever give.” – David Martin ’72

As a way to honor his family’s Westminster experience, David Martin ’72 made a bequest to the School in a will codicil. Join David and others who have created a lasting legacy by exploring the possibilities of planned giving on our updated website.

SPOTLIGHT: JARRETT STIEBER ’07

Big honors for innovative Little Bear chef

Jarrett Stieber opened Little Bear, a cozy restaurant in Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood known for its eclectic, locally sourced fare and cheeky sense of humor, in February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic shutdown. Little Bear operated as a takeout restaurant for more than a year, reopening its doors to patrons in May 2021. The front window has long boasted “Michelin Tire Dining,” with two and a half Michelin tires displayed, but in 2023, Little Bear was recognized by the actual Michelin Guide with two awards: a Bib Gourmand—a nod for establishments serving good food at moderate prices—and the Michelin Guide Atlanta Young Chef Award for Jarrett.

1970

While being recognized by Michelin in their inaugural Atlanta installment is a huge honor in any regard, Jarrett says, he is especially proud of Little Bear’s accolades because of how the restaurant commanded the guide’s attention through sheer merit. “Our business is tiny: a 30-seat neighborhood restaurant with limited budget and resources, no PR/ marketing team, and as small a staff as any kitchen in town,” Jarrett says, “yet, despite not changing any aspects of our daily operations in pursuit of Michelin recognition, Little Bear earned these designations by being uniquely ourselves, no matter what.”

Helen Funk McSwain writes, “My sister Florrie Funk ’71 and I took a trip to see Tanea Rondon Quintanilha in her island home of Florianópolis, Brazil. We had a great week traveling and reminiscing about the year that she lived with our family and attended Westminster as our exchange student. She is still the most kind and beautiful girl that she was in 1970.”

1975

Linda Marine Spock writes, “ Cindy Newberry Martin and I had a surprise reunion at the Bristol, Maine, library, where Cindy was doing a book talk to help launch her latest novel, Love Like This . Cindy was visiting a graduate school friend of hers in the area, having no idea I now live full-time in the neighboring town of South Bristol.”

Jarrett credits his time at Westminster for shaping his innately curious, studious, and creative nature, which has allowed him to be a successful cook, restaurateur, and boss. His hope, now that the Michelin Guide has officially arrived in Atlanta, is that the overall quality of the city’s food scene will grow year after year as restaurants push themselves to remain competitive and cooks from all over the Southeast move here to pursue employment in high-pedigreed establishments.

Follow Jarrett on instagram at littlebearatl or visit littlebearatl.com to learn more.

1977

Jim Lynn, with wife Carol, writes, “Christmas made even more joyous by the birth of our first grandchild, Samuel James Lynn! Born to parents Moriah and Elliott of New York.”

1978

Elizabeth Goldsmith Musser writes, “Paul and I have recently celebrated 41 years with our global nonprofit organization, One Collective, where we are involved in pastoral care for our colleagues around the world. I’m also celebrating 30 years of publishing ‘entertainment with a soul,’ inspirational historical fiction, and am thick into writing my 14th novel, which takes place in France during World War II. We continue to split our time between Rochetaillée-sur-Saône, a village outside of Lyon, France, and Flintstone, Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, near our older son and daughter-in-law and five grandkids. Our younger son and his wife live in Washington, DC. We are grateful for this season in our lives.”

1982

Susan Stribling writes, “After nearly 15 years together, David Woodham ’81 and I were married on July 13, 2023, at Jao Camp in Botswana. It was my 20th safari and David’s sixth. Our magical wedding—which was held in the magnificent Okavango Delta—included personal vows, bubbles, cocktails, music, hors d’oeuvres, and a glorious sunset. We returned to our tented villa in camp for more cocktails around a roaring fire, followed by dinner and a beautiful performance by the Jao Camp choir. David and I have known each other since I was a Westminster seventh grader and he was an eighth grader. I can’t imagine our reactions in 1976 if someone had told us we’d be married 47 years later!”

1989

George Lane and his wife, Joie, took a trip to Portugal in July. They also drove into Spain, where George was finally able to use the Spanish he learned in Ms. Kelly’s class all those years ago.

1997

After 26 years, Commander Bobby Rashad Jones, United States Navy, retired from active duty service at a ceremony held at Morehouse College on September 22, 2023. His career started in Annapolis in 1997 and ended in Atlanta, surrounded by the people whose love and support sustained him throughout. From playing Navy football to participating in the global war on terrorism, it has been quite the ride. He looks forward to spending more time with his lovely wife, Lauren, and his two daughters, AmyMarie and Josie, and pursuing an advanced degree at the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs). He writes, “Thank you, Westminster Family, for your prayers and support!”

2001

Stewart Caughman writes, “My incredible wife, Whitfield, threw a Top Gun: Maverick –themed surprise 40th birthday party where I was able to celebrate the milestone with friends, family, and a bunch of amazing Wildcats.”

Westminster alumni in photo: Reid Childers, Charles Griffin, Kathleen Poe Ross, Shirah Caughman Dunphy ’97, Stan Overby, Ellen Persons, Fielding Smith Martin ’97, Charlie Yates ’02 , Emily Poe Boyer ’97 , Deborah Perling Caughman ’06 , Ryan Baldwin , Michael Hertz , Stewart Caughman , Chris Caughman ’06 . Not pictured: Chris Anthony and Jim Hobart .

2006

Catherine Butsch Villarreal writes: “In my role as director of communications at the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH), I helped Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times with his November 2023 column, ‘Here’s How Houston Is Fighting Homelessness–and Winning.’ In fact, I (accidentally) appear in the background of the lead photo published with the online version of the column. In my role at CFTH, I also helped New York Times journalist Michael Kimmelman with his widely read June 2022 article ‘How Houston Moved 25,000 People From the Streets Into Homes of Their Own.’”

2007

Alex Flowers has been selected to be a member of the Emerging 100 of Atlanta, the official young professional auxiliary of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta Inc. Composed of high-achieving Black men between the ages of 25 and 35, the Emerging 100 of Atlanta serve as role models to the community and enhance the mentoring and tutoring programs of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta Inc. After graduating from Westminster, Alex majored in business administration at Morehouse College and earned his MBA from Liberty University. Alex joined the Air Force ROTC while at Morehouse and secured a pilot slot in the U.S. Air Force, where he spent 11 years flying multiple aircraft and was promoted to the rank of major. He was most recently hired as a first officer at Delta Air Lines in Atlanta, flying the Boeing 717.

2015

Mason Rooney Sutherland joined her grandfather Allen Lockerman III ’58 in Westminster’s Breithaupt Athletic Hall of Fame.

Retired Faculty

More than 100 friends and family members gathered recently in Newnan, Georgia, to celebrate longtime third grade teacher Andrea Harrison’s 90th birthday. She is pictured with six children (along with their spouses), 14 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

SPOTLIGHT: JENNIFER STUMM ’97

Shining a light on undiscovered musical talent

In her travels around the world as a concert soloist, Vienna-based violist Jennifer Stumm was often struck by how frequently she encountered young people with brilliant talent who lacked the opportunity to realize it. In 2015, she founded Ilumina (“It shines a light” in Portuguese), a social equity and innovation project based in São Paulo, Brazil, working to change outcomes for diverse talent from urban and rural peripheries: places where equal access simply doesn’t exist.

In its first decade, the project has grown to be one of Latin America’s largest classical music festivals, every year uniting world-leading artists and thinkers with top young talent—chosen via YouTube audition—on an organic coffee farm.

“Together we ask hard questions, grow, and expect results that will challenge and enlighten us,” Jennifer says. “Many of the most courageous people I’ve ever known are part of our ecosystem, and it’s been the privilege of my life to be a part of it.”

Each year Ilumina provides concerts free of charge to 10,000 people, many of whom have never seen an instrument played live, and thousands of young people participate in Ilumina’s digital projects. An impressive 80 percent of Ilumina’s young artists have gone on to study at elite conservatories. In 2024, Ilumina will grow to include tech and innovation at the festival, continue a multiyear project with NASA that explores how thinking like an artist can help solve social challenges, and perform concerts on four continents.

“Talent doesn’t choose where it’s born,” Jennifer says. “The problem is not invisible talent; it’s invisible doors. When we shine a light of equity and inclusion, the resulting creativity and innovation is world changing.”

Follow Ilumina on instagram at iluminamusic or visit iluminamusic.com to learn more about the project.

Marriages

Congratulations to all Wildcats celebrating recent marriages!

1982

Susan Stribling and David Woodham ’81

July 13, 2023

2009

Allison Kennington and William Powers ’07

January 7, 2024

2010

Margaret Kent and Matthew Armstrong

December 16, 2023

2009

Alicia Bissonnette and Robbie Ottley

October 7, 2023

December 17, 2022

November 12, 2022

2012

Caroline James and Charles DeLoach

September 30, 2023

2015

June 24,

2011

Kelley Killorin and Wes Edwards

2012

Madison Prince and Graham Hill

Anna Redd and Corbin Blakey

2023

Births and Adoptions

Welcome to the Wildcat family, new additions!

1997

Bode Francis Krieger, June 26, 2023

Son of Carolyn Krieger

2003

2001

Catherine Baker Bullock, November 24, 2023

Daughter of Sydney Mathis Bullock and Ben Bullock

Elizabeth Weldon Padgett, September 25, 2023

Daughter of Elizabeth and Wesley Padgett

Emily “Emmy” Grace Nichols, November 15, 2023

Daughter of Jacqueline Eckert Nichols and John Nichols

2003

Thomas Hunter Spencer, October 17, 2023

Son of Christy Chorey Spencer and Clay Spencer

2006

David Michael Wolf, October 20, 2024

Son of Mattie and Dan Wolf

2009

Ari Kahn Nayak, October 5, 2023

Son of Rebecca Kahn and Rahul Nayak

2010

William “Bridges” Barrett, August 23, 2023

Son of Hillary Bridges Barrett and Will Barrett

2010

Hudson James Monagle, October 29, 2023

Son of Caroline Gwynn Monagle and Sean Monagle

In Memoriam

We extend our deepest sympathies to the members of the Westminster community who have recently lost a loved one. Included in these listings are immediate family members of the deceased who graduated from or attended Washington Seminary, NAPS, or Westminster.

This issue reflects deaths reported or received by March 22, 2024. Family listings may not be comprehensive.

NAPS Alumnae

1942

Frances Felder Harkins, January 17, 2024

1951

Joan Gossett Palmer, December 7, 2023

Washington Seminary Alumnae

1945

Nelda Brantley Fancher Burke, November 11, 2023

1945

Anne Harrison Webber, March 2, 2024

1950

Mary Leigh Hendee Furrh, December 22, 2023

1951

Jane Eastland Edmunds, December 31, 2023

1952

Margaret “Teenie” Haverty Harland, December 7, 2023

Mother of Clare Harland Hobart (former faculty)

Westminster Alumni

1954

Rose Mary Thornton Dennis, February 22, 2024

1959

James “Jimmy” D. Fluker Jr., October 6, 2023

1964

Polly Sharp Cathcart , February 12, 2024

1965

Milton W. Brannon, February 12, 2024

Brother of Carole Brannon Mason ’60; father of Sarah Brannon Dozier ’92 and Mary “Weesie” Brannon Floss ’93

1967

Lillian Deakins Clarke, November 26, 2023

Sister of Dorothy Deakins Chandler ’69

1968

John Franklin Anderson, September 14, 2023

Brother of Emily Anderson Tillman ’62 and Paul Anderson ’66

1970

Jim Withers, November 10, 2022

Brother of John C. Withers ’73

1974

Debbie Clay Cosgrove, February 19, 2024

Becky McDonough, January 6, 2024

Sister of Josephine McDonough ’73, Tad McDonough ’77, Wight McDonough Mixon ’79, and Stewart McDonough ’82

Jim Russell, January 5, 2024

1979

Karen Ann Plowden Smith, April 30, 2023

Sister of John Plowden ’75

1988

Katie Fisher, October 21, 2023

2023

Fletcher Fogle, January 25, 2024

Son of Robin and Evander Fogle ’90

Westminster Community Members

Walter L. Allen, September 29, 2023

Father of Robert “Huntley” Allen ’78

Scott Arnold , October 24, 2023

Father of Jenny Arnold ’94, Jack Arnold ’98, Patrick Arnold ’01, and Beanie Arnold ’04

Janice Rothschild Blumberg , February 21, 2024

Mother of Bill Rothschild ’66

Don Bomgardner, January 30, 2024

Father of Julie Bomgardner Smith ’79 and Kristi Bomgardner Canaan ’85

Nancy Bromley, October 22, 2023

Mother of Tyler Bromley ’98 and Eric Bromley ’02

Scott Edwards, January 12, 2024

Husband of Elizabeth Smith Edwards ’08

Daisy Alman Ellis, November 20, 2023

Mother of Marie Ellis Murdaugh ’77 and Nancy Ellis Riggs ’81

Hanson Farmer, December 13, 2023

Father of Hank Farmer ’03 and Josie Farmer Fox ’06

Dorothy “Dottie” Ingraham Fluker, December 21, 2023

Wife of Jimmy Fluker Jr. ’59

Nancy Gallant , October 30, 2023

Mother of Maggie Gallant Isenberg ’97

Sam Hagan (former faculty), March 3, 2024

Jacqueline “Jackie” Henry, March 6, 2024

Mother of Justin Henry ’01

John Paul Ingram, September 24, 2023

Son of Libby Ralston Ingram ’89

Bob Jones, December 7, 2023

Father of Bobby Rashad Jones ’97 and Brandon Jones ’01

Norman King , September 27, 2023

Father of Mike Taylor ’81

Ralph King , November 8, 2023

Father of Alison King Grippo ’01

Martha Kollme, April 12, 2023

Mother of Barrett Kollme ’84, Doug Kollme ’86, and Chris Kollme ’89

Sidney Kollme, June 30, 2023

Father of Barrett Kollme ’84, Doug Kollme ’86, and Chris Kollme ’89

Harry Lee Lloyd (retired faculty), October 12, 2023

Father of Brad Lloyd ’75, Patrick A. Lloyd ’77, and Russell Lloyd ’82

Doris G. Malaspina (retired faculty), November 5, 2023

Mother of Paul Malaspina ’77 and Mark A. Malaspina ’87

John Martin, March 10, 2024

Father of Jim Martin ’01

David Minnix , January 4, 2024

Husband of Elizabeth Hagan Minnix ’97

Louise W. Moreland , March 28, 2023

Sister of Eugenia P. Wattles (retired faculty); mother of Laura Moreland Reynolds ’94

Kemie Nix (former faculty), March 22, 2024

Mother of Mary Evelyn Nix Hollowell ’82 and John Nix ’87

Mark O’Brien, October 20, 2023

Father of Blake O’Brien ’04 and Connor O’Brien

Carol Overend , November 22, 2023

Mother of Bill Overend ’89, David Overend ’92, and Catherine Overend Stewart ’01

Harrison Reeves, October 23, 2023

Father of Nancy Reeves Mansfield ’71, Susan Reeves

Zimmerman ’72, Walton H. Reeves Jr. ’75, Carol Reeves Morgan ’77, and Charles Q. Reeves ’81

Herbert “Herbie” Rivers, January 3, 2024

Father of Alden Rivers Potts ’97 and Rafe Rivers ’01

Hema Tushar Sanghvi, October 17, 2023

Mother of Ami Kadaba (Lower School faculty)

Buck Shamburger, October 25, 2023

Father of Ellis L. Shamburger III ’75 and Denton

Shamburger ’88

Thomas Clyde Shepherd Sr., October 28, 2023

Son of Alana Shepherd NAPS ’47

Beth Stanford (retired faculty), November 24, 2023

Mother of John Stanford ’94 and Molly Stanford Hudson ’99

John Meade Stone, October 24, 2023

Son of Mary Elizabeth Warren Stone ’01

Marcos Suero, November 3, 2023

Husband of Dena Woodhams Suero ’02

John A. Wallace (emeritus trustee), November 15, 2023

Father of Michael Wallace ’91

James “Jimmy” Williams (emeritus trustee), January 23, 2024. Father of Ellen Williams White ’76, Beth Williams Bean ’79, and Bryan Williams ’87

Worth 1,000 Words

Thousands of students, faculty, and alumni have enjoyed the Quad over the years. Whether under spring blooms or fall leaves, this space has been a great place to gather, hold events, and provide an inspiring environment for academics. As construction begins on The Blake Center, we look forward to unveiling a new Quad in 2026!

Whether you are an employer looking to hire, a job seeker, or simply interested in expanding your professional contacts, the Westminster Career Network on LinkedIn will help you make the most of your alumni connections. Our goal is to support the professional growth of Wildcats across the globe by providing career development resources, programs, and opportunities for alumni to connect. Be on the lookout for more industry-specific networking events to come!