Viewpoint Magazine - Fall 2015

OUT OF MANY, ONE COMMUNIT Y

VOLUME 16 / NUMBER 2 / FALL 2015

VIEWPOINT

ANNUAL

FUND 201 5 –1 6

MISSION STATEMENT VIEWPOINT SCHOOL is a welcoming, vibrant, and

collaborative community that offers a challenging and enriched college preparatory education in a nurturing environment for students in Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade. The School embraces students and families from diverse cultures of the world and teaches the history and wisdom of these traditions.

VIEWPOINT INSPIRES a love of learning and develops

those qualities which provide strength and direction for a lifetime. The School promotes among its students respect, integrity, responsibility, and optimism.

THE SCHOOL CELEBRATES its love of country by

commemorating our nation’s holidays and honoring its finest traditions. Viewpoint affirms in its assemblies and programs the ethical principles inherent in all religions.

VIEWPOINT’S STUDENTS learn the importance of

service to others and to the greater community with the expectation that this introduction becomes a lifelong commitment.

VIEWPOINT RECOGNIZES the uniqueness of each

child and is committed to the preservation and development of that individuality.

Photo captions for the cover: Top row (left to right): Angelina Habis ’27, Head of Primary School Cathy Adelman, and James Faulhaber ’26; James Faulhabler ’26 and Hannah Hoseini ’25; Hannah Hoseini ’25 and Ronak Jondial ’24 Second row (left to right): Ronak Jondial ’24 and Madison Nadelenco ’23; Madison Nadelenco ’23 and Steve Heroux ’22; Steve Heroux ’22 and Gracie Schecter ’21 Third row (left to right): Gracie Schecter ’21, Head of School Mark McKee, and Andres Concha ’20; Julia Kushell ’19 and Andres Concha ’20; Julia Kushell ’19 and Campus Safety Manager Simeon Cooper Bottom row (left to right): Myca Camacho ’18 and Winnie Liu ’17; Winnie Liu ’17 and Gianni Uba ’16; Gianni Uba ’16 and Liza Wong ’15

&

YOUR FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT GIFT

DWORKOSKI

LEGACY

FUND 30 YEARS 3,000 STUDENTS

$3 million to build our west campus athletic field FALL

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inside FALL 2015

44 The Silver Key Awards 46 Fine Arts of the Year AT HLE TICS 48 From the Athletic Director 50 Athletics: Winter and Spring 2015 51 Supporting Our Student Athletes on the Path to College Athletics

ADVANCING VIE WPOINT ’S MISSION 52 Out of Many, One Vision

50

Girls Soccer Athletics 2015 LOVE OF LEARNING 2 Letter from Head of School 3 All-School Convocation 4 Technology: K through College 12 Share Your Work:

Predicting March Madness Results

IN OUR CAN Y ON 14 Out of Many, One Community 16 Student Shadowing: A New Appreciation for the Life of a Middle School Student

17 A Walk through Middle School 18 My Day as a Middle Schooler 20 A Walk through the New Primary School

21 Why do the Primary and Lower

School Students Want to Lose Their Teeth at School?

22 The Reach and Grasp of the Facilities Department

23 Facilities Statistics 24 The Staff that Rarely Sleeps 25 Campus Safety: Ambassadors … and the National Guard

COLLEGE COUNSELING 54 Putting Philosophy into Action 55 Meet Brooke Smith – the New Associate Director of College Counseling

26 Being a Division Head 27 College Counseling: Finding

56 Beyond Viewpoint – College

27 28 29 30 31 31 32

CELEBR ATE! 58 Congratulations to the Class of 2015 64 Eighth Grade Commencement

the Right Fit

Admission: Welcoming Families Teaching the Mind and the Spirit Coaches: Athletics at Every Level The Parents A Community for Everyone The Librarians The VSSA: Viewpoint Parents Joining Together

33 E Pluribus Unum 34 Grow Beyond with the Garden Club

Matriculation List

DIR EC TION F OR A L IFE TIM E 66 Alumni Events 68 Farewell to Greg Armbrister, Jan DeSal, and Debbie McDonald

70 Congratulations to the Class of 2011 77 Class Notes 80 Contributors

34 The Smaller Members of Our Community

35 36 38 39

Monarch Waystation

VIE WPOINT O N T HE W E B

The Viewpoint Garden Club Download: Mark McKee Download: Jennifer Kirchmann

AR T S 40 FOCUS ON MUSIC – A Not So Quiet Gem

42 Spring Productions

Photo captions: Left page: Matthew Johnston ’15 This page: Alyssa Hinojosa ’16

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Letter from the HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Friends and Families of Viewpoint,

W Photo: Bill Youngblood

hen I first met Viewpoint School in the search process, I was struck by a particular refrain. In the document that described the 12 members of the search committee, each of the brief bios ended with the same sentence, naming the year each family had “joined Viewpoint’s community.” For example, “The McKee family joined Viewpoint’s community in 2015.” The cumulative effect of this repetition was powerful for me, telling me something important about Viewpoint and inspiring my curiosity. But what is Viewpoint’s community?

During the ensuing weeks and months, a picture emerged of what makes Viewpoint special.

Every independent school celebrates its close relationships, but Viewpoint made a claim in its community self-portrait to a “powerfully felt culture,” including surprising particular qualities – such as support, kindness, patriotism, and optimism – in addition to those which I expected, excellence and love of learning. This picture from this self-description came to life as I met many of you who read this, as I heard stories from numerous parents, students, and teachers about what this place has meant to them and has done for our children.

Early in my career, I faced a crossroads, and I chose to stay in schools and assume roles of leadership, rather than pursue teaching in academia, because of my enduring belief in the power of community and culture. This belief has motivated my work, and it is this power that I felt from my very first day at Viewpoint and that I see enhancing the teaching and learning every day since. Teachers and parents know one another and together know the students well, truly caring for each individual. I’ve seen it now myself, in more corners of the campus than I can count. It is a challenge to sustain that connection across a community of over 1,200 students, over 300 employees, and all of their families, and yet Viewpoint works that magic each day, through cherished traditions, a singular mission, strong core values, and that “powerfully felt culture.” As a well-known business maxim goes, “Culture eats strategy for lunch.”

And as much as I am a big believer in strategic thinking, I know just as well that the work we do to develop our culture is critical to our success.

One of my favorite quotations, from E.M. Forster, is also one of the shortest: “Only connect.” We are blessed at Viewpoint, to connect with individuals of distinctive talents, individuals with stories of personal excellence that fill the pages of this issue of Viewpoint magazine. I have the joy and privilege of getting to know each one and the contributions they make that amaze me each day.Yet together, out of the many people at Viewpoint – teachers, students, staff, parents, administrators, and extended family and friends of excellence and distinction – we form one Viewpoint community. We are individuals of amazing achievement – league playoff victories, virtuoso performances on stage and screen, awards in robotics, math, and creative writing – and yet we share one purpose, one commonly shared set of values, summed up in a mission and a cheer: Go Patriots!

Yours in connection and community,

Mark J. McKee Head of School

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ALL-SCHOOL CONVOCATION On September 4, the students in Grades Kindergarten through Twelve filled the Paul Family Athletic Center for Viewpoint’s first All-School Convocation to launch the 201516 school year. Following a procession of Viewpoint’s youngest students from the new Primary School, more than 1,400 students, faculty, and staff gathered together to hear the warm and welcoming remarks of new Head of School, Mark McKee.

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learning LOVE OF

key words / concepts / understandings

“ Our goal is to integrate technology so naturally that by the time our youngest students are in Upper School, they will be using the skills they have gained with the latest tools available to pursue their passions, solve problems, and create projects that ideally serve a noble purpose.”

– Daryl Thrasher, Director of Information Technology

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TECHNOLOGY KProviding THROUGH COLLEGE: Infrastructure and Learning Technologies for the 21st Century Following articles on pages six through eleven by Daryl Thrasher, Director of Information Technology

Introduction by Monica Case ’90, Associate Director of Communications

V

iewpoint’s Director of Information Technology, Daryl Thrasher, can only be described as a force of nature. He is passionate about the potential of technology in education, and he is an irrepressible supporter of Viewpoint and its mission to inspire a love of learning in our students.

DRIVEN BY THIS PASSION, Daryl has worked relentlessly for the last 13 years to ensure that the technology at Viewpoint is exceptional in the world of K-12 independent schools. Daryl’s zeal for his task is that of a missionary, and he is determined that Viewpoint meets the specific technological needs of all of students, from the children in Kindergarten learning to read, to our Upper School students who are choosing to immerse themselves in projects typically seen at a college level.

“I ESSENTIALLY GREW UP IN A MAKER SPACE. In our house my closet was converted to hold a tool bench, the basement was a workshop, and the garage was a place a mechanic would admire,” Daryl explained. “My father was an executive and an electrical engineer, and we spent our time together building things: go carts, radios, and home additions. My father also believed that computers were the future, and he advised that I take typing and any computer science course offered. By the time I went to college

to study business, psychology, and religion, I was already the go-to tech guy for both my college and the social services organizations where I volunteered. This continued in graduate school, where my technology skills were put to good use in my research and analysis as a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology.”

DARYL ULTIMATELY LEFT HIS DOCTORAL PROGRAM for a career at a software company and later as a consultant. While he was successful, he was unfulfilled. Daryl continued, “I always loved technology, but not just for technology’s sake alone, but also for how it could be used to help people overcome obstacles. I also loved clinical research, because I felt that the work was directly related to a greater good. At Viewpoint, I found a place where I could bring these interests together.”

SINCE JOINING VIEWPOINT SCHOOL, Daryl has methodically sought to create the best program possible for our students at every age, and he has worked with the teachers and administrative staff to make technology an integral part of the curriculum. He believes that there is a great advantage in being a K-12 school that provides a comprehensive technology program designed to develop students’ skills and sophistication with technology from the beginning.

DARYL’S VISION FOR VIEWPOINT COMES TO LIFE through the hard work of the entire Information Technology Department staff, who spend their days traveling across campus to support the needs and activities of our students and teachers. ■ FALL

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Technology: K through College

Alexa Jeong ’25 and Matthew Alpert ’25 working with Jesse Guerrero

Jesse Guerrero specializes in conference room presentation and learning space technology design and installation. This includes the management of our SMART Boards, Epson interactive projectors, flat 10 touch screen solutions, document cameras, Air playing, and the streaming of all of our Apple, Windows, Android, and other devices. He carefully researches and evaluates products that enhance learning, can be easily implemented, and are ready for future technology. Jesse is a project manager and jack-of-alltrades and enthusiastically steps in, with his affable personality, whenever and wherever there is a need.

OUT OF MANY—

Designing and Supporting an Educational Technology Ecosystem “OUT OF MANY” DESCRIBES OUR unique Kindergarten through collegelevel educational technology ecosystem.

The School’s senior administrative team takes into account information gained from the input of all school constituencies, as well as from visits to schools across the country, ranging from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade Twelve to universities. We also take advantage of other professional development opportunities. For example, Apple recently hosted school representatives at their headquarters for an Executive Educational Briefing. Based on our evaluation of evidence-based best practices, we collaborate to create and maintain a continually-evolving learning technology design.

It is perhaps noteworthy that in the 1960s when a group of parents sought to create

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”one community” called Viewpoint School, Professor Seymour Papert at the MIT Lab was pioneering the idea of computers in the classroom and pairing it with Piaget’s constructivist learning theory.

The constructivist philosophy prioritizes active rather than passive learning – it is learning through doing, rather than teaching by telling. “It states that building knowledge occurs best through building things that are tangible and shareable” (Ackerman et al., 2009: 56).

Professor Papert’s vision is that “… the child programs the computer and, in doing so, both acquires a sense of mastery over a piece of the most modern and powerful technology and establishes intimate contact with some of the deepest concepts of science, mathematics, and the art of intellectual model building.”

These once-radical ideas now form the basis of much contemporary brainbased pedagogy, and provides a good foundation for understanding one of the guiding philosophies of Viewpoint’s educational technology. People often associate technology with being passive. On the contrary, technology unleashes students’ potential to be active learners, design thinkers, and creative collaborative problem-solvers like never before. From the use of interactive surfaces in every educational space on campus to the creation and manipulation of virtual worlds, technology allows creativity to shine at Viewpoint. With the discovery of new uses for technology every day by students and teachers, the learning landscape continues to evolve dramatically. ■

Kieran Koehnlein, the Client Support Manager and Innovation Specialist, sees the role of the IT Department as one that aims to “foster and provide a seamless and unobtrusive use of technology in the classrooms, as well as to promote self-sufficiency and technological literacy.”

To that end, Kieran can be found helping students and faculty with coding, Linux, Photoshop, SketchUp, 3D printing, and robotics. Kieran also instructs students in David Martin’s Electronics class in basic electronics using Arduino Computers and the Arduino Integrated Development Environment.

Kieran Koehlein and Avalon Aragon ’19

FINDING CONFIDENCE and Gaining Skills IF YOU HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED A PRIMARY School assembly, you are missing one of the greatest examples of what makes Viewpoint exceptional.

Kindergartners, in the first few months of school, are already performing on the stage of the Carlson Family Theater in front of an audience of 400. How does this relate to technology? Like performing on stage, opportunity and access directly impact aptitude and confidence when using technology. Most students arrive at school as digital natives, excited to use technology in their learning. Therefore, we have invested in iPads for every classroom in Primary School.

In a short time, Kindergartners are enthusiastically using technology tools to develop skills and knowledge in a variety of subjects at an impressive pace.

Technology is used to reinforce and to enhance the same skills being taught through phonics, reading, spelling, mathematics, and World Language apps, to name just a few. Technology is also used for differentiated learning, where students can either be assisted or challenged across skill levels with software like Rosetta Stone or IXL Math. Students are exposed at the youngest ages to specific technology skills, such as MIT’s Scratch programming and Google's code. org, where they design and create their own unique games. This technology integration at the earliest ages is shown to reduce the gender gap related to STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math). ■

Harrison Standridge ’21, William Parker ’21, Keith Carr, Valen Dunn ’21, and Ethan Schreier ’21

Keith Carr’s work as the lead of Visual Media Services takes him both behind and in front of the camera. He provides Apple product support and training, and offers technical support to the Film Department. Drawing upon his experience as a professional actor and voice-over artist, Keith produces and edits videos for communications, advancement, and employee training, and he manages the live streaming of robotics competitions and Homecoming, in addition to capturing the many events that take place on campus each day. Keith also performs in studentproduced films, including the awardwinning film by Sarah Evans ’16 and Zach Oschin ’16, “Chris.” He and IT colleague Kieran Koehnlein operate the School’s DJI Inspire I quadcopter. Keith controls the copter, while Kieran controls the camera.

The copter can be used for everything from Film Program and Digital Media classes to inspecting the roofs of the Gates building.

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learning LOVE OF

Technology: K through College

Hudson Campbell ’19, Darrin Ortega, Peter Marcus ’19, and Sebastian Kropp ’19

Darrin Ortega has been a dedicated Viewpoint staff member for ten years. In addition to his work providing technical support across campus, he assists in David Martin’s Middle and Upper School Digital Media classes. As a certified audio engineer, Darrin offers his expertise in sound design to students who are learning to combine moving visual images with complementary sound using such programs as Logic Pro, Garage Band, and Reason. Darrin remarked, “I want to help open their minds to the creative possibilities available to them through technology. With the advancements in sound technology in the last few years, our students are able to experiment in ways that were once limited to professionals in music studios. These programs offer learning without boundaries for both teachers and students.”

A SELECTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY Available in the Classroom  BEGINNING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL, students use both Windows and Apple applications. By Upper School, students take Computer Science programming classes modeled after curriculum at Stanford. Students in Primary and Lower School create stop animation and time-lapse videos using iPad’s and Chroma-key (green screens). They edit video in iMovie and design sound in Garage Band on their MacBooks. Students have the opportunity to progress through four years of Film electives in Upper School, where they have access to the same software used at USC and NYU such as Final Cut, Avid, Adobe Elements, and Pro Tools, along with the same hardware and equipment, including the cameras, lighting, tracks-booms-arms, and sound booth.  KINDERGARTEN USES motorized SMARTBoards that allow teachers to easily move the interactive surface up and down so that students can manipulate the board themselves. In Lower School, the Epson interactive touch projectors are set at slightly increasing heights per grade. All Viewpoint classrooms have document cameras and interactive projectors connected to dedicated computers and networked. This allows students and teachers to use the student and teaching applications, Airplay their presentations on the classroom screen, and have access to all intranet and internet resources without any setup.

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 THE PROGRESSION from iPads to MacBook Airs is correlated with the developmental stage when it is ergonomically appropriate for students to learn keyboarding. These laptops also allow for the use of more sophisticated applications.  FOLLOWING THE LEAD of the top 25 colleges and universities in the country and many of the best independent schools, Lower School through Upper School students access a virtual desktop interface (VDI) that allows the running of a full windows desktop from a web browser.

Through this VDI, the School can deliver any software a student or teacher needs on any device, at anytime, anywhere they go. VDI enables us to respond to a request for software, service, or data and deliver it almost instantaneously. For example, if a Department Chair wants to begin using a particular software for all sophomores, we can add it on the server in minutes and every Tenth Grader will have it wherever they are and on whatever they login into. The VDI helps our department to be more responsive to anyone’s needs and provides high availability to technology tools.  LOWER SCHOOL students begin to use the VDI windows on the Apple Devices. This allows access to other tools in addition to what Apple provides including the opportunity to learn the Microsoft OS (Operating System)

and Office Professional Productivity applications. As students move into Middle School, they have the option of bringing a device or using the devices provided in the multiple computer labs, student centers, and mobile device carts available to Middle and Upper School students. There are a variety of laptops or tablets that run different operating systems and applications based upon the needs of that particular curriculum.  JUST AS IN COLLEGE, when students progress into the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program in Upper School they have the freedom to choose their own devices. By this time students have gained excellent proficiency in Apple and Microsoft operating systems, productivity, and creative tools through the required courses. In addition, students can choose from a wide variety of technology-related electives and technology-intensive subject areas, such as learning the Linux OS, Adobe Premiere Pro Creative Cloud, or Finale. Students can choose different technology tools based on their specific learning needs or subject pursuit.  IN MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL students can explore new frontiers through a wide range of electives, including animation, audio engineering, new media expressions, electronics, pre-engineering, robotics, programing, artificial intelligence, Photoshop, graphic arts, web design, and 3D modeling. ■

As the Network and Systems Administrator, Matthew Tucker (top) oversees all aspects of the datacenter and infrastructure, including storage, servers, and networking.

He and Jason Lee (bottom), the Systems Engineer, are the guys “behind the curtain” in the School’s nerve center.

This past summer, Matt and Jason transitioned to a server room design, which drastically decreased our carbon footprint. Over time, they have transitioned dozens of physical servers into VMware virtual servers which further lowers power and cooling requirements, while increasing scalability and efficiency. By installing a campus-wide air-blown fiber system, Matt and Jason are able to create or reroute backbones (“digital freeways”) in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional designs, savings that will continue to be realized for years to come. These improvements facilitated the completion of a unified network fabric that handles data, virtualization, communications, and multimedia traffic for thousands of devices every day. They also implemented a VoIP telecommunications system that allows for increased campus safety features as well as almost eliminating phone bills.

The #1 request of students and staff alike was to allow the use of personal devices. Using Xirrus, there are approximately 40 acres of our beautiful canyon and thousands of square feet indoors of Wi-Fi hosting thousands of devices daily. Through Citrix and technology, they have implemented a virtual desktop application infrastructure that any student or staff member can access anytime, anywhere on any device.

This technology allows Matt and Jason to publish new software to users within minutes and quickly patch security threats. Participating in bi-weekly round tables with technology experts across the nation, Matt and Jason improve the virtualization experience for our students and employees.

RAPID RESPONSE PRACTICES OUR TEAM HAS DEVELOPED what we call Rapid Response Practices. If a teacher experiences difficulty with the classroom A/V due to things such as a bulb going out, an AV adapter problem, or a network switch failure, we have the materials and procedures readily available to solve the problem. The nature of IT in this large and complex school environment is that issues can happen at any time on any part of the campus. If a problem affects a class that meets only once in a six-day rotation, every minute counts. Some problems can impact critical services for larger groups, such as a problem that compromises the School’s ability to serve lunch during a very short window of opportunity. Since our staff members are covering a 40-acre campus and need to maximize our ability to respond in a timely way, we have put together Rapid Response Backpacks located around campus. The backpack contains multi-tool sets, cable and fiber testers, patch cords, and adapters, as well as a cellular phone for internet and phone access even when services may have gone down. ■

PREPARATION FOR the Jobs of the Future OUR GOAL IS TO INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY into the curriculum in a seamless way so that learning remains the focus and technology is simply a tool to support learning. Students develop their technical skills not only through elective classes, but also as a natural, everyday part of their education. We continue to explore and thoughtfully integrate technological enhancements daily in order to prepare our students for the future. ■ FALL

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Technology: K through College

46 Miles of Fiber on Campus 26 MILES ADDED SUMMER ’15

CITRIX & The Cloud 200 simultaneous virtual desktops plus 50 other cloud-based applications for students and staff

8,000 EMAILS

60 10

Delivered Daily 17,000 SPAM

Messages Dropped

SERVERS

1,200 COMPUTE R

S

DATABASES

260

245

150 Mb INTERNET 1 Gb BURST SPEEDS 10 Gb BACKBONE FIBER

iPADS

TB STORAGE 40 ACRES 650 WIFI ANTENNAS 2,500 UNIQUE DEVICES DAILY

AN AVERAGE OF

2.5 Devices per person

VIEWPOINT SCHOOL Media & Educational Technology

400

A

APPLICATIONS

8 20

COMPUTER LABS

110

SMART PRESENTATION SPACES

DEVICE CARTS

150

DIGITAL ASSETS PRODUCED

BY THE IT DEPARTMENT

2,800

Cisco switch data points

Scan here to see videos related to technology, the Innovation Space, and student projects.

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Lisa Kessler working with students to program Ozobots

“I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success.”

– Nikola Tesla

What is a Makerspace?

A RANGE OF ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: 

Coding



Woodworking



Electronics



Robotics

OPENED IN AUGUST 2015, the new Innovation Space, next to the Technology Hub in the Benjamin Franklin Library, is the place where Viewpoint’s Primary and Lower School students have their very own makerspace. The Innovation Space was modeled after the MIT Media Lab and inspired by the Institute for Design at Stanford (d.School). Stepping inside, one sees the elements of a science lab, workshop, technology center, film studio, and art room. It is this diversification and cross-pollination of activities that set makerspaces or STEAM labs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) apart from conventional educational environments.

Lisa Kessler, Innovation Space teacher: “The Innovation Space provides hands-on, creative curriculum that encourages students to discover their passions while building skills for our rapidly changing

world. Collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity are just a few of the 21st-century skills that the young makers develop within the Innovation Space. Filled with a wide range of creative Do-ItYourself and Do-It-Together activities, the Innovation Space provides endless possibilities for project-based learning.”

Innovation Space activities emphasize the elements of design analysis, including hypothesis-testing, prototyping, iterating, collaborating, inventing, problem-solving, and persevering. As our students advance into Middle and Upper School, they can apply their Innovation Space experiences in classes and electives that encourage students to dive more deeply into topics of interest and further develop the skills, innovation, and design thinking principles introduced in the Innovation Space. ■



Digital Fabrication



Digital Media Production



Textiles and Sewing

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SHARE YOUR WORK PREDICTING MARCH MADNESS RESULTS

THE CLASS

THE CONVERSATION

Honors Artificial Intelligence

All three lead programmers on this project, Jamie Hood ’17, Anthony Pineci ’18, and Evan Visher ’17, have been taking computer science courses since Seventh Grade. They are passionate about programming, devote countless hours to their projects, and with some input from Mr. Anderson were excited to explain what a neural network is, how they built it, and the ways they hope to improve it for March Madness 2016.

THE TEACHER Dan Anderson

THE PHILOSOPHY “I love to teach engineering, science, and math topics using programming languages. In class, we build programming teams to handle tough problems like building fully autonomous robots or designing neural networks that predict housing prices, diagnose diseases, or predict the outcomes of basketball tournaments. All information taught in class is derived from a limited but powerful set of information, so that all students can succeed with the mathematics and physical principles.”

THE PROJECT Building a neural network to predict the outcome of the 2015 NCAA Basketball Tournament, better known as March Madness 2015.

THE OUTCOME Their program successfully determined the outcomes of the games in the entire Southern Region, three of the Final Four teams, and the winner of the Tournament, placing the boys and their neural network in the top 7% of all brackets entered in the ESPN Tournament Challenge.

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QUESTION #1: What is a neural network?

Jamie, Evan, and Anthony taking turns: A neural network is a virtual or digital representation of the human brain. It learns like we do through experience, and trial and error. It also learns from its mistakes. As we grow and develop, our brains grow, and similarly, so does the neural network. It can alter itself and change how it is structured and change how it functions – like the brain.

Most importantly for this project, the neural network makes connections between numbers. So, while we have neurons in our brain, the neural network has nodes. And while we have synapses, the neural network has weights, which are essentially equations. The equations then change their variables and the numbers in them to make a more efficient learning algorithm, which is very useful in sifting through patterns.

Just like our brain, which is designed to detect patterns.

QUESTION #2: So how does this help in determining the outcome of March Madness?

Jamie, Evan, and Anthony: For March Madness the neural network “watched,” or really sifted through the statistics of 4,000 games from the prior season “scraped” from websites that provide data for the fans. We then had to take this data and put it into a format that is readable

THE STUDENTS

THE TOURNAMENT, DE-MYSTIFIED The bracket above represents the final bracket the neural network predicted. It was successful in predicting 41 out of the 63 total games, including an impressive three teams in the Final Four and the winner, Duke. The final bracket featured a host of upsets including Georgia State (14) over Baylor (3) and UCLA (11) over SMU (6).



ANTHONY PINECI ’18



JAMIE HOOD ’17



EVAN VISHER ’17

by the neural network. Then the neural network sifts through all of these numbers to find the correlation between these stats and game wins. Through this and the method of finding patterns, it creates a map of how March Madness should go given the teams that are playing. The network was able to pick up on obscure patterns that no person could ever see. It is also capable of being objective. It has no team biases. It found upsets that no one would have expected, because it saw these unusual patterns.

QUESTION #3: So how come the other 93% of the other people or teams who entered the bracket were unable to have equally successful results?

Mr. Anderson: Nobody went out and did the hard work that these students did. Without a network like this it would be humanly impossible to assess this much data. Their network was able to analyze all of the logical information available, but it also factored in the human element that other networks didn’t.

Building the network was about a year-long project, but most of the legwork was done the week before the tournament when the scheduling information became available online. It took about two days to actually compute all the numbers, but it took a year to understand neural networks and to learn how to program them.

The students wrote all of their own code. The beauty of a neural network is that once you have one, the only thing that has to change is the data that you give it, because it is adaptable like a brain. During the course of the developing the neural network,

they also predicted brain tumors and diagnosed malignant tumors, as well as predicted housing prices based on location and details of the homes.

QUESTION #4: What are your plans for March Madness 2016?

Jamie, Evan, and Anthony: We are trying to improve the system.

We know there is optimization to be done to make it run much faster.

We are building a new program to get the stats off the internet and to make it readable by the neural network. This is the most challenging part of the whole project, since there is no standardized way for this information to be presented on the internet.

Mr. Anderson: Despite the long hours ahead, we are looking forward to it. This upcoming March Madness will be the culmination of years of work, so it is nice to see a tangible result of all of the time we put into it.

QUESTION #5: What lessons did you take away from this project?

Jamie, Evan, and Anthony: The clear lesson from this project, and all of the courses that we have taken from Mr. Anderson, is that even if we do not major in computer science, we are not afraid of attempting to solve complex problems. Very few people our age are interacting with neural networks or building programs, but we do that here. Also, this course is a “go at your own pace,” which is very unique. Mr. Anderson makes you struggle, but he lets you go and grow at your own pace. We can go as far as we want, as quickly as we want.

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canyon IN OUR

employees / students / environment / creativity / grow th

By Monica Case ’90, Associate Director of Communications

WITH A 40-ACRE CAMPUS, a student population of 1,215, and staff numbering 291, Viewpoint School is larger than the small town of Cross Plains, Wisconsin, where my husband grew up.

Like Cross Plains, whose town motto, “Famous for Friendliness,” is notably posted on a sign when you drive into town, Viewpoint also is a community

where kindness is prized and everyone from the Campus Safety Officers to the Support Services staff is recognized and plays an integral role in the life of the School. It is this culture that draws both students and staff to Viewpoint, and it is in this environment that our children grow to be caring and community-minded adults.

WHAT IS THAT FOOD NEXT TO MY PIZZA? VSSA Hot Lunch volunteer Michaeline Heydari, parent of Oliver ’26 and Halo ’28, serving Logan Wymer ’28 in the new Helfands’ Harvest for the Primary and Lower School students

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“w e

h o p e t o s h o w h o w t h i s at m o s p h e r e o f r e s p e c t a n d a p p r e c i at i o n o f a l l o u r c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s c o n t r i b u t e s t o a c u lt u r e o f e m pat h y a n d u n d e r s ta n d i n g o f t h e e x p e r i e n c e s o f o t h e r s .”

— Monica Case, Associate Director of Communications

 out of many ONE COMMUNITY

By Monica Case ’90, Associate Director of Communications

W

ITH A 40-ACRE CAMPUS, a student population of 1,215, and staff numbering 291, Viewpoint School is larger than the small town of Cross Plains, Wisconsin, where my husband grew up. Like Cross Plains, whose town motto, “Famous for Friendliness,” is notably posted on a sign when you drive into town, Viewpoint also is a community where kindness is prized and everyone from the Campus Safety officers to the Support Services staff is recognized and plays an integral role in the life of the School. It is this culture that draws both students and staff to Viewpoint, and it is in this environment that our children grow to be caring and communityminded adults.

The theme of this issue of Viewpoint magazine is “Out of Many, One Community.” When people who are familiar with our School are asked to describe Viewpoint, the first words mentioned are often “nurturing” and “community.” This is no accident. Our nurturing community is the foundation for all the good and even great things

that happen on campus, and our community is comprised of an exceptional group of dedicated teachers, staff, administrators, coaches, and parents who devote themselves to making Viewpoint an extraordinary place for all of us. Our intention with this issue is to introduce our readers to many of these dedicated individuals who help to make Viewpoint a school where each of us feels at home while working and learning, and where our students develop and thrive. We hope to show how this atmosphere of respect and appreciation of all our community members contributes to a culture of empathy and understanding of the experiences of others.​ We begin this tour of our community with the story of a Middle School teacher spending a day shadowing a Middle School student.

For many adults, Middle School is a distant memory, and not always recalled as the easiest part of childhood. For the teachers who took the opportunity to try it again – if only for a day – it was a chance to gain a greater understanding of our students’ experiences and to revisit what can be a challenging time in a young person’s development.

The Primary and Lower School years are filled with cuteness and wonder, and in the Upper School years we talk about accomplishments and the possibilities for the future, but Middle School is something else. This article allows us to take an insider’s look at our Middle School student experiences to see just how the magic transforms them from children to young adults, and to shine a light on what makes it special.

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STUDENT SHADOWING



A NEW APPRECIATION FOR THE DAILY LIFE OF a Middle School student

By Elizabeth Mawn Scott, Acting Head of Middle School

WHEN A GOOD IDEA GETS TRACTION, it is important to run with it. The Student Shadowing

experience came about last year because of an article emailed to the Middle School faculty by Tracy Wymer, Assistant Head of the Lower School, describing a teacher’s revelations after following a student through a day’s classes. Teachers were interested, so I offered to organize the exercise. Seventeen teachers volunteered. After doing some preliminary research into the process, I designed guidelines for preparing, executing, and analyzing the experience. The students we asked to shadow were delighted for the opportunity to share their perspective with us.

Shadowing teachers carried heavy backpacks, completed labs, spoke in foreign languages, changed for P.E. class, ate in Kitchins’ Kitchen, and even did some homework. It was eye-opening. I was most impressed with how attuned the Sixth Grade teachers were to the physical and intellectual needs of their students, consistently breaking up lessons into 20-minute chunks and having students move around and work together. English teacher Jill Hanson Dash was inspired to capture her experience in the following article. Our teachers care deeply for our students; shadowing and the conversations that it sparked deepened their empathy and influenced their classroom practice.

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A WALK THROUGH MIDDLE SCHOOL These photos, taken on a single day by several Middle School students, offer a glimpse of life at Viewpoint from their perspective. Whether walking, studying, or mugging for the camera, it is clear that life in Middle School is very busy.

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 MY DAY

Eddie Wolfson ’19, Jill Hanson Dash, Middle School English Teacher

as a Viewpoint Middle Schooler

By Jill Hanson Dash, Middle School English Teacher

M

IDDLE SCHOOL IS A PARTICULARLY dynamic three years of a young person’s life, and many students find it difficult to navigate the shifting tectonic plates of their intellectual and social worlds. There also are incredible bright spots of humor, fun, and play still present in the school day and in students’ lives. At Viewpoint School, teachers have chosen 18

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our profession as a way to help students proceed to the next stage of their development healthy and well-prepared. We craft our lessons thoughtfully, blending newly-acquired skills with opportunities for creativity, giving students the chance to grow and to try things out in a safe environment.

“ w e c r a f t o u r l e s s o n s t h o u g h t f u l ly, b l e n d i n g n e w ly - a c q u i r e d s k i l l s w i t h o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r c r e at i v i t y, g i v i n g s t uden t s t he chance to grow and t r y t h i n g s o u t i n a s a f e e n v i r o n m e n t .”

— Jill Hanson Dash, Middle School English Teacher

AT LEAST, THAT’S WHAT IT SEEMS like from where I’m sitting, at my teacher desk in my classroom, or at a table in the faculty lounge. But does the school day look the same on the other side of that teacher desk, or outside of the faculty lounge doors? This past school year, Assistant Head of Middle School (now Acting Head of Middle School) Elizabeth Mawn Scott gave the teachers an opportunity to find out.

We were asked to choose an individual student to shadow, and set specific goals for the day. We could be as involved in the school day as the two of us saw fit.

I SELECTED MY STUDENT for a number of reasons, and settled on a Day 3 in the six-day rotation calendar because his schedule included the challenge of two back-to-back double blocks. Our schedule for the day was: 90 minutes of Science, a 10-minute break, 90 minutes of Spanish, lunch (including an a cappella rehearsal), History, Student Service, and finally Strings. My main goals going into the day were to find out about homework and down time, but my take-aways from the day ended up being tangential to these goals. By lunchtime, I was over-stimulated yet strangely sluggish, feeling cranial fatigue, terrified at being called upon and not knowing the answer, and starving.

How do the students do this every day? I still wonder.

UNCHARACTERISTIC OF my own former Middle School self, I went into the day as an unprepared student. On one level, this was totally fine because I

wasn’t really a student. On another level, this caused me great anxiety. I feared my teachers’ reprobation. I steeled myself for the gut-twisting sensation of not knowing what was going on. I completed a lab on levers, having no idea what GPE stood for, or what it meant to “zero” a scale. I took a unit test on reflexive verbs, in Spanish, a language I only marginally studied as a preteen. I had nothing invested in the grade or score, but I wanted to do my best nonetheless. I watched students in History class prepare for a debate on Progressive figures of the early 1900s, wishing I had the knowledge to join them and actually engage. By the end of the day – Strings class – I was over my fears and instead feeling sorry that I didn’t have a way to participate. It looked like a lot of fun!

FOR A STUDENT who is as lost as I felt that day, what are some of the things standing in the way of coming to class prepared? What keeps a student from raising his or her hand when confused?

And how do we let those students know that struggling with homework is okay, and that trying something new and not being immediately good at it is also okay?

These are questions I will need to continue pondering well into the school year.

THE DAY WAS NOT all fog and hunger pains, though. The added bonus of being a student was getting to see my illustrious colleagues in action. I was struck by how seamlessly science teacher Andrew Harris incorporated the week’s topic into a real-world, humorous example about rollercoasters, and how fun Emma

D’Alessandro’s Spanish class was, with students vying for puntos for using everyday Spanish. Eleni Pantages’ chorus practice during lunch was clearly an oasis for her students, who arrived eager to work on their a cappella rendition of “The Best Day of My Life.” Susan Strumpf organized a challenging debate that cloaked critical thinking skills in the excitement of competition, and Dr. Kristin Herkstroeter and the other music teachers conducted their students with grace and patience. I would count myself lucky to be in their classes every day.

ANOTHER POSITIVE, yet unexpected take-away from that day was seeing my other students in different arenas, and feeling completely welcomed into their space. I saw students whom I knew as quiet being participatory, and my more outgoing students hanging back a little. It was just delightful to sit among them and watch them engage and interact. It is so easy to think of my students as being mine, and just seeing them in different learning environments was enough of a reminder that their day does not begin and end with my class.

THE DAY LEFT ME with the sense that most of our students truly know how to be students – perhaps at times to the detriment of their ability to remain simply children.

Their school day is taxing simply due to the schedule, and the task of keeping them stimulated but not fatigued, engaged and not overwhelmed, is a challenge I know I plan to keep at the forefront of my mind in the years to come.

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A WALK THROUGH PRIMARY SCHOOL The Primary and Lower School children and faculty are delighted by the new building and the opportunities presented by the stunning new facilities for the youngest members of Viewpoint’s community.

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

Samantha Margolis ’26 and Nurse Sue Gellerman

WHY DO THE PRIMARY & LOWER SCHOOL CHILDREN want to lose their teeth at school?

T

HE ANSWER IS SIMPLE: they want their names emblazoned on Nurse Sue’s Lost Tooth board. In addition to the enduring glory of the tooth board, the children receive a little plastic tooth-shaped box on a string to hold their tooth that can be worn as a necklace along with a sticker that says, “I lost my tooth at school today.”

HOWEVER, IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT the recognition and

the swag. If the children are feeling a bit anxious about their

loose teeth or just not feeling well, they go to see Nurse Sue. Sue Gellerman has been at Viewpoint since 1997, and with her sweet voice and gentle manner, she provides great comfort to children with any ailment, however minor.

DURING THE 2014-15 SCHOOL YEAR, 152 students lost

228 teeth at school. Both Nurse Sue and Nurse Therese Parmele, who works on Wednesdays, always ask if the child believes in the Tooth Fairy. For those who say yes, but suspect it might be a parent and want to test the theory by keeping the loss a secret and seeing if the Tooth Fairy will come, the nurse always sends home a quick email to be sure that the Tooth Fairy is prepared for a new lost tooth.

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Top from left to right: Carrie Grisom, Christian Rodriguez, Matthew Powers Bottom from left to right: Nicki Thompson, Christina Nemick, Jose Duenas

ďƒ¤

THE REACH & GRASP of the Facilities Department

THE FACILITIES DEPARTMENT ENCOMPASSES Campus Safety, Construction, Physical Plant, Shipping and Receiving, Support Services, and Transportation.

Members of the Facilities staff can be found on campus seven days per week, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. The staff of 66 full-time employees, six part-time employees, and eight seasonal employees, working 156,000 staff hours per year, manage 208,325 square feet of space over 40 acres.

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PHYSICAL PLANT



Total number of completed service requests

2,593 CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS 2014-15



NEW Primary School Campus

Head of School

RESIDENCE REMODEL

TRANSPORTATION

PHONE SYSTEM

238

267 stationary phones



students

are transported to and from campus every day on



maintained

10

different buses Every Viewpoint student will ride on a bus for either sports or a field trip sometime during the year

THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY

35-40

class field trips per academic year

CAMPUS HEALTH AND SAFETY 2014-15



12,158

badged visitors on campus

7

THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY

Crisis Management Team Meetings

114

4

sports buses/ SUV’s per month

Earthquake Drills

3

Fire Drills SUPPORT SERVICES

SHIPPING & RECEIVING





995 events including:

All mail, furniture, and equipment is received though this department and then

Homecoming, Benefit, Stage Productions, Graduations, Great Pumpkin Day, Holiday Programs, Back-to-School events

HAND DELIVERED to the recipient

2

Lockdown Drills

152

Students lost

228

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Back row: Jose Duenas, Casey Covey, Eric Van Drisse, Tammi Tyminski, Marianne Zimmer. Front row: Kristin Humbert, Lara Conkin, Joseph Romero, Patti Martin, Robyn Marrow, Matthew Powers

 THE STAFF that rarely sleeps

A

T 6:00 A.M. OR MIDNIGHT it is not unusual to find members of the Support Services staff hard at work either setting up or breaking down an event – and doing it with a smile. Viewpoint is fortunate to have a team of 10 full-time and five part-time staff dedicated to making our meetings, parties, concerts, theatrical productions, office moves, and interior construction projects come together seamlessly.

As the Director of Support Services, Lara Conklin describes her role as “beyond definition.”

She is responsible for overseeing plays and concerts, managing the events schedule, organizing classroom moves and set-ups, and working with the architects to manage interior construction projects, which has included ordering materials and helping to design kitchens and classrooms. While Lara has a background in theater, she learned many of these other skills on the job. She began at Viewpoint in 2003 and as the School has grown, so has the scope of her position and her remarkable skill set.

Support Services is responsible for more than 980 events on campus each year, and much of this is done under the leadership

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of Patti Martin, Director of Events. Lara said, “Patti has given her heart and soul to the School.” Patti started at Viewpoint in 1991, and worked as an assistant in the Business Office where she was responsible for shipping and receiving, events, and accounts receivable. After 12 years, she was just managing events, which she loves for the creativity in the planning and execution.

Her favorite event each year is the Kindergarteners’ Mother’s Day Brunch. Patti explained, “I love to see the joy on the mothers’ faces at the Kindergarten event.

Even after 24 years of brunches, I still tear up.” As for the hundreds of other events during the year, Patti seems to have endless enthusiasm for each one. She continued, “I also love that there is no standard day. I really enjoy the unknown and the unexpected, and it is very satisfying to see all the pieces come together with every event.”

Patti and Lara agree that the Support Service staff are a very cohesive team. Lara said, “We work long hours behind the scenes, working side-by-side. We are all invested in the School and the students. It is so exciting to see their growth and development over the years, and it is that combination that makes the long hours feel worthwhile.”

Patti Martin

“t he school

ta k e s s a f e t y a s i t s h i g h e s t p r i o r i t y, a n d w e h av e m a d e a h u g e i n v e s t m e n t i n t h e s a f e t y o f t h e c a m p u s .”

—Carlos Sanchez, Director of Campus Safety

CAMPUS SAFETY:

Ambassadors...and the National Guard

V

IEWPOINT’S CAMPUS SAFETY OFFICERS are the first and

last people that visitors meet when they come to campus, and Carlos Sanchez, Director of Campus Safety, wants their impression to be good one. He said, “I view our Campus Safety staff as a combination of ambassadors for the School and the National Guard. We are here to be welcoming and helpful, but if needed, we also are here to protect the students and the School.”

Carlos continued, “Safety is first and foremost. We have five EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) on our staff of 18 officers, and two full-time nurses on campus at all times. The officers are here to handle emergencies, to escort students to their cars, carry things as needed, and assist with parking for events.” The officers are here 24-hours a day, seven days per week. Carlos also emphasized the ambassadorial role of his staff, “We want to make every experience meaningful and enjoyable for our visitors, and our officers enjoy getting to know the students and their families.”

Carlos joined the staff at Viewpoint after a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Police Department. “The School takes safety as its highest priority, and we have made a huge investment in the safety of the campus. Through the School Gate Guardian Program, the officers at the three entrances are able to scan the driver’s licenses of any visitor to campus. We have an excellent relationship with both the Sheriff’s Department and the Fire Department, but we are self-sufficient in the case of an emergency.”

JAIME XAR WHEN VISITORS ARRIVE AT THE Lower and Middle School

Parking lot between the hours of 7:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m., they are likely to be greeted by the warm, smiling face of Campus Safety Officer Jaime Xar. While he is certainly prepared to handle any challenging or emergency situation, his job is most often to welcome and to direct.

Jaime moved to Los Angeles from Guatemala at the age of 16.

After working as a cook for 10 years for both the Walt Disney Studios and Universal Studios, he became a security officer at Milken Community High School. Jaime joined the Campus Safety Department at Viewpoint in 2007.



Campus Safety Officer Jamie Xar

In addition to his security role, Jaime devotes his free time to assisting Soccer Coach Travis Kikugawa on the field. Jaime has played soccer since early childhood and he brings his skills, expertise, and solid advice on perseverance and good sportsmanship to his volunteer work with the Boys and Girls Soccer Teams. Jaime said: “I love working at the School. I love the interaction with the parents, faculty, and especially the students. I feel honored that they trust me to represent the School at the entrance gate, and I want everyone I interact with to feel good.Working with the students on the soccer field is my vacation and my pleasure. I never imagined that I could make such an impact on young people, yet my players will come back even years later to thank me for encouraging them and being a friend. It is overwhelming to me when I think of this and the respect that the students show me both on the field and when they see me on campus and run to say “hi” and give me a high-five. I wouldn’t change my time with the students for anything in the world.”

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ADMISSION:

Welcoming Families 

“FALL IS



Back row: Gregg Murray, Rhody Davis, Bindu Kaur.

Front: Brooke Smith, Rebecca Heller

COLLEGE COUNSELING: finding the right fit

D

IRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING Rhody Davis emphasizes that her office is called College “Counseling” and not College “Placement.” Viewpoint’s staff includes College Counselors Rebecca Heller, Gregg Murray, and Brooke Smith, as well as Bindu Kaur, Registrar and Administrative Assistant.

TOURING SEASON FOR THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEAR, winter is testing season, and spring is accepting season, which is always exciting,” explained Laurel Baker Tew ’78, Viewpoint’s Chief Enrollment Officer, about the Admission Office’s annual calendar. Last year, Laurel and the Admission team, made up of Chris Adamson, September Bongiorno, Katelyn Forero, Ming Hodgson, Travis Kikugawa, Pat LaBo, Marcella Ruiz, and Brooke Vimtrup, worked with more than 1,000 families to fill the 150 openings in the School for the 2015-16 school year.

LAUREL, WHO ATTENDED VIEWPOINT FROM 1965-75 (through Ninth Grade, the School’s final year at that time), returned to work at the School in 2003 after 19 years working in the Office of Admission at USC, the last four as the Director of Admission. Her relationship with USC is ongoing, and this fall she taught a course in USC’s School of Education in Enrollment Management. “The difference between working here and at USC is that we are not admitting just the student, as in college, but the family into our community for potentially 13 years, or more if they have more than one child. In a K-12 school, trust is the most important thing. Parents look to the school to take care of their children, and we want to know them as a family.”

When Rhody or a members of her team sits down with the students, the process is one of reflection and discovery, and a fair amount of counseling through this exciting, but often stressful time of life. Their goal is not simply to get students into college, but to help them through the exploratory process of finding the right fit for them. This idea of “fit” is key to the philosophy of the College Counseling Office, and one that they believe is essential to making successful choices in the future.

Brooke Vimtrup, Pat LaBo, Laurel Baker Tew ’78, Katelyn Forero, Ming Hodgson, Chris Adamson, September Bongiorno, Travis Kikugawa and Marcela Ruiz (not pictured)

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Alan Howie and Janson Baier ’18

 BEING A

DIVISION HEAD

F

OR ALAN HOWIE, HEAD OF THE Upper School, the day begins with a 4:15 a.m. run. Each morning he takes the same eight-mile route, which helps prepare him for the busy day ahead.

He and his sons, Connor ’25 and Kyle ’22, are out the door by 6:40 a.m., and the school day begins at 7:00 a.m. From 7:30-7:45 a.m., Alan walks the hallways, catching up with students. One of his favorite duties is covering a Homeroom class, which gives him seven minutes to quickly connect with the students and read and discuss the Daily Bulletin.

Alan’s daily duties include responding to emails and phone calls, meeting with parents, and in the fall visiting two to three teachers’ classrooms per day. He explained, “By winter break I will have sat in each teacher’s class. I really enjoy the lessons, and it gives me a better idea of what school is like for our students.”

In the spring, Alan meets with incoming families. He continued, “Once we accept a student, we meet with his or her family to help make them feel welcome and give them a sense of our educational philosophy. This also helps to learn about the student’s interests, to select classes, and talk to them about finding balance, and give them a better understanding of the pastoral and academic counseling available to our students.”

At lunchtime, Alan is back to walking the halls and checking in with the students. After an afternoon filled with more meetings, phone calls, emails, and class visits, he tries to attend as many school sporting events as he can, including running with the Cross-Country Team in Malibu Creek State Park. He also can be found chaperoning events, or local retreats like the Ninth Grade trip to Camp SURF, as well as supervising school trips to England, Hawaii, and the East Coast College Tour. He remarked, “I try to be as involved in the life of the School as I can. As a parent and as an educator, Viewpoint is the center of my life.”

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TEACHING

the mind & the spirit

P

ULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR John Steinbeck said, “Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts, since the medium is the human mind and spirit.”

In the 2015-16 school year, 138 teachers, plus 21 teaching assistants practice the art of teaching each day. Whether Vicki Schulhof

Salah Farrag

teaching basic math concepts to students Kindergarten or Advanced Topics in Calculus to juniors and seniors, our teachers work to connect with the hearts and minds of their students, and in turn are connected to one another and to the community as a whole. When asked what they value about teaching at Viewpoint, each of these four teachers spoke of supportive community of colleagues and students dedicated to making the most of each day together.

VICKI SCHULHOF Kindergarten Teacher Began as a Teaching Assistant in 1991, and became a lead teacher in 2000

“I love the community of Viewpoint School. It is a second family to me. Both of my children started Viewpoint as Kindergartners.

My son Brandon graduated Viewpoint in 2014, and my daughter Hannah ’18 is in Upper School. I enjoy teaching at Viewpoint because I believe that the School is providing an outstanding learning experience and environment for our students that they will carry with them for a lifetime.”

Anna Yi

Asif Azhar

SALAH FARRAG Third Grade Associate Teacher & Director of Extended Day Program Began working at Viewpoint in 2009, and started teaching in 2013

“Being a part of Viewpoint’s community means lifelong friendships and support, and countless smiles, each eager to greet you every day.”

ANNA YI Middle and Upper School English Teacher Began teaching at Viewpoint in 2006



“For me, Viewpoint has always been a vibrant community that thrives on warmth and collegiality; it’s an honor to teach here among such dedicated faculty.”

ASIF AZHAR Upper School Math and World Philosophies Teacher Began teaching at Viewpoint in 1995

“The students are incredibly bright, interested, and interesting young people, and the teachers, administrators, and staff are caring, dynamic, and dedicated professionals and colleagues.

It is my great privilege and honor to be amongst all of them every day at our School.”

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V

IEWPOINT IS PROUD to have 130 athletic teams for our students in Grades Five through Twelve, and to offer P.E. in all 13 grades. Physical fitness is an integral part of Viewpoint’s mission, and we want our students to have every opportunity to participate in the sports that they enjoy at every level of ability.

Athletic Director Patrick Moyal explains the School’s philosophy, “We believe that athletics are essential in teaching students to work with peers, face adversity, react to pressure, and take responsibility for a position on a team. Our goal is to have a challenging and competitive program, but we are not driven by winning. We are looking for sportsmanship and improvement, and how well we can get everything out of a student. We want them to

have fun and to learn about themselves, and treat themselves and one another with respect.”

Patrick cites Nikko Fournier as an outstanding example of the coaching staff embracing this approach to learning life lessons through athletics. Nikko started at Viewpoint 18 years ago as a football coach and he has coached just about every sport at one time or another. Four years ago, he took on the position of Associate Athletic Director, and his role is essential to the management of teams and their complex schedules. Patrick describes him as “conscientious, relentless, and the nicest person you could ever hope to meet.” When asked about his years at Viewpoint and the role he plays in the Athletic Department and with the students, Nikko is characteristically humble. He said, “I just want to serve the School and students. I love my job and I love to see the students develop their confidence and skills through playing sports. I am proud that the School offers teams for students at all levels. Everyone should get a chance to play and to grow.”

COACHES: ATHLETICS AT EVERY LEVEL

 Nikko Fournier, Associate Athletic Director, parent of Jadyn ’23 and Noah ’26

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THE

PARENTS

W

HEN PARENTS CHOOSE to send their children to Viewpoint, they are often making a choice for the whole family.

Viewpoint is fortunate to have a community of parents dedicated to supporting the School in myriad ways. While some parents volunteer through the VSSA (Viewpoint School’s Service Association), others make Annual Fund phone calls, host Admission events, serve on the Board of Trustees, or help with the annual Benefit each spring. These are just a few of the ways that our parents commit themselves to the life of the School and to our students. By becoming involved, their investment in

Viewpoint deepens, thus enriching the connection to the School and to one another.

These four parents represent the four Divisions of the School and the alumni. Daphne Etcheverry’s son Calvin will not graduate until 2027, and Amy Enuke’s daughter Annahstasia ’13 is now in college and pursuing a career in music, while her son Christopher is a sophomore. For parents whose journey at Viewpoint is near the beginning or for those that have been through it all, Viewpoint is a place where they feel compelled to get involved for their children, for themselves, and for friends they have made along the way.

DAPHNE ETCHEVERRY

Daphne Etcheverry

Juan Alva

Stephen Earley

Amy Enuke

Parent of Ashley ’25 & Calvin ’27

“Viewpoint is a wonderful community to be a part of because we all have a common goal in seeing our children enjoy learning.

The community is positive and welcoming.”

JUAN ALVA Parent of Alivia ’24 & Sophia ’24

“My wife and I commit our time to Viewpoint because it is a terrific school that embodies the values that we embrace: personal responsibility, strong character, and academic excellence.

Plus, we love seeing the students in their natural environment with smiles on their faces, making Viewpoint come to life with their energy.”

STEPHEN EARLEY Parent of Samuel ’21 & Benjamin ’26

“One thing that separates Viewpoint from other schools is its amazing sense of community. Viewpoint parents play a critical role in helping build that strong and successful school community.”

AMY ENUKE Parent of Annahstasia ’13, Christopher ’18, & Sundiata ’24

“Viewpoint captures our imagination for our children’s potential.”

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

A Community FOR EVERYONE 

By Brenden Rodriquez ’16

AS A “LIFER”

in my thirteenth year at Viewpoint, I have experienced many facets of life at this school. As I look back on my years at the school, the aspect that sticks out the most to me is that Viewpoint has not limited me. Viewpoint does not pigeonhole its students. I have been able to be a Varsity Football Captain, a member of Student Council, participate in the VEX Robotics program, play bass in both the Upper School Orchestra and the Jazz Ensemble, and traverse rigorous course loads. And I am not the only one who does this. Many of my friends and classmates participate in a variety of activities and teams, and this is what makes Viewpoint truly amazing. Because students with so many diverse interests are able to pursue different things and move fluidly between a variety of groups on campus. Instead of having a number of separate groups, we create one larger community, a community that has encouraged me to challenge myself and to try new things, and it has done the same for many others.

I FULLY CAME TO REALIZE this during the first All-School Convocation, held in the Paul Family Athletic Center, during the first week of the 2015-16 school year. I was particularly touched by the Kindergarteners. I remembered when I wore that same red assembly sweater, and I thought about their future lives at Viewpoint, how they will be challenged by their teachers, be helped along by their counselors, pursue their passions, and find their place in the Viewpoint community, just as I have.

Standing: Dian Steward (Primary and Lower School Library Teacher), Michele Shumow (Primary and Lower School Librarian), Lynne Knebel (Middle and Upper School Librarian), Ericka Jelinek (Middle and Upper School Librarian).

Seated: Sarah Davis (Director of Libraries), and Beverly Schwarz (Library Assistant)



THE

LIBRARIANS VIEWPOINT’S STUDENTS ARE FORTUNATE to have two beautiful libraries – the Fletcher Family Library for Middle and Upper School and the new Benjamin Franklin Library for Primary and Lower School – in which to learn or to find a few quiet moments. While the spaces are inspiring, it is the librarians who welcome the students, help nurture their passion for inquiry, inspire creative and critical thinking, and instruct and support students and teachers in the effective and ethical use of information and ideas. From our newest readers in Kindergarten to Upper Schoolers conducting college-level research, all of our students can find the assistance they need in our libraries.

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

Front: Lisa Stutman, Nicole Mazzolini, Ani Zakari Middle: Lisa Socransky Austin, Cachi Baier, Kristi Davidson, Jessie Wolfson, Deborah Kramar Back Row: Sara Singsank, Tina Wynn, Stephanie Wolfson, Annica Lin, Leslie Frost, Laura Schare, Lynn Hylen, Kerry Latour, Jennifer Heroux, and Allison Nelson

VSSA: VIEWPOINT PARENTS joining together

By VSSA Co-Presidents Leslie Frost, parent of Jeffrey ’14 and Tyler ’17; Lisa Stutman, parent of Alyssa ’23 and Kate ’23; and Ani Zakari, parent of Nick’17, Lauren ’20, and Anthony ’24

T

HE VSSA (Viewpoint School Service Association) is made up of countless parent volunteers joining together and dedicating their time to enhance the overall experience at Viewpoint School for students, parents, and employees alike. The activities organized and executed by the VSSA are meant not only to be fun, but also to bring the community together to ensure that everyone feels connected. Each year, volunteers in each Division carry out a variety of unique VSSA activities. For example, in Primary and Lower School, parent volunteers serve Hot Lunch, organize special events such as Family Field Day, Movie Night, and Party Extreme, and assist with Great Pumpkin Day t-shirts and window painting. In Middle and Upper School, the parent volunteer opportunities are designed to meet the needs of the more mature students. These include dance and drama committees, senior and spirit events, International Potluck meals, and Middle School sports team parents.

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IN ADDITION TO the division-specific activities, all parents school-wide can partake in the numerous Parent Coffees, the Host Family program, Homecoming, Fall Luncheon and Boutique, Winter Book Fair, Spring Luncheon/Community Service Awareness event, assembling Holiday Greens, Parent Education Speaker Series, monthly Employee Breakfasts, and the Faculty Appreciation Lunches.

IF YOU ATTEND ANY OF THESE EVENTS, you will see that VSSA volunteers are enthusiastic, friendly, and happy to include all parents old and new. With these myriad activities, we hope to make a positive impact on the Viewpoint School community experience in its entirety. We welcome all parents to volunteer as much of their time as they can. There is a fun and exciting volunteer opportunity waiting for everyone!

E PLURIBUS UNUM

By Mark McKee, Head of School

E

PLURIBUS UNUM. “Out of many, one.” The unofficial motto of these United States goes all the way back to 1776, and it appears on coins and bills, on the Great Seal of the United States, on the official seals of the President, Vice President, both houses of Congress, and the Supreme Court. Latin mottos give enduring institutions a measure of gravitas – Viewpoint’s is fide et amore, or “by faith and love” – yet this motto tells us something bigger about the U.S. and about our country’s founding values and enduring ideals. Most basically, the motto tells us that at its founding, the U.S. formed one united entity out of many different states.

But the motto also reminds us that we are, still and always, forming one people, one American culture – one unum – out of the many pluralistic peoples – the diverse pluribus – who make up the U.S.

70 nations. Like our shrinking world and our connected economy, Viewpoint is truly global.

VIEWPOINT STUDENTS have come to Calabasas to study from Shanghai, London, and the Palisades. They learn French, Latin, Mandarin, and Spanish as well as Scratch, C++, Python, and Scheme. After graduation, they matriculate to colleges from Berkeley, Caltech, and USC to Edinburgh, St. Andrew’s, and the American University of Paris. And their pursuits, inspired by a community of teachers, parents, and coaches, are as numerous as the individuals themselves. It is a thrilling, even overwhelming, diversity.

LIKE OUR NATION, Viewpoint is One Community, formed of Many – many people of diverse backgrounds, many roles and functions, indeed many ages. Viewpoint is students and teachers, safety officers and coaches, parents, grandparents, and friends. Together we are united by a common mission and shared values, and by a purpose greater than ourselves. Together we belong, and together we enjoy the singularly enriching experience of building Viewpoint’s community.

VIEWPOINT’S UNUM: Yet out of the plurality of backgrounds and passions we find at Viewpoint, we share common values and experiences. Students, parents, teachers, and staff are drawn to Viewpoint’s mission of promoting love of learning in a context of values, character, service, and appreciation for the individuality of every student. Together, we form one singular community, and we find common ground – parents volunteering at hot lunch, families on the sidelines cheering on the Patriots – in our values, traditions, and our Viewpoint experience.

VIEWPOINT’S PLURIBUS: Our community numbers about 300 employees, 1,215 students, their parents and grandparents, 30 trustees, over 2,000 alumni and their parents – a universe of over 5,000 people who touch or are touched by the School.

Together we represent the diversity of the West Valley, of L.A., and Los Angeles County, with families representing more than

THE FUTURE – ONE VIEWPOINT: As we chart the future of a Viewpoint education, our community is a strength we will build on. We will find opportunities to envision common learning experiences that all Viewpoint students may share, to fulfill our mission and bind us together from Kindergarten through Twelfth and beyond.

 “toge t her

we are united by a common mission and shared va l u e s , a n d b y a p u r p o s e g r e at e r t h a n o u r s e lv e s . t o g e t h e r w e b e l o n g , a n d t o g e t h e r w e e n j o y t h e s i n g u l a r ly e n r i c h i n g e x p e r i e n c e o f b u i l d i n g v i e w p o i n t ’s c o m m u n i t y.”

—Mark McKee, Head of School

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Grow Beyond with the

GARDEN CLUB

By Adam Yates, Middle School Science Teacher

THREE YEARS AGO, KATIE HANKS, the Middle School Dean

of Students, and I were thinking about how the School would celebrate Earth Day. We had many ideas for activities, but we kept coming back to the idea of wanting something that would leave a more lasting impact on students. A space where they don’t just learn about how to make our campus a better place, but they actively make it a better place, while also learning more about the local and global question of “Where does our food come from?”

The next fall, the Garden Club was born.

It did not take much convincing to get students excited about the idea. Twenty eager students arrived at our first meeting to look at a patch of bare dirt that would be the new home for our garden. Needless to say, it took a lot of imagination to picture what would eventually come. Together, we drilled our raised beds, dug the holes for the posts, carried in bags and bags of dirt, and transformed the entire space into our own community garden.

Once we installed the four raised beds, we couldn’t stop.

The Middle School Garden Club expanded to include the

Upper School the following year. The students led the expansion of re-planting a majority of the ECOLET (Ecology Curriculum for Outdoor Learning with Experimentation and Technology) to provide more habitat for migrating monarch butterflies.

The most amazing thing about the Garden Club at Viewpoint is that it is student-run.They call the shots and they do the work. I am there to help them learn as we all get our hands dirty together, but it is their enthusiasm and ideas that keep us moving.This was most evident as the kids and I put together our first Earth Fest to celebrate Earth Day and to share with other students the joy of tending the Earth and being outside. Garden Club members taught over 100 other students and faculty how to plant vegetables and native plants, and we all shared in the joy of releasing monarch butterflies and caterpillars into our new butterfly garden.

The student members of the Garden Club have inspired me.

They are doers. They plant seeds and patiently watch them grow.

Viewpoint is fortunate to have students as talented and mindful as they are, to help our School grow as well.

THE SMALLER MEMBERS OF VIEWPOINT'S COMMUNITY

Viewpoint is home to 35 species of birds, a family of ducks, an untold number of frogs that are heard, but rarely visible, and countless lizards that reveal themselves throughout each day.

Below is Viewpoint as seen from the perspective of one of our many resident lizards:

“I SCAMPER

under the bush, my heart is beating fast and I am using all the power my legs can conjure up not to be seen. After a few minutes, I go back on to the paved path and rush down to the play area. On the way to the slide, I pass a window and see myself in the reflection. I look at my tiny brown-green face all the way down to the tip of my scaly tail. After my examination, I hear the pounding footsteps of the Second Graders. Not knowing what to do, I look around for someplace to retreat and see a flower pot with a vast arrangement of flowers. As I race to the pot, I hear a loud voice coming from a blonde boy, “Look, there’s a lizard!” The boy vigorously runs out of line and tries to grab me, but I get away just in time. Stunned at what nearly happened, I calm myself down and continue on my journey to the slide. Once I get there, I find my favorite tree near the back of the colossal structure and scurry into the leaves.”

– Fifth Grade Student

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VIEWPOINT NOW AN OFFICIAL

MONARCH WAYSTATION

By Craig Didden, Science Department Chair

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES ARE IN A FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES.

Every year monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to California and Mexico where they winter and then return north in the spring when temperatures are warmer. Since the mid-1990s scientists have seen a dramatic decline in their overall numbers, which has caused several environmental groups to petition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to put the butterfly on the federal Endangered Species list. There are a number of reasons for this decline: loss of habitat in their overwintering grounds of Mexico and California, global climate change, disease, and loss of food, just to name a few. The monarch is one of the most recognizable species of butterfly in North America and if something is not done, we may lose this beautiful species.

That is where Viewpoint School’s Science and Maintenance Departments have stepped in. This year Viewpoint School applied to become an official Monarch Butterfly Way Station with Monarch Watch.

With the help of Christina Nemick, our onsite Landscape Technician, we were awarded Waystation number 10270. The “Lepidoptera Lounge” was officially opened this spring along with the ECOLET’s grand re-opening. Our mission is to provide milkweed and nectar sources as well as habitat to butterflies as they winter in California, while also incorporating lessons on natural history, ecology, and conservation into the science curriculum. We have created a special place where students get to see firsthand what they can do to help their school, their community, and their planet.

For information about projects going on in the ECOLET contact Craig Didden, Science Department Chair. http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/registry/granted

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THE VIEWPOINT GARDEN CLUB

Front row: Matthew Lascoe ’22, Dominique Harpoothian ’22, Sophie Davis ’22, Shea Smith ’22, Nina Salazar ’22, Margaux Bauerlein ’20, Grace Rynerson ’22, KaiLan Mackey ’20, and Ashley Lindman ’22 Back row: Joe Terenzio ’20, Heaven Ramos ’20, Alex Jacobs ’20, Lauren Juzang ’20, Ilia Wayans ’20, Madeleine Case ’22, Emma D’Alessandro, Cherry He ’20, Clare Williams ’22, Daisy Achiriloaie ’20, Kessa Thurman ’20, and Adam Yates

S U M M E R

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Download

I love a good novel in which I can occupy another world and its characters. When I was teaching full-time – whether it was Dickens’ Great Expectations, Morrison’s Beloved, or Macbeth – I would live fully immersed in the world of the books I was teaching. Canterbury Tales is one of my favorites, because I love deadpan humor and the variety of humanity in its narratives. I find Chaucer as indecipherably post-modern and hilarious as Don DeLillo.

My schedule does not allow enough time for many novels. My Kindle includes a couple of unread novels, along with books on leadership as well as research for my doctoral dissertation on motivating teachers. But the last novel I read has stayed with me – The Color of Bones, by our own Assistant Head of Lower School Tracy Wymer. Derby’s charming narrative, his fascination with the Southside girl and his heroism in crossing the Line, wholly captivated me.

Listening: I like podcasts, including

HBR IdeaCast, Runner Academy, and Serial. My tastes in music are eclectic – from Beethoven to jazz to the rock I grew up with, the Beatles and Pink Floyd. I need to be introduced to new music, as I groove on new rhythms, but I am basically a creature of habit. Moving back to Los Angeles means we can again subscribe to the LA Philharmonic. One of my first dates with my wife was at the Phil with Zubin Mehta, and now we get to go hear them in Disney Hall.

But I keep coming back to rock, especially indie rock. I have a playlist on my iPhone for running built on U2’s “Beautiful Day.” And KROQ and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Under the Bridge” and “Californication”) became a sort of soundtrack for my move back to Southern California, a magnet drawing me back here.

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Mark McKee A 25-YEAR VETERAN OF THE CLASSROOM and Headmaster’s office in independent schools in California and Connecticut, Mark joined Viewpoint in July as our new Head of School.

Moving: Since my wife Cathy and

I were married and our daughters were born in Pasadena, we have moved crosscountry twice – first to Connecticut, to be close to her family in Boston, and then back to Northern California, near where I was raised. Moving back to Los Angeles feels like coming home to where our family began. Our new puppy Ajax was a “bonus” from our move here, a gift to our younger daughter that has become a best friend to the whole campus.

my calendar before I line up at the start, so I’m always looking forward to the next one.

Running: T wo years ago,

after the Boston Marathon bombings, I was inspired to take up running, first a 5K, then a half, and finally a full marathon. I’ve run marathons in Big Sur and Chicago, and I hope to be running for years to come. I’m not fast, but I’ve been energized to learn what is possible. I’ve also learned I need to get a new race on

Photos: Bill Youngblood

Reading: As a former English teacher,

Photos: Bill Youngblood

1

Faculty VOICES

Reading: I’m rereading Wearing Dad’s Head, a collection of short stories by Barry Yourgrau. His stories are surreal – dreamlike in the way that one moment can be excruciatingly clear, immediately followed by a moment that is frustratingly vague, yet familiar. I find myself transported to a very clear, creative space in my mind when I’m reading Yorgrau’s stories, which is a wonderful treat for any artist.

Listening: My taste in music

is really varied. I regularly listen to indie, blues, jazz, folk, world music, and whatever my kids are into when we’re in the car – which is often! Alt-j, Sia, Jose Gonzalez, and Lyle Lovett’s big band music are all in my rotation. Listening to NPR’s programs has been a great way to introduce myself to new music. I love Nothin’ but the Blues, and Chocolate City, which is hosted by Garth Trinidad, who happened to be my predecessor as the art assistant at Viewpoint 20 years ago!

Watching: The somewhat

suppressed, girly side of me enjoys watching Bravo, especially the new scripted series, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, and Odd Mom Out. However, my heart truly belongs to the undead.

I’m a huge fan of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, the spin-off series that tells the story of the origin of the zombie apocalypse. I find it fascinating to explore how people attempt to restructure society over and over, as conditions continuously fluctuate and deteriorate. To maintain balance, I also throw in an episode of Adventure Time here and there. I love cartoons, and I’m completely devoted to Lumpy Space Princess!

Jennifer Kirchmann JENNIFER KIRCHMANN driving across the country in a ’76 Buick Skylark with her husband, Kirt, in April, 1987– Jennifer Kirchmann left the last snow storm of the season in Nebraska for the promise of sun, ocean, and a thriving art scene in Los Angeles. After working a variety of jobs to pay for her education, Jennifer Kirchmann graduated from UCLA in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art. She landed at Viewpoint shortly after as the art assistant, and became a full-time art teacher in November 1996. Jennifer began her appointment as Chair of the Art Department this past summer.

Her three children, Cros ’10, Jonah ’17, and Xavier ’21, are all “lifers” at Viewpoint.

Creating: It’s been difficult for

me to carve time out of my schedule to create my own work, but I have a renewed commitment to do so and it’s paying off. I have realized that I need several layers of creativity to happen at the same time – just as I usually need to read more than one book simultaneously.

While I’m immersed in a sculpture that takes an emotional toll on me, I now have additional projects set up that are more about aesthetics and simply tapping into my creativity. I think I hadn’t examined

Photos: Bill Youngblood

2

the many forms of creativity that need to be nurtured within myself until recently.

Exploring: I love to run and

try new things, so I recently completed my first organized race – the Zombie Run – which was held in Temecula in November. I’m also finally putting myself to the test by learning to surf.

I keep thinking my training as a gymnast will help me find balance in the waves, but we’ll see! I’m also currently experimenting with different types of yoga and meditation.

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performances / awards / profiles

FOCUS ON MUSIC A Not So Quiet Gem

By Dr. Kristin Herkstroeter, Chair of the Music Department

Photo: Bill Youngblood

arts

STOP BY THE CARLSON FAMILY THEATER and chances are you will hear some sort of music in progress – Upper School Vocal Jazz, a Primary School Assembly, Concert Winds, or a Musical Production, to name just a few.

Whether a performance or rehearsal, there is music in the theater every day.

Above: Joey Paul ’15

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MUSIC INSTRUCTION AT VIEWPOINT begins in Kindergarten and

is introduced by experiencing music. Primary and Lower School students participate in a multitude of performances from regular assemblies, to class musicals, to year-end culminating celebrations.

As early as First Grade, many young students start playing a stringed instrument in our Before/After School Suzuki and Traditional String Programs guided by string experts Marisa McLeod and Dr. Nick Alvarez. But that is just the beginning.

IN FIFTH GRADE all students learn to play a band or orchestral

instrument while continuing to sing. The parents of these young musicians may find it hard to believe, but with careful practice, perseverance, and patience those sounds really do develop into beautiful performances. Under the skilled guidance of Kim Gonzalez in the band department, Eleni Pantages directing vocals, and myself leading the strings our Middle School students make the huge stride from novice to fledgling musicians. Our proof? Our Upper School music students! In addition to our traditional Upper School Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and Chorus, students have the opportunity to study vocal and instrumental jazz, and sing in our Contemporary Vocal Ensemble. In Upper School students also have opportunities to perform in some intimate lunchtime performances featuring chamber music, jazz combos, solos, and the like.

Upper School Orchestra performing in Symphony Hall in Chicago

MUSIC IS AN ART FORM

that needs to be shared.

Building on what they learn at Viewpoint School, our budding musicians also take their music off campus. Last March the Upper School Orchestras were invited to Dr. Kristin Herkstroeter perform at the Heritage Music Festival’s Festival of Gold in Chicago. An especially huge honor for a small high school and a non-auditioned ensemble!

What an amazing experience it was to perform at Symphony Hall in Chicago, the home of the Chicago Symphony. Last year Viewpoint’s Upper School String Quartet participated in the Los Angeles Junior Chamber Music Program. Their performance at our March strings concert was truly exceptional and an inspiration to everyone in attendance. Our most outstanding and dedicated musicians are members of local youth orchestras and choirs and regularly participate in summer music programs.

Ava Tran ’21

Kylie Foley ’17

Randy White ’17

OVER THE YEARS we have had a number of alumni join the ranks

of professional musicians. Jennifer Hirsh ’04, former American Idol contestant, now works as a local singer/songwriter, while cellist Andrew Janss ’02 will be performing as a soloist with the Thousand Oaks-based New West Symphony at the end of February. Many more alumni continue to perform for their own enjoyment. One of my favorite memories involves sitting across the Topanga Symphony Orchestra stage from Patrick Caloz ’09.

What an amazing experience it was for me to perform with one of my former students, and to think he almost gave up the cello in Middle School.

Vincent Finello’18, Jonathan Gan ’17, and Gbolahan Fajolu’16

COME TO A CONCERT. Encourage your children to practice.

You will be amazed at the results, and remember it is never too late to start or restart an instrument yourself!

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arts

SPRING PRODUCTIONS In Concert ’15 UPPER SCHOOL Danielle Morton ’17 and Donya Torabian ’15

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Peter Rabbit PRIMARY SCHOOL From left to right: Eddy Countryman ’26, Tess Donovan ’26, Rhea Khanna ’26, Kade Hood ’26, and Flora Case ’26

Once Upon a Time

James and the Giant Peach

LOWER SCHOOL

From left to right: Jonathan Lovett ’19, Margaux Bauerlein ’20, Alex Lisenby ’19, Ellery Harrington ’19, Devon Knopp ’20, Eddie Wolfson ’19, and Lily Andersson ’19

Bijan Taheri ’24

MIDDLE SCHOOL

How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying UPPER SCHOOL Back row from left to right: Hannah Schulhof ’18, Lily Hamilton ’18, Iayn Gates ’18, Melanie Hoffmann ’18, Isabel Wynne ’17, Emily Donan ’17, Maya Tribbitt ’17, Lily Landau ’18, and Alex Granaroli ’18 Front row (on knees/chair) from left to right: Darla Howell ’16, Tallulah Tepper ’15 (in chair) and Nicole Waldman ’17

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arts

VIEWPOINT IS PROUD OF OUR 2015 SCHOLASTIC AWARD WINNERS:

THE

SILVER KEY

By Monica Case ’90 Associate Director of Communications

Viewpoint Students Honored with Four National and 50 Regional Awards in 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Competition IT WAS ANOTHER OUTSTANDING YEAR in the Fine Arts

and English programs at Viewpoint. Our students won four National and 50 Regional awards in The 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards from the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

CONGRATULATIONS TO VIEWPOINT’S THREE National Silver winners (four awards), seven Regional Gold Key winners (11 awards), as well as to the 13 students who won Silver Keys, and the 17 students who won one or more Honorable Mention Keys for their outstanding work in fine art and writing. The National Silver Key Winners were recognized at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall in June.

Established in 1923, The Scholastic Art & Writing competition is the most prestigious recognition program in writing and the visual arts for students in Seventh through Twelfth Grades in the United States. Nationally, more than 250,000 works of art and writing were submitted for review in 2014-15. Past winners include Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, Bernard Malamud, Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Avedon, and Andy Warhol.

NATIONAL SILVER KEY Dylan Brosnan ’15, Photography (2) Charlotte Harrison ’17, Photography Tiffany Ong ’15, Photography

REGIONAL GOLD KEY Dylan Brosnan ’15, Photography (3) Catherine Grey ’16, Photography (2) Charlotte Harrison ’17, Photography Melina Keighron ’15, Ceramics Tiffany Ong ’15, Photography Samantha Salo ’16, Photography (2) Marisa Thompson ’16, Photography

REGIONAL SILVER KEY Dylan Brosnan ’15, Photography Emily Doneen ’17, Photography Sarah Eicher ’17, Drawing Lindsay Emi ’16, Writing – Personal Essay/Memoir Alessandra Granaroli ’18, Writing – Short Story Catherine Grey ’16, Photography (2) Morgan Hamilton ’15, Photography Rachel Jacobson ’17, Photography Melina Keighron ’15, Ceramics Callie Kutasi ’16, Writing – Short Story Tiffany Ong ’15, Photography Olivia Ratinoff ’15, Writing (2) – Poetry and Science Fiction/Fantasy Samantha Salo ’16, Photography

REGIONAL HONORABLE MENTIONS Aram Arslanian ’16, Photography Madison Cummings ’15, Drawing (2) Kathy Cutler ’16, Sculpture Sarah Eicher ’17, Drawing Lindsay Emi ’16, Writing (3) – Poetry Austin Furgatch ’17, Photography Alessandra Granaroli ’18, Writing (2) – Flash Fiction and Poetry Catherine Grey ’16, Photography Morgan Hamilton ’15, Photography Miriam Henerson ’17, Writing – Short Story Melina Keighron ’15, Ceramics Nolan Pearson ’15, Sculpture Portfolio Samantha Salo ’16, Poetry Emily Segan ’15, Sculpture Donia Torabian ’15, Sculpture AJ Urban ’20, Writing – Flash Fiction Yue Wang ’15, Drawing (5)

Top Right: Dylan Brosnan ’15, National Silver Award Winner – Photography Bottom Right: Charlotte Harrison ’17, National Silver Award Winner – Photography

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arts FINE ARTS AWARDS OF THE

YEAR

EACH SPRING VIEWPOINT’S FINE ART STUDENTS display their work on campus in the Malcolm Family Art Gallery. The faculty chose a Picture of the Year for each of the School’s divisions, and Ceramic Pieces of the Year, Sculptures of the Year, and Photographs of the Year for the Middle and Upper Schools.

UPPER SCHOOL SCULPTURE

Angela Kinstler ’17

PRIMARY SCHOOL BARBARA EXUM PICTURE OF THE YEAR

Pia Halt, Kindergarten

MIDDLE SCHOOL BARBARA EXUM PICTURE OF THE YEAR

Alyssa Detterman ’19

UPPER SCHOOL CERAMIC PIECE

Samatha Salo ’16

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MIDDLE SCHOOL CERAMIC PIECE

Sarah Williams ’19

UPPER SCHOOL PICTURE

LOWER SCHOOL BARBARA EXUM PICTURE OF THE YEAR

Sarah Eicher ’17

Riley Lashever, Fourth Grade

MIDDLE SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH

UPPER SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH

Weston Bell Geddes ’19

Matthew Salomons ’15

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athletics

practice / games / competitions

FROM THE

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

By Patrick Moyal

T

HE 2014-15 WINTER SEASON WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL in the history of the Basketball Program at Viewpoint. They finished with a record of 24-9, won the Max Prep Holiday Classic Tournament in Palm Desert, finished CIF Division 5-AA runner-up, and made it all the way to the CIF State Division 5 regional semi-finals. The team was led by Yale commit Miye Oni ’15, who was named to the All-Gold Coast 1st-Team and was the CIF Division 5 Co-Player of the year, and Harvard commit Christian Juzang ’16 named All-Gold Coast 2nd -Team and named to the CIF Division 5 1st-Team.

Players from left to right: Ethan Cutler ’15 and Nic Hogan ’16

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One of the highlights of the season was the CIF Division 5 semi-finals at Brentwood School, where we won 66-63 to make it to the CIF Finals for the first time in Viewpoint history. Coach J.J. Prince has done a tremendous job with the Basketball Program and we are very excited for next season.

The Girls Basketball Team finished with a record of 7-11, but Coach Will Burr couldn’t be happier with the direction of the program. The future is bright for the Girls Basketball Program with three starters returning from last season including AllGold Coast League 1st-Team winner Teani White ’17 and 2nd-Team winner Kim Friedman ’18.

Viewpoint’s Girls Soccer Team had another terrific season. They finished 3rd in the Gold Coast League and finished overall with a record of 12-8-2. The girls made it all the way to the second round of the CIF playoffs, winning two close games on the road. Expectations will be high next season as the team is returning many starters including defensive stopper and University of Oregon commit Alyssa Hinojosa ’16 who was named to both the CIF Division 5 and Gold Coast League 1st-Teams, and leading scorer Sophia Stills ’17, who was on the CIF Division 5 2nd-Team and made it on the Gold Coast League 1st-Team.

The Boys Soccer Team ended its season on a high note winning the last four games of the season. Coach Eric Warner had great leadership from seniors Sam Howard and Justin Shapiro who were named 1st-Team All-Gold Coast League.

The Viewpoint Boys Volleyball Team had an outstanding 2015. Coach Steven Chen’s team won the Gold Coast League Championship, and had an opening round win in the CIF Division 3 playoffs before losing to an eventual finalist. League MVP Ethan Cutler ’15 and 1st-Team All-League Award winners Harrison Stutz ’15 and Gianni Uba ’16 led the way with outstanding seasons.

Viewpoint’s Swim Teams continue their streak of excellence with both the Boys and the Girls Teams winning Gold Coast League Championships. The Boys made it 11 consecutive titles, while the girls won their ninth in a row. Co-Head Coaches Eliot Saki and Greg Bisheff saw some fabulous performances from Girls CIF Finalists Aashna Dev ’15, University of

Puget Sound commit Allison Hoops ’15, Kate Kaplan ’18, Michaela Kuelbs ’16, Farah Stack ’17, University of Chicago commit Kristen Such ’15, and Marissa Thompson ’16, who ended up coming in an impressive 6th place in CIF Division 3. The Boys CIF Finalists Caltech commit David Berger-Maneiro ’15, Thomas Finello ’18, Vincent Finello ’18, Jake Jepson ’17, Colorado College commit Matt Johnston ’15, Nick Mason ’16, and Matt Salomons ’15 also had a strong championship finishing 8th. The two teams combined to finish 5th overall in CIF Division 3.

Teani White ’17

Coach Kikugawa’s Tennis Team reeled off another league championship winning the Gold Coast League title. It was the team’s tenth consecutive title! Claremont McKenna commit Julian Gordy ’15 and Tulane commit Jonathan Star ’16 were the League’s Doubles Champions and Charlie Hollingsworth ’15 and Ethan Williams ’17 were named to the All-League 1st-Team.

Viewpoint’s up-and-coming Track Team continues to make very quick progress and looks like it will be a force to reckon with in the future. CIF Finalists Sayo Denloye ’16, Chandler Gee ’16, Michael Okparaocha ’17, and Dante Nepa ’16 led the way for this group all season long and were rewarded by being named on the Gold Coast All-League 1st-Team along with Caitlin Hogan ’16 who had a stellar year on the girls’ side.

Viewpoint’s Baseball Team made the most of the 2015 season. Gold Coast All-League 1st-Team Jake Feuerman ’15 and the other captains Daniel Pachino ’15 and Dylan

Campbell ’15 ably led this young squad, but the playoffs just slipped away at the very end.

Now the future is in the hands of a promising group of underclassmen whom Coach Colin Lynch is excited to work with in 2015-16.

This season Softball Coaches Pam Oseransky and Kelly Toovey had a young team with little experience, but with a desire to win. Character won out, and this squad, led by 1st-Team All-Gold Coast League Winner Andie Bieber ’15, made headway, improving each day and supporting one another.

Viewpoint’s Competitive Dancers are truly a fun team to watch. It was great to see their hard work rewarded at the West Coast Elite Dance Competition where they were awarded 2nd place in Medium Jazz, 4th place in Small Hip Hop, and 6th place in Elite Dance. Coach Justine Menter could not be prouder of all the girls. Also of note, Tedi Lewis ’17 and Rebecca Luner ’17 were awarded SouldeSoul Dance Convention Scholarships.

Viewpoint Golf showed in 2015 that they will definitely be a force to reckon with in 2016.

This very young team had an outstanding season which culminated in a fourth place finish in the Gold Coast League. Coach Richard Durham was very proud of all the boys including Captains Ari Weintraub ’16 and Roshon Yamani ’17.

Viewpoint Lacrosse Captains Tommy Maher ’17, Curran Mody ’15, and Colorado College commit Harrison Raine ’15 showed great leadership during a season. The boys had signature wins which included victories against Simi Valley High School and Malibu High School and the program hopes to build from there. The School is very proud of all the boys. Errol Ashby ’17, Casey Hoops ’18, and Harrison Raine ’15 were named to the Gold Coast 1st-Team All-League Team.

Viewpoint’s Equestrian Team often flies under the radar but their accomplishments are noteworthy. Among some of the most significant achievements by the Upper School team members are Varsity Reserve Champions; Freshman Dressage 3rd place: Emily Doneen ’17; Varsity Dressage 3rd place: Jordyn Horwitz ’16, and Varsity Equitation Reserve Champion: Tallulah Tepper ’15. Congratulations to those girls and all the others who wear Viewpoint’s colors at the shows.We appreciate all your hard work!

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athletics Winter 2014-15 UPPER SCHOOL Girls Basketball

I All-Gold Coast League

1st Team: Teani White ’17 2nd Team: Kim Friedman ’18

Boys Basketball

I All-Gold Coast League

1st Team: Miye Oni ’15 2nd Team: Christian Juzang ’15

ALL-CIF DIVISION V-AA Co-Player of the Year: Miye Oni ’15 1st Team: Christian Juzang ’16 2nd Team: Aram Arslanian ’16

DAILY NEWS ALL-AREA TEAM 1st Team: Miye Oni ’15 2nd Team: Christian Juzang ’15

Girls Soccer

I All-Gold Coast League

Alyssa Hinojosa ’16, Sophia Stills ’17 2nd Team: Lee Sandel ’17, Maya Sandel ’17 1st Team:

ALL-CIF DIVISION 5 1st Team: Alyssa Hinojosa ’16 2nd Team: Sophia Stills ’17

Boys Soccer

I All-Gold Coast League

1st Team: Sam Howard ’15 2nd Team: Justin Shapiro ’15

MIDDLE SCHOOL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS Sixth Grade Boys Basketball (B) Fifth Grade A Division Boys’ Basketball Champions Fifth Grade B East Division Girls’ Soccer Champions

ALL-LEAGUE RECOGNITIONS Boys Basketball

Johnny Juzang ’19

I All-Delphic League

Spring 2015 UPPER SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Boys Tennis Gold Coast League Champions

Eighth Grade Girls Varsity Volleyball

All-Gold Coast League Double Champions: Julian Gordy ’15,

Jonathan Star ’16 1st Team: Charlie Hollingsworth ’15, Ethan Williams ’17

V I E W P O I N T

Golf – Max Angard ’20 Boys Tennis – Konrad Ulich ’20 Baseball – Cary Lucas ’19

Boys Volleyball Gold Coast League Champions All-Gold Coast League Most Valuable Player: Ethan Cutler ’15

1st Team: Harrison Stutz ’15, Gianni Uba ’16 2nd Team: Zach Chulak ’16, Nic Hogan ’17,

Sam Howard ’15

Boys Swimming Gold Coast League Champions CIF Qualifiers:

David Berger-Maneiro ’15 and Jake Jepson ’17

David Berger-Maneiro ’15, Thomas Finello ’18, Vincent Finello ’18, Jake Jepson ’17, Matt Johnston ’15, Nick Mason ’16, Matt Salomons ’15, Alex Zhuk ’16 Girls Swimming Gold Coast League Champions

Emma Antall ’15, Alanna Barron ’17, Aashna Dev ’15, Cailan Feingold ’17, Andie Harris ’16, Natalia Hernandez ’18, Allison Hoops ’15, Kate Kaplan ’18, Michaela Kuelbs ’16, Meera McLane ’15, Sierra Saki ’15, Farah Stack ’17, Kristen Such ’15, Marissa Thompson ’16

I

Track 4 x 100 Girls Gold Coast League Champions

Maddie Jacobs ’17, Caitlin Hogan ’16, Alyssa Hinojosa ’16, Maya Sandel ’17

I

Track 4 x 100 Boys Gold Coast League Champions

Sayo Denloye ’16, Michael Okparaocha ’17, Chandler Gee ’16, Dante Sepa ’16

I

Track 400m Girls Gold Coast League Champion

Caitlin Hogan ’16

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M AG A Z I N E

Alyssa Hinojosa ’16

SUPPORTING OUR STUDENT ATHLETES

ON THE PATH TO COLLEGE ATHLETICS

By Travis Kikugawa, Director of Counseling for College-Bound Athletes, Director of Soccer and Tennis Operations

how to communicate effectively with college coaches in phone calls, emails, and on campus visits.

H

The focus behind this program is to provide more information for anyone looking to play at the collegiate level. At the end of the day, the window to be a collegiate athlete is a small one and the benefits are many. The coaches, faculty, and College Counseling Office are instrumental throughout this process, and we are excited to continue to build upon the rich student-athlete tradition that has been established at Viewpoint School.

OW CAN WE DO MORE for our

student athletes? How can we bring more awareness to all the possibilities that exist for them at the next level? How do we help educate not only the students, but their parents as well, when it comes to trying to navigate the slippery slope of collegiate athletic recruiting? How do we help serve those who are looking into the idea of pursuing their academic and athletic interest at the next level? What can we do for the individual who may not be playing on the big-time college showcase club team that travels the country, but is still very passionate about his or her sport and interested in continuing to pursue the dream of playing at the collegiate level?

FIVE YEARS AGO, VIEWPOINT DECIDED to develop a program

to answer these questions. Working together, the Athletic Department and the College Counseling Office designed the Counseling Program for College-Bound Athletes specifically to help address all of these issues and provide insight to those interested in learning more about the athletic recruiting process.

Since the establishment of this program, 36 Viewpoint graduates have gone on to participate at the collegiate level. The number of potential collegiate athletes from the Class of 2016 alone is looking to top out somewhere in the twenties, which would be the biggest graduation class of collegiate athletes in Viewpoint’s history.

Each February the Athletic Department and College Counseling Office co-sponsor the annual College Athletic Night, where a panel of college coaches, administrators, and athletes discuss the different options for college athletes and give advice on how to best navigate the recruiting process. Throughout the year, my role is to guide students in writing athletic resumes and cover letters, help students craft an appropriate list of colleges to contact based on their athletic ability, and coach prospective student athletes on

First row: Allison Hoops ’15, Kristen Such ’15, Harrison Raine ’15, Zae Alcedo ’15, and Dean Shoham ’15 Back Row: David Berger-Maneiro ’15, Jack Rhodes ’15, Julian Gordy ’15, Miye Oni ’15, and Matt Johnston ’15 (not pictured)

CONGRATULATIONS TO VIEWPOINT’S COLLEGE ATHLETES: BASKETBALL Miye Oni

SWIMMING David Berger-Maneiro

Dean Shoham

Allison Hoops

Yale University (fall 2016) Macalester College

FOOTBALL Zae Alcedo

Washington University, St. Louis

Jack Rhodes

Tufts University

LACROSSE Harrison Raine

Calteck

University of Puget Sound

Matt Johnston

Colorado College

Kristen Such

University of Chicago

TENNIS Julian Gordy

Claremont McKenna

Colorado College F A L L S2P0R1 I5N G

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grounds / facilities / expansion

VIEWPOINT’S MISSION

Viewpoint’s character traits are proudly displayed on arches connecting our new Primary School classrooms and our new Primary and Lower School Enrichment classrooms.

OUT OF MANY, ONE VISION

By Jodi Schapiro, Chief Advancement Officer

AT A RECENT RECEPTION welcoming new parents to our community, Viewpoint’s Chair of the Board of Trustees, John Nadolenco, shared Viewpoint’s inspirational transformation from the little schoolhouse in the canyon in the 1970s to one of the leading K–12 programs in the country today.

“Viewpoint School is indeed a world-class success story. As the newest members of our community, your children will benefit from the inspired leadership and remarkable generosity of those who came before you.” John Nadolenco continued, “Our community has a history of coming together to make things happen.”

Mr. Nadolenco was, of course, referring to the remarkable investment of $65 million over the last 10 years in the construction of 163,000 square feet of modern, state-of-the-art facilities in which our program and our students have thrived.

Viewpoint’s Master Plan, approved by the City of Calabasas in

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2003, created an aligned set of academic and athletic facilities for Primary and Lower Schools and Middle and Upper Schools, respectively, which flows from west to east with shared performing arts spaces in the middle. The first two phases of construction, completed by 2011, built first-rate facilities for our Middle and Upper School students. Once we completed facilities for our older students, our focus shifted to completing the vision for the west end of campus to create a unified academic experience, which begins in the Primary School and carries throughout a student’s educational journey at Viewpoint.

In September 2015, Viewpoint celebrated the opening of 22,000 square feet of new educational spaces for our Primary and Lower School students, which included an Innovation Space; the Benjamin Franklin Library, made possible by long-time Viewpoint supporters Dean and Kathleen Rasmussen; Helfands’ Harvest serving fresh food prepared on the premises; Glicklichs’ Picnic Place, an outdoor dining area for our students, and the Karapetian Family Courtyard for community gatherings, to name a few. Viewpoint’s talented facilities, campus safety, and information technology professionals completed this ambitious

project on schedule and for the start of the 2015-16 school year. “The heartfelt support of our community has made our dream come true for our students,” shared Cathy Adelman, Head of Primary School.

The vision of the Master Plan approved by the City of Calabasas in 2003 is not yet complete. While many students now enjoy learning in the modern, permanent, spacious facilities envisioned by the Master Plan, more work remains. We must raise funds for the construction of an athletic field, athletic facilities, and other capital projects on the west end of campus, along with additional parking.

For the 2015-16 school year, we are raising funds through Viewpoint’s Make Your Mark campaign and the Dworkoski Legacy Fund to honor Dr. Bob Dworkoski’s transformative leadership in his 30th and final year at Viewpoint, and to help complete his vision of a 21st-century campus and learning environment for our students across all 13 grades. For Dr. Dworkoski, it always has been about the students.

“Our continuing objective, and what lies at the heart of Viewpoint is an American standard – the need for self-improvement, the drive to measure excellence by each new day. We ask our children to do just that. Strive to be better. Aim high.”

Viewpoint’s Innovation Space teacher, Lisa Kessler, helps students to imagine, create, and collaborate in Viewpoint’s new Innovation Space. Shown above are Fifth Grade students designing, wiring, and building Scribble Bots with assistance from Lisa Kessler, Assistant Teacher Ron Quarterman, and Head of IT Daryl Thrasher.

Viewpoint continues to be aspirational for its students. That unifying vision – to provide the very best for our students so that they may become their very best – inspires those of us fortunate enough to take part in bringing the mission to life each day at Viewpoint.

On September 1, 2015, Viewpoint students, faculty, and administrators were joined by officials and friends from the City of Calabasas, members of the Board of Trustees, and supporters for a ribbon

RIBBON CUTTING CELEBRATION OF NEW PRIMARY AND LOWER SCHOOL FACILITIES

cutting to celebrate the opening of our new technology-enriched Primary and Lower School learning spaces. The celebration included a charming student performance, heartfelt remarks, enthusiastic selfies, and bubble blowing by Viewpoint’s youngest students. The festivities marked an important milestone toward completing Viewpoint’s Master Plan, bringing long-awaited improvements to the west end of campus for our youngest students.

We are grateful to our many philanthropic supporters of the new Primary and Lower School facilities, including the families listed below who have named a new classroom or space in these facilities: SPECIAL THANKS TO

Dr. Bob Dworkoski, President of the Viewpoint Educational Foundation, Mark McKee, Head of School, John Nadolenco, Chair of Board of Trustees, are joined by trustee Brian Glicklich and Leigh Glicklich.

Brody Jones ’27, Samantha Glicklich ’26, Palmer Helfand ’24, Jayden Karapetian ’23, and Micah Gutman ’25

Dean and Kathleen Rasmussen for their lead gift The Austin Family The Bishai Family The Furgatch Family The Glicklich Family The Gutman-Hertzman Family The Harrison Family The Helfand Family The Karapetian Family The Maentz Family The Nelson Family The Oden Family The Schetter Family FALL

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college

personal goals / expectations / research / deadlines

COUNSELING

INTO ACTION

By Rhody Davis, Director of College Counseling

I

T’S EASY TO ASSUME that

applying to college simply involves filling out forms, taking tests, and writing essays.

Full engagement in the process, however, can lead to rich rewards that extend beyond creating college options. Empowering students is at the heart of our approach to college counseling. Applying to college can be transformative for students as they gain self-sight, experience ups and downs, and build skills that serve them throughout life. These lofty goals are reflected in Viewpoint’s five-point, action-oriented College Counseling Philosophy.

ENGAGE IN SELF-REFLECTION. To

promote deep thinking, students are encouraged to complete an extensive questionnaire, draft a resume, and write an autobiography. Counselors ask thought-provoking questions and offer insight during family and one-on-one student meetings. Understanding aspects of one’s personality such as preferred environments and motivation will yield thoughtful college lists, essays, and choices.

MAINTAIN REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.

It’s important to be honest with oneself.

By using longitudinal data from college counseling software such as Naviance Family Connection along with published college GPA and score ranges, students make informed predictions on how

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competitive they are for admission.

Of course, a test score and a GPA are merely two data points and don’t tell a student’s full story. Essays, activities, and recommendations are subjective factors that impact decisions. But, being realistic about competitiveness based on GPA and scores is essential to managing expectations.

A smart college list includes mostly schools where a student’s GPA and scores are midrange or higher, thereby maximizing the chance of admission and college choices.

BUILD PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS.

Central to success in applying to college is forging good working relationships with others. Teachers, counselors, and parents can help students achieve their goals and are invested in their success. And, speaking of investments, a critical issue that families face is how to pay for college. Students need to have honest conversations with their parents – how much money parents can contribute, applying for financial aid, and how loans impact the financial future of all involved – are important topics to discuss. Awareness of financial realities and distracting emotions can help students and parents make crucial financial decisions about college.

CONDUCT SOUND RESEARCH. Central

to success in the college process is doing thorough research on college options.

Visiting campuses is the most effective way to research colleges, and every Spring

MEET ALL DEADLINES. Missed deadlines

are missed opportunities. Starting work early, as seniors do at Viewpoint’s College Counseling Summer Institute in August, is essential to filing well-written college applications by the deadlines. Waiting until the last minute compromises quality and leaves no room for error.

As the College Counseling Philosophy concludes, “Viewpoint’s program is designed to help students achieve these goals.” To that end, throughout the fall, Viewpoint’s college counselors are available to help seniors with the important tasks that lead to success in the college process and beyond.

COLLEGE COUNSELING PHILOSOPHY

As students: ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

Putting Philosophy

Break, Viewpoint runs the East Coast College Tour for juniors to visit nearly 20 campuses and hear admissions presentations.

In addition, exploring college Web sites and talking to admission officers, current students, and alumni provide valuable information. In determining colleges that are a fit, consider how qualities such as size, selectivity, and cost relate to a student’s learning style, academic profile, and budget.

A well-researched, personalized college list will render appropriate choices and make the final decision easier.

Engage in self-reflection Maintain realistic expectations Build productive relationships Conduct sound research, and Meet all deadlines

They become empowered to take responsibility for their own college admission process and maximize their success.

Viewpoint’s College Counseling program is designed to help students meet these goals.

T

his fall Brooke Smith joined Viewpoint’s College Counseling Office. Director of College Counseling Rhody Davis posed the following questions to help our families to get to know her: What drew you to the job at Viewpoint?

I was moved by the strong sense of community that exists among our students, faculty, and families.

Viewpoint immediately stood out to me as a place that values a rigorous academic experience, while also providing a nurturing environment that fosters student growth. Viewpoint is a place where young people become empowered to thrive, and I’m thrilled to be joining the Viewpoint family.

What is your own educational background?

MEET

BROOKE SMITH

The New Associate Director of College Counseling

I was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and I always knew that I wanted to go away for college. I specifically started looking into colleges and universities in the New England area.

After taking countless college road trips with my Dad, I fell in love with Plymouth State University in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. There, I played four years of Varsity Women’s Lacrosse and managed to get in a lot of great skiing over the winters. After four years in the cold, I decided to head back home to The University of South Carolina where I received my master’s degree in Counselor Education.

You’ve been a college or school counselor for over 10 years; what’s your best bit of advice?

Over the years I’ve come to realize that the advice I give to students and families as they prepare for college is really advice that applies to our everyday lives.

#1 Have a Solid Plan Be strategic and thoughtful in your college search, but don’t forget to live in the present and appreciate this moment. Yes, it’s much easier said than done, and most of us spend our lives trying to find the right balance.

#2 Be Open to New and Unforeseen Possibilities They say the only thing that stays the same is change, and for most of us change can be really scary. If we learn to see our challenges through new lenses, we can literally turn our challenges into fantastic opportunities. I’ve seen countless students find happiness and success at amazing colleges and universities that they may not have otherwise considered if it weren’t for being open to new and unforeseen possibilities.

#3 Know Thyself & Be Nice to People (& animals, especially puppies & kittens) The college process is certainly an exercise of self-introspection; from finding the right vibe on campus, to crafting the finest college essay. Always try to be your best self, but don’t forget to be kind to yourself if things don’t go exactly the way you planned.

P.S. When things don’t go the way you planned, refer back to tip #2 and you’ll be good to go!

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college COUNSELING

Beyond VIEWPOINT Institutions in blue type indicate one or more matriculates from the Class of 2015.

American AMDA – The American Musical and Dramatic Academy American Jewish University American University Amherst College Arizona State University Art Center College of Design Auburn University Babson College Bard College Barnard College Bates College Baylor University Becker College Bellarmine University Belmont University Beloit College Bennington College Bentley University Binghamton University Boise State University Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Bradley University Brandeis University Brigham Young University Brigham Young University, Idaho Brown University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University Butler University California College of the Arts (San Francisco) California Institute of Technology California Institute of the Arts California Lutheran University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State University, Channel Islands California State University, Chico California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, East Bay California State University, Fullerton California State University, Long Beach California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Monterey Bay California State University, Northridge

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Carleton College Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Chapman University Claremont McKenna College Clemson University Colby College Colgate University College of Charleston College of William and Mary Colorado College Colorado School of Mines Colorado State University Columbia College Chicago Columbia University Connecticut College Cornell University Cornish College of the Arts Dartmouth College Denison University DePaul University DePauw University Dickinson College Dominican University of California Drexel University Duke University Durham University Eckerd College Elmira College Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Daytona Beach Emerson College Emory University Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Institute of Technology Florida State University Fordham University – Lincoln Center Campus/Rose Hill Campus Fort Lewis College Franklin and Marshall College George Mason University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology Gettysburg College Gonzaga University Grinnell College Hamilton College – NY Hampshire College Harvard University Harvey Mudd College Haverford College Hawaii Pacific University High Point University Hofstra University Holy Names University

Colleges & Universities Admitting Viewpoint’s Graduates from 2012-15

Humboldt State University Indiana University at Bloomington Ithaca College Jackson State University James Madison University Johns Hopkins University Kansas State University Kenyon College King’s College London Knox College Lafayette College Lake Forest College Lebanon Valley College Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College Lindenwood University – Belleville Campus Linfield College Lipscomb University London School of Economics Loyola Marymount University Lynchburg College Macalester College Manhattanville College Marist College Maryland Institute College of Art Marymount California University Marymount Manhattan College Marymount University Massachusetts Institute of Technology McDaniel College McGill University Menlo College Miami University, Oxford Michigan State University Middlebury College Minneapolis College of Art and Design Moorpark College Morehouse College Mount Holyoke College Mount Ida College Muhlenberg College New York University Northeastern University Northern Arizona University Northwestern University Oberlin College Oberlin Conservatory of Music Occidental College Ohio University Oregon State University Otis College of Art and Design Pace University, New York City Pennsylvania State University, University Park Pepperdine University

Pierce College Pitzer College Point Park University Polytechnic Institute of NYU Pomona College Pratt Institute Princeton University Principia College Purdue University Queen’s University Quinnipiac University Reed College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island School of Design Rhodes College Rice University Rider University Ringling College of Art and Design Roanoke College Rochester Institute of Technology Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Rutgers University–New Brunswick Saint Mary’s College Salve Regina University San Diego State University San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco State University San Jose State University Santa Barbara City College Santa Clara University Santa Monica College Sarah Lawrence College Savannah College of Art and Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of the Museum of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts Scripps College Seattle Pacific University Seattle University Skidmore College Smith College Sonoma State University Southern Connecticut State University Southern Methodist University Southern Oregon University Southwestern University St. John’s College St. John’s University – Queens Campus Stanford University Stetson University Stonehill College Stony Brook University Suffolk University Swarthmore College Syracuse University Texas A&M University Texas Christian University The American University of Paris The College of New Jersey The College of Wooster The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art The Evergreen State College The George Washington University The Minerva Institute for Research and Scholarship The New School – Eugene Lang College

The Ohio State University The University of Alabama The University of Alabama in Huntsville The University of Arizona The University of Georgia The University of Iowa The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of Tampa The University of Texas at Austin Trinity College Trinity University Tufts University Tulane University Union College United States Air Force Academy United States Military Academy – West Point United States Naval Academy University College London University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Merced University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz

University of Chicago University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Colorado Springs University of Connecticut University of Delaware University of Denver University of Edinburgh University of Florida University of Hawaii at Manoa University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign University of Kansas University of Kentucky University of La Verne University of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Miami University of Michigan University of Minnesota, Twin Cities University of Mississippi University of Missouri Columbia University of Nevada, Las Vegas University of New Hampshire University of North Dakota University of Notre Dame University of Oregon University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh

University of Portland University of Puget Sound University of Redlands University of Rhode Island University of Richmond University of Rochester University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of South Carolina University of Southern California University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts University of St. Andrews University of St. Mary University of the Pacific University of Tulsa University of Utah University of Vermont University of Virginia University of Warwick University of Washington University of Washington, Bothell University of Wisconsin –Madison University of Wyoming University of York Vanderbilt University Vassar College Villanova University Virginia Commonwealth University

Class of

2015 Wake Forest University Washington and Lee University Washington State University Washington University in St. Louis Wellesley College Wesleyan University Westmont College Wheaton College MA Whitman College Whittier College Willamette University Williams College Wittenberg University Yale University

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celebrate!

graduates / commencement / awards

Raphael Meyer ’15, Meera McLane ’15, and Laura McAloon ’15

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A REASON TO CELEBRATE:

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2015

O

N JUNE 6, Viewpoint celebrated the

graduation of the 111 students in the Class of 2015. Family, friends, faculty, and students gathered under a white tent on Ring Family Field for an elegant commencement ceremony, which included performances by the Upper School Vocal Ensemble and Chorus and members of Upper School Strings.

President of the Viewpoint Educational Foundation Dr. Bob Dworkoski welcomed the audience and commended the graduates’ hard work and many accomplishments.

OUR COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER, actor, film producer,

philanthropist, and parent Pierce Brosnan, shared the story of his journey as a young artist and performer on the streets of London to his international success in television and film. Although justifiably proud of his accomplishments in the entertainment

Pierce Brosnan

industry, Mr. Brosnan’s greatest satisfaction comes from his ongoing work as a steward of the environment. He acknowledged that we face great challenges in solving the world’s environmental issues, but he is hopeful for the future. Mr. Brosnan encouraged our graduates not to shy away from life’s big challenges. Never fear to act; you can make a difference.

SALUTATORIAN CURRAN MODY’S thoughtful words reflected

upon the warm friendships that have formed among the members of the graduating class. Dina Hamer, the Class of 2015's Valedictorian, expressed her profound gratitude to her family, friends, and teachers. She then concluded by sharing some of the wisdom gained from her own life experiences: “FINALLY, ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE LESSONS I have learned

and will take with me as I enter adulthood is that hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed. I stand up here today saying your classmates see you, your teachers see you, and most of all, Viewpoint sees you. Awards and titles are but bits and pieces of all the knowledge and wisdom we have accumulated over the years.

Achievement is truly something intangible, as are all meaningful things in life.”

VIEWPOINT CONGRATULATES THE CLASS OF 2015 and encourages

each graduate to remain connected to each other and to our Viewpoint community.Together, you will make great things happen!

Morgan ’20, Justin ’15, Tami, and Hayley ’17 Wank

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celebrate!

2015 Upper School Awards

UPPER SCHOOL COMMUNIT Y SERVICE AWARD Abigail Rodgers ’16 The faculty recognizes the student who best demonstrates the spirit of generosity to others. Typically, the recipient volunteered time and effort on a significant, long-term basis, working to better the lives of those in need.

ARTHUR B. O’LEARY AWARD Eliza Frakes ’15 The School’s most significant award recognizes a senior who demonstrates high academic achievement, character, and a positive spirit, qualities Viewpoint strives to develop. The faculty selects the recipient. Mr. O’Leary was the School’s first Headmaster, appointed in 1979.

THELMA B. SIT TON AWARD Darla Howell ’16 The faculty selects the recipient of this award recognizing outstanding qualities of character and service to others. Mrs. Thelma Sitton was Viewpoint’s first Director, appointed in 1963.

VALEDICTORIAN Dina Hamer ’15 Chosen by the faculty, the Valedictorian is the outstanding scholar of the graduating class.

UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT OF THE YEAR Donia Torabian ’15 Chosen by the Student Council, the winner of this award is a senior who exhibits concern for others, school spirit, and interest in improving student life.

JOSEPH AND ELIZABETH HANDLEY AWARD FOR AMERICAN STUDIES Jacqueline Nowakowski ’16 Established in 2002, this award honors an Upper School student who demonstrates unusual achievement and interest in American studies, expects to pursue these studies in college, and who exhibits excellent character and concern for the community. Mr. and Mrs. Handley were leaders of Viewpoint School during its founding years in the 1960s.

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SALUTATORIAN

Dina Hamer ’15

COOPER SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD Julian Gordy ’15 & Melina Keighron ’15 The faculty selects the recipients of this award based on the students’ achievements in academics, athletics, and service to others. The award was established in 1970

by Viewpoint’s teacher Rayna Cooper in honor of her sons, who excelled in athletics and academics.

MARY CARPENTER AWARD FOR THE ARTS Carly Miron ’15 The faculty selects a student who upheld the standards of the School and achieved unusual growth in the arts. Established in 1986, the award is named in honor of Mary Carpenter, one of the School’s founders and its first Director of Admission.

MERYL STALEY ’06 AWARD FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Miriam Henerson ’17 This award in memory of Meryl Staley ’06 is presented to a sophomore or junior who, through his or her generous spirit, quiet determination, and positive attitude, exemplifies the character critical to success in the performing arts.The winner of this honor receives a grant for offcampus programs in the performing arts.

Curran Mody ’15 The Senior Class selects the Salutatorian who introduces the graduating class to the audience at Commencement.

VSSA AWARD Ella Sudit ’15 The Viewpoint School Service Association (VSSA) annually recognizes a student remarkable for service to the School, often as an ambassador to the community. The faculty recommends the recipients, and the VSSA makes the final choice.

CALABASAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AWARD Henri Salamati ’15 This award is presented to a senior who performed outstanding community service and is likely to study business in college.

FINE ARTS AWARDS OF THE YEAR Each year the faculty chooses the Upper School’s Fine Arts Awards of the Year in the four following areas:

CERAMIC PIECE OF THE YEAR Samantha Salo ’16

PHOTOGRAPH OF THE YEAR Matthew Salomons ’15

PICTURE OF THE YEAR Sarah Eicher ’17

SCULPTURE OF THE YEAR Angela Kinstler ’17

NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED STUDENTS AND OTHER RECOGNITIONS National Merit Commended Students are among the 34,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT. They receive Letters of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise.

2015 Upper School Departmental Awards BARBARA EXUM ART AWARD Madison Cummings ’15 & Nolan Pearson ’15 Barbara Exum was an art teacher at Viewpoint for 25 years and served her last 15 years as Chair of the Art Department.

National Merit Commended Students

David Berger-Maneiro ’15 Brandon Crawford ’15 Khai Fujita ’15 Julian Gordy ’15 Andrew Gu ’15 Jessica Hui ’15 William Kaplan ’15 Melina Keighron ’15 Julian Landmann ’15 Carly Miron ’15 Shea O’Sullivan ’15 Tiffany Ong ’15 Cameron Seneviratne ’15

COMPUTER SCIENCE AWARD Tyler Gibbs ’16

DANCE AWARDS Danielle Morton ’17 MacKenzie Cummings ’15

THEATER AWARDS Joshua Knoller ’16 Donia Torabian ’15

Each year, the College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) recognizes about 5,000 of the 250,000 Hispanic/Latino juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT. Colleges use this program to identify academically exceptional Hispanic/Latino students.

National Hispanic Recognition Program

Pilar Flournoy ’15 Huber Gonzalez ’15 John Kyle Moseley ’15 Olivia Ratinoff ’15 Ella Sudit ’15

Scholar Scholar Scholar Scholar Scholar

The National Achievement Scholarship Program is a privately financed academic competition conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

Established in 1964, contemporaneously with the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the program honors scholastically promising Black American high school students, and increases their educational opportunities.

National Achievement Scholarship Program

OluMiye Oni ’15

Outstanding Participant

ENGLISH AWARDS Caitlin Hogan ’16 Sydney Feyder ’16

BIT TICKS MATH AWARDS Raphael Meyer ’15 Mrs. Terry Bitticks was a revered math teacher, the Math Department Chair, and Curricular Director until 1992.

MATH AWARDS AP Calculus

Julian Gordy ’15 Calculus

Katherine Roush ’15 AP Statistics

Keian Mohammadi ’15

MUSIC AWARDS Tallulah Tepper ’15 Connor Izumi ’15

SCIENCES AWARDS Biology

Maggie Bendersky ’16 Chemistry

Daniel Delgado ’17 Environmental

ZAKI GORDON ’94 FILM AWARD Porschia Adler ’16 This award was established in memory and honor of Zaki Gordon ’94 to recognize outstanding and inspirational achievements in filmmaking at Viewpoint School. The winner receives $1,000 towards tuition for college if he or she is studying film.

WORLD LANGUAGES AWARDS French

MacKenzie Cummings ’15 Physics

Raphael Meyers ’15

SOCIAL STUDIES AWARD Hannah Wright ’16

PSYCHOLOGY AWARD Julia Landmann ’15

STUDENT COUNCIL MEMBERS

Daelyn Weitz ’15

Ethan Bahar ’15

Latin

Grant Sullivan ’15

Lindsay Emi ’16 Mandarin Chinese

Kiersten Crouse ’16 Spanish

Alexis Leoni ’16

President

Vice President

Zach Oschin ’15 Secretary

Darla Howell ’16 Treasurer

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Induction of the Cum Laude Society 2015 Viewpoint School’s chapter of the prestigious Cum Laude Society welcomed 24 new members during an induction ceremony in the Carlson Family Theater on April 24, 2015. The faculty members of the Society select students for membership who have demonstrated scholastic excellence (Areté), justice (Diké), and honor (Timé).

The Cum Laude Society, modeled after Phi Beta Kappa, the academic honor society for college graduates, recognizes superior scholarship in selected high schools in the United States and abroad.

A member since 1992, Viewpoint is one of only 33 schools in California to have earned the distinction of having a Cum Laude chapter.

2015 CUM LAUDE SOCIET Y INDUCTEES

Curran Mody ’15, Morgan Hamilton ’15, Sam Howard ’15

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award 2015

Class of 2015

Demi De Cesare Pilar Flournoy Elizabeth Frakes Huber Gonzalez Brianna Honkawa d’Estries Jessica Hui Keian Mohammadi Rachel Moszkowicz Ella Sudit Jake Sullivan Grant Sullivan Tallulah Tepper Class of 2016

Porschia Adler Alexander Barnett Maggie Bendersky Kiersten Crouse Lindsay Emi Alyssa Gengos Caitlin Hogan Justin Lewis-Weber Jacqueline Nowakowski Brenden Rodriquez Amy Wilson Rebecca Woolf

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ON MAY 18, Viewpoint awarded 25 Upper School students with Gold Medals

in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Young Americans’ Challenge. The School also presented 43 students with Silver Medals and another 57 students with Bronze Medals. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award program encourages students to challenge themselves outside the classroom and to make a positive difference in the world.

Each award-winning student completed personal goals in four different areas: service to others, adventurous journey, practical or vocational life skills, and physical recreation.

The Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Program require three, six, and 12 months of concentration respectively. Each level also requires an overnight adventurous journey lasting between two and four days. In addition, gold medalists complete a residential project, in which students spend at least four consecutive nights and five days in an unfamiliar residential setting with strangers working towards a common goal.

VIEWPOINT IS PROUD TO OFFER THIS PROGRAM, which was introduced to

the School by Trustee Emeritus Sam Haskell in 2007. In May 2007, Viewpoint became the first Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade School in the United States to offer the program, which was founded in 1956 by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. To date, over 8 million young people from 144 countries have met the requirements of this award.

M AG A Z I N E

Gold Award Winners

Porschia Adler ’16 Nicolette Alexander ’16 Oren Alon ’16 Alex Barnett ’16 Paige Cornelius ’16 Lindsay Emi ’16 Gbolahan Fajolu ’16 Honour Fottrell ’16 Rachel Furash ’16 Alyssa Gengos ’16 Alexander Gold ’16 Catherine Grey ’16 Caitlin Hogan ’16 Kathryn Kimes ’16 Callie Kutasi ’16 Alex Lashever ’16 Maxwell Latham ’16 Alexis Leoni ’16 Jill Levy ’16 Evelyn Montgomery ’15 Zachary Oschin ’16 Abigail Rodgers ’16 Brenden Rodriquez ’16 Jamie Schecter ’16 Isabella Sprague ’16 Silver Award Winners

Anthony Aguirre ’17 Alanna Barron ’17 Tyler Barron ’17 Zoe Beckman ’17 Alec Berger ’16 Jessica Blumberg ’16 Elizabeth Boock ’17 Raymond Boucher ’16 Alejandro Campillo ’17 Maria Chernitskaya ’16 Michael Cohen ’17 Kiersten Crouse ’16 Olusayo Denloye ’16 Sonam Dhameja ’16 Jillian Ecoff ’16 Sophia Frazier ’17 Brandon Garber ’16 Damian Gardiner ’17 Elliot Gilliam ’16 Molly Gross ’17 Alanna Hamill ’17 Jordyn Horwitz ’16 Spencer Hylen ’17 Grace Jacobson ’16

Why Duke of Edinburgh?

By Porschia Adler ’16

SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1956, the prestigious and

Rachel Jacobson ’17 Chloe Kearis De Logi ’16 Kathryn Kolpin ’16 McCloy Leonard ’17 Mara Lorin ’17 Rebecca Luner ’17 Hayley Ratzan-Wank ’17 Jack Salamati ’17 Gaia Shoham ’16 Alexandra Stiller ’17 Madeline Stutz ’16 Katarina Ulich ’17 Samir Venkatesh ’17 Samuel Villeneuve ’17 Evan Visher ’17 Liza Wagner ’17 James Walsh ’17 Ethan Williams ’17 Nicholas Zakari ’17 Bronze Award Winners

Nathan Alexander ’18 Matthew Bahar ’18 Jansen Baier ’18 Noah Ben-David ’18 Alec Berger ’16 Zak Boyce ’18 Jake Bubman ’17 Calvin Chen ’18 Isabella Cohen ’18 Ben Davidorf ’18 Daniel Delgado ’17 Ella Diab ’18 Kayla Dworsky ’18 Sarah Eicher ’17 Brian Evans ’18 Michael Fang ’18 Persia Fardad-Finn ’18 Cailan Feingold ’17

Thomas Finello ’18 Vincent Finello ’18 Ethan Ganouna ’17 Emily Garber ’18 Iayn Gates ’18 Ellis Glickman ’18 Joseph Gunnarsson ’18 Jack Hall ’17 Sarina Hamer ’18 Andrea Harvey ’18 Alexandra Helfand ’18 Chase Hirt ’18 Chloe Hodgson ’18 Melanie Hoffmann ’18 Connor Hogan ’18 Hank Kaplan ’18 Kate Kaplan ’18 Jared Kelly ’18 Gavin Kester ’16 Dylan Lashever ’18 Jack Leach ’18 Charlotte Leonetti ’18 Ashley Leoni ’18 Landon Levitt ’18 Gavin Levy ’18 Jamie Lipman ’16 Zhanqin Liu ’17 Tommy Maher ’17 Matthew Malcolm ’18 Yusuf Mohamed ’18 Anthony Pineci ’18 Hannah Rosenberg ’18 Cassidy Samovar ’18 Sam Schur ’18 Ryan Singsank ’18 Charlotte Thompson ’18 Sabrina Urban ’18 Hanna Waldman ’18 Maya Wazana ’18

time-honored Duke of Edinburgh Award program has sought to inspire as well as empower youth to develop new interests and take on new challenges.

With three levels of achievement – bronze, silver and gold – the program consists of the following categories: Community Service, Skills, Physical Recreation, Adventurous Journey, and Residential Project (gold award level only). As one progresses through the award levels, he or she must dedicate more and more time to each of the categories mentioned above. For example, the silver award level requires six months of dedication to each of the categories, while the gold level requires 12 months of dedication in addition to the residential project – a five-day/ four-night project aimed at broadening one’s experience working and living with others toward a common goal.

The award is clearly multi-dimensional and quite demanding, yet the following question still remains: why do students take on such a rigorous award program?

As to why Viewpoint students ultimately choose to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh program, the reasons are diverse. Some students see the program as a challenge to conquer, while others view it as an opportunity to expand upon an activity they just developed an interest in – whether it be in community service, sports, or the arts.

Personally, however, as a gold medal recipient, I find that there is one principal reason as to why so many students at Viewpoint participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award program: these are activities that we would pursue even without recognition. As Head of Upper School Alan Howie notes, “The Duke of Edinburgh program is a lifestyle,” a lifestyle that goes beyond the scope of Viewpoint – and one which most of us value and follow. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is not simply an award to recognize one’s achievement of a finite task; rather, it is an award to recognize one’s dedication to an altruistic, healthy, and fulfilling way of life.

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EIGHTH GRADE COMMENCEMENT ON JUNE 5, Viewpoint’s 130 Eighth Grade students gathered

with their family, friends, and faculty on the Ring Family Field for a Commencement Ceremony to celebrate their accomplishments and the completion of Middle School.

The morning event included a farewell to Interim Head of School Paul Rosenbaum after 29 years of service to the School, and to Greg Armbrister, Associate Head of School and Head of Middle School, who is leaving to become the head of a school in Thailand.

A highlight of the proceedings was a moving story from Dr. Bob Dworkoski, President of the Viewpoint Educational Foundation, about meeting baseball great Jackie Robinson as a child in 1955. On a special visit organized by

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his uncle to see the Dodgers’ pre-game warm-up at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, Dr. Dworkoski feared he had been forgotten at the end of the day. Jackie Robinson discovered him in the locker room and took the time to calm him only minutes before a big game.

After sharing this story of kindness, Dr. Dworkoski encouraged the newlygraduated Eighth Graders to learn from the example of the life of Jackie Robinson:

• Have the courage to pursue your dreams.

• Pursue them with determination and tenacity.

• Don’t allow the mean-spiritedness of others deter you from your ambitions.

• Never respond to the anger or viciousness of others with a like response. Always maintain your own dignity even as others lose theirs.

• And finally, after you have won your victories in life, don’t forget to stop and help those who haven’t done as well as you.

Dr. Dworkoski concluded his remarks by saying, “Years after my visit with the Dodgers and my meeting with Jackie Robinson, I read the words of the poet Wordsworth, words that ring so true to me today. He wrote, ‘The best portion of a good man’s life are his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.’

Always remember that small things do matter.”

Congratulations to the Eighth Grade Class and best of luck in Upper School!

2015 Middle School Awards MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT OF THE YEAR

EIGHTH GRADE GRADUATION SPEAKER

Ellery Harrington ’19 The Middle School faculty selects an Eighth Grader who best exemplifies academic diligence, unquestionable character, a positive attitude, and respect for the School’s community.

Lily Andersson ’19 The faculty of the Middle School chooses the Speaker based upon a student’s demonstrated academic excellence, outstanding character as represented through his or her actions, and the extent to which he or she represents the learning expectations of the School.

EIGHTH GRADE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Nicole Kim ’19 The faculty selects the Eighth Grade’s outstanding scholar to receive this award.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSPERSON OF THE YEAR Katie Hameetman ’19 Selected by fellow Eighth Graders, the Classperson of the Year exhibits unusual qualities of leadership, dependability, a positive spirit, and respect for the School and classmates.

CLASS HISTORIANS Adin Gates ’19 Leah Kelly ’19 Edmund (Zimou) Liu ’19 Amir Saley-Seales ’19 Chandler Sumpter Gillyard ’19 Chase Sumpter Gillyard ’19 The faculty of the Middle School chooses the Class Historians.

MIDDLE SCHOOL COMMUNIT Y SERVICE AWARDS Ian Sheets ’19 This award recognizes the Eighth Grader who best exemplifies the spirit of giving.

Left Page: Evan Henley ’19, Aidan Hatzer ’19 in background Right page top: Anya Nanda ’19 Right page midde: Ellery Harrington ’19 Right page bottom: From left to right: Griffin Pearce ’19, Edmund (Zimou) Liu ’19, Kevin (Kaiwen) Zhang ’19 FALL

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By Patrick Skahan, Director of Alumni Relalations

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DAY welcomed over 150 Viewpoint School alumni, friends, and families to campus to reconnect with classmates, coaches, faculty, and friends on May 30.

ALUMNI DAY BEGAN WITH AN EXPANDED offering of on-

campus events. On the athletic courts and fields, alumni of all ages participated in pick-up basketball, volleyball, soccer, and swimming events. On stage and in the classroom, alumni were invited to attend workshops in Spoken Word, Barre, ceramics,

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and sculpture. Another highlight was an engaging lecture from Asif Azhar, “Life is about…Math? Or Philosophy? Or Maybe a Whole Lot of Travel?”

FOLLOWING THE ACTIVITIES, alumni gathered together to

celebrate Patrick Moyal’s 25 years of service to Viewpoint’s community on Ring Family Field. The celebration was especially poignant, as the new Balaban-Webster Team Center was dedicated and served as the backdrop for the entire event.

THE FESTIVITIES CONTINUED at a local restaurant for those

alumni from the graduating classes of 2000, 2005, and 2010 as each class marked a milestone reunion. Joined by members of Viewpoint’s faculty and staff, the party continued late into the evening as friendships were renewed and memories shared.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU goes out to the many volunteers who

helped to make the athletic events and reunions such a great success!

Next year, we will be celebrating reunion years ending in 1 or 6.

If you’d like to help in the preparation and planning for the event, please contact Patrick Skahan, Director of Alumni Relations, at 818-591-4430 or email patrick.skahan@viewpoint.org.

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Members of the Class of 2010

Members of the Class of 2005

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Left to right: Bobby Webster ’14, Julie Webster, Rob Webster, Adriana Balaban, Jay Balaban, and Adam Balaban ’14 in front of the Balaban-Webster Team Center

Members of the Class of 2000

3 Left to right: Kathy Chriqui, Patrick Moyal, Jason Moyal ’06, and Stephanie Moyal ’10 celebrating Patrick’s 25 years of service to Viewpoint’s community

6 Recent graduates of Viewpoint joined together to take on the current football team in a “Razzle-Dazzle” tournament to cap off the summer. The Alumni team won the tournament without losing a game!

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FAREWELL

GREG ARMBRISTER, JAN DESAL, AND DEBBIE MCDONALD A NEW JOURNEY FOR GREG ARMBRISTER

By Dr. Bob Dworkoski, President of the Viewpoint Educational Foundation

IT WAS WITH PARTICULAR NOSTALGIA that Greg Armbrister left Viewpoint after the 2014-15 academic year to achieve his long-held goal of becoming a head of school in his adopted homeland of Thailand. Greg was a beloved leader, teacher, mentor, colleague, coach, and friend to those who knew him at Viewpoint. He touched the lives of many as the Associate Head of School and Head of Middle School in 2014-15. Prior to these roles, Greg was Head and Associate Head of the Middle School since he began his tenure at Viewpoint in 2001.

Greg projected his unique warmth to all with whom he came into contact and performed his many duties with wisdom and efficiency. While he admired the process of learning in all of Viewpoint’s 13 grades, he was most drawn to the early adolescent years of Middle School. He appreciated these students’ inquiring and clever minds, which previewed their sophisticated thinking in Upper School and beyond, and their spontaneity and joy in living.

He spoke about their innocence and their “middle school humor,” as he called it.

Surely his students responded to him in kind. “Mr. A” was always approachable, wise in his advice, calm amidst the occasional frenzy of middle school life, and endlessly patient. Parents were confident in the care he provided their children. He was passionately committed to the success of every child.

Greg’s students remarked that “Mr. A was everywhere,” teaching classes, advising on curriculum, counseling, chaperoning trips and social events, and serving as the announcer at Homecoming and basketball games. Amongst his colleagues, Greg was known as the ultimate “school man,” who defined his job by the work that needed to be completed and not by the hour of the day. Though such educators are few in number, great schools often have an abundance of them. They help to set the tone and define the culture of the School.

Greg Armbrister

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Greg’s many friends and admirers join me in wishing him well in his new journey in life and are confident of his continued success.

JAN DE SAL – SPREADING THE GOSPEL OF THE ARTS

By Dr. Bob Dworkoski, President of the Viewpoint Educational Foundation

DR. JAN DESAL SERVED VIEWPOINT School with rare distinction first as a teacher of dance and theater, then as the Director of Theater and Dance, and since 2010 as the Director of the Arts.

Jan’s 15 years at Viewpoint brought great enhancements to the School’s programs in theater and dance and legions of students and alumni, who knew her simply as “Doc.” Jan tirelessly proselytized for the arts. Every student who wished to perform had the opportunity, regardless of his or her experience or ability. “The arts are for everyone,” she always said with her characteristic and wide-eyed enthusiasm. Her students were those for whom performing the arts was a one-time experience, and for those whom the performing arts will be their life’s vocation.

Jan’s passion for the arts and teaching was matched by her accomplishments. She established the Conservatories of Dance and Theater, the 5-Up speakers program, and the 24-Hour Playwriting Project, among many others. Likewise, she helped to win regional recognitions for Viewpoint’s arts.

In the fall of 2004, several appreciative parents nominated Viewpoint for the BRAVO Award, an annual competition which recognized the best school

Jan DeSal

in Los Angeles County for the performing and fine arts. The Music Center of L.A. County established this competition years earlier, mostly for public schools. Jan and I were determined to win this honor, despite having limited facilities. The Carlson Family Theater wasn’t yet built.

After completing the lengthy application forms, which the competition required, and hosting visits to campus from the judging committee, on March 1, 2005, at the Biltmore Hotel the judges announced that Viewpoint won this great distinction. As I spoke on behalf of the School accepting the trophy before a thousand people, I praised my colleagues and industrious students who made this honor possible. There was no one more responsible for this honor than Jan. A case in the Paul Family Lobby of the Carlson Family Theater displays this trophy.

All good things come to an end. In July 2015 Jan and her husband Steve moved to Colorado, thus fulfilling their desire to find a new home out of state. Wherever Jan teaches, she will spread the gospel of the arts as no one else can. For me her many splendid productions of dance and theater exceeded even those by professional companies in New York and Los Angeles. Like her students, I too was moved and transformed by the arts she brought to Viewpoint. Jan always told me, “When you enter a theater, you enter a sacred place. Art inspires divinity in all of us.” It certainly did for me and for her many students and colleagues. Thank you Jan!

DEBBIE MCDONALD RETIRES

By Cathy Adelman, Head of Primary School

DEBBIE MCDONALD WAS A VALUED Second Grade teacher for 15 years in Primary School.

Debbie McDonald

She was admired and appreciated throughout the years by many of her students, their parents, and her colleagues. She was known for her extraordinary commitment, dedication to teaching academics and character values, as well as her fun dramatics and sense of humor in the classroom. Debbie was a special educator who made a difference in the lives of her students as she focused on each of them as individuals and devoted herself to helping them grow and thrive in her classroom. She is joining her husband in retirement, but will continue to substitute in the Primary and Lower Divisions this school year.

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CELEBRATING OUR ALUMNI

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2011 BRYCE BEISSWANGER Carnegie Mellon University

Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Bryce completed his college career as the Varsity Tennis Team Captain and Sigma Chi, Lambda Pi Vice President. This past summer Bryce drove across America and explored the national parks in the West.

AMANDA BOONE Rice University

Mechanical Engineering

During her time at Rice University, Amanda volunteered with, coordinated, and expanded DREAM Achievement through Mentorship, a Rice organization that takes STEM curriculum to local underprivileged high schools. For her senior capstone project, she designed a preliminary prototype for a low-cost neonatal incubator for the developing world as part of Team IncuBaby. Amanda’s team won Best Interdisciplinary Project at the Rice Annual Engineering Showcase and the Beyond Traditional Borders Innovation Award. Amanda is working with Schlumberger in Oilfield Services.

She plans to spend a year and a half working in the field internationally before returning to work in Houston, Texas.

RACHEL BRAUER University of Southern California

Comparative Literature Rachel graduated magna cum laude, while completing an honors thesis in which she examined the depiction and manifestation of madness in literature and the arts. Rachel now attends the USC Gould School of Law and plans to use her degree to pursue a career in mental health law.

Rachel Brauer ’11

ISABEL BROUGHAM

Bryce Beisswanger ’11

Boston University

MACY BERG University of Michigan

Business Administration with a minor in Chinese Language and Culture Macy was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority and participated in study-abroad programs in China and Italy. She currently is in New York City working in the Finance Department at American Express Company.

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Amanda Boone '11

Music with a minor in Vocal Performance Isabel remains in Boston after graduation and works for Converse’s headquarters.

She was hired by the music marketing arm of Converse, called Rubber Tracks, which promotes new artists with a free in-house recording studio and several music festivals and concerts throughout the year. Not only does she work in the music business, but Isabel continues to write, perform, and record her own music as well.

DYLAN DECAUSSIN California Polytechnic State University

Isabel Brougham ’11

ALLIE CARIERI Columbia University

American Studies with a concentration in English Literature In her senior year, Allie was President of Columbia University Performing Arts League (CUPAL). She received the King's Crown Leadership Excellence Award for Innovation and Enhancement for her work with CUPAL. She also interned at the Public Theater and New York Shakespeare Festival. Allie is now the Assistant to the Executive Director at Roundabout Theatre Company, the largest not-for-profit theatre company in America, and is the Artistic Producer for a world-premiere musical at the New York International Fringe Festival.

She plans to stay in New York and work in the theatre, and stay active with Columbia through the Columbia College Women alumnae group.

Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Industrial Manufacturing Engineering Over Dylan’s college career, he was a member of the Baja Sigma Alpha Epsilon club, which builds an off-road dune buggy to compete against other colleges. He also was the head coach of the Triathlon Team and competed in collegiate nationals the past two years. Dylan’s senior project designed and built a vibration table to test car accessories for failure. For his thesis, he worked on a new type of additive manufacturing process, and hopes to design manufacturing processes for consumer products.

HOLLY DICKINSON University of Southern California

HILLARY DWORKOSKI Loyola Marymount

Political Science Since graduating magna cum laude in May from LMU, Hillary spent last summer traveling through Australia and Southeast Asia. She earned her diving certificate at the Great Barrier Reef. Her semester of study as a junior in Melbourne inspired her to attend law school in Australia.

She begins law school at the University of Melbourne in February 2016. She expects to focus on human rights law and environmental law. After law school she is considering pursuing a Ph.D. and teaching at the university level.

Neuroscience Holly graduated magna cum laude, and after a brief summer break she embarked on a six-month Spanish immersion/ medical internship with a group called

Hillary Dworkoski ’11

NEGEEN FARIDA Holly Dickinson ’11

JOHN CHRISTIAN California Institute of Technology

Computer Science and Geology John spent three years on the Varsity Fencing Team and four as part of both the Quiz Bowl Team and the Chamber Music Program. In addition, he spent a semester abroad at the University of Edinburgh, and spent a summer doing geologic field mapping in western Montana. This past summer, John began his career at Google in Los Angeles.

Somos Hermanos. Holly is living with a family in Xela, Guatemala.

John Christian ’11

University of California, Los Angeles

Psychology and World Arts and Cultures/Dance At UCLA, Negeen combined her passion for dance, medicine, and helping the community. As a junior, she traveled to Madrid and Rome to study culture, politics, and art. In the Dance Department, Negeen was a head representative of the Undergraduate Society and started the Healthy Campus Initiative, giving dancers access to healthy lifestyle habits. In August Negeen traveled to Quito, Ecuador to help at various hospitals teaching basic medicine as well as teaching dance classes. She plans

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to attend graduate school to earn her Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Dance Movement Therapy.

Negeen Farida ’11

KIPP FOLLERT

world admitted to the final year of the USC Bacc/MD program. He graduated, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude and now attends the Keck School of Medicine.

During his time at USC, he was involved in a wide range of research projects, including retinal prosthesis research at the Doheny Eye Institute, the correlation between vascular aging and cognitive degenerative disorders at Keck, and tracking the incidence of influenza-like illnesses among the low income and homeless populations.

Duke University

Environmental Science with a minor in Economics Kipp graduated summa cum laude from Duke. He was vice president of the Duke Outing Club, and a member of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. Kipp was awarded the Benenson Grant in the Arts to conduct post-graduate work in timelapse environmental photography. Kipp found time to enjoy the great outdoors in North Carolina and Virginia. Future plans include travel, work, and graduate school.

CAROLINE GECKLE University of Southern California

Business Administration with a minor in Graphic Design Caroline is living in San Francisco and working at Oracle in sales and business development at their headquarters in Redwood City.

SEAN GUNN Tufts University

International Relations, Chinese, and a minor in Philosophy Sean was a member of the Tufts Varsity Swim Team and the founding Director of Tufts Sino-US Relations Group Engagement (SURGE), a student group dedicated to advancing understanding and development of China-US Relations.

In March 2015, he organized the Tufts China-US Symposium bringing in expert speakers from around the world. In 2014, he organized a Joint Research Project between Tufts, the US Naval and Military Academies to study civil-military relations while staying in Indonesia. Sean is currently based in Washington D.C., where he is seeking to work in political policy analysis, while applying to enter Officer Candidate School in 2016.

Brett Goodfriend ’11

HENRY GRUNZWEIG University of California, Berkeley

Political Science with a minor in International Relations Henry graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and was active in Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, Model United Nations, ASUC (student government), Phi Alpha Delta (pre-law fraternity), and Celiac Disease Foundation.

Henry also completed an internship at Bain Consulting in San Francisco and accepted a full-time position beginning this fall. Future plans include earning a JD, MBA, or JD/MBA.

Caroline Geckle ’11

Sean Gunn ’11

KATIE HERRON Wake Forest University

Economics and Psychology Katie graduated magna cum laude and recently began work as a Strategy and Operations Analyst for Deloitte Consulting LLP in Washington, D.C.

AJ HOWARD

BRET T GOODFRIEND

University of California, Los Angeles

University of Southern California

Political Science AJ graduated magna cum laude from the Honors College at UCLA. AJ interned with Facebook in Washington, D.C. while

Neuroscience Brett entered USC as a Trustee Scholar and one of 30 students from around the

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Henry Grunzweig ’11

in college. After graduating early, AJ spent last spring working full time for Facebook. As the founder of the UCLA chapter of Tamid, a nonprofit organization that develops the professional skills of undergraduates through hands-on interaction with the Israeli economy, AJ also earned an internship in Israel this past summer. Upon returning, AJ began working for a tech startup company called GoGuardian in Manhattan Beach.

He also plans to apply to law school.

Wake Forest University

Kris Dworkoski for inspiring her to pursue psychology!

Business Administration Drew spent four fulfilling years in Winston-Salem, NC, graduating cum laude, and one semester in Barcelona, Spain. In August he began working as a financial services consultant for CEB, Inc. in Washington, D.C. He and three of his fraternity brothers are living in Georgetown, so give a shout if you find yourself in the nation’s capital!

Charlotte Lansbury ’11

ASHLEY KIM

JESSICA LAUGHLIN

DREW JOHNSTON

University of California, Los Angeles

AJ Howard ’11

FRANCESCA IANNACCONE Loyola Marymount University

Wellesley College

History with minors in Applied Developmental Psychology and World Art Upon graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors, Ashley traveled to Korea to attend the one-year program at Yonsei Korean Language Institute. Thereafter, she plans to attend graduate school to become a licensed family and children's counselor and therapist.

Computer Science with a minor in Economics Jessica enjoyed her time at Wellesley and took advantage of the opportunity to cross-register for classes at MIT. She also worked in the MIT Media Lab. Now, Jessica is in New York working at Goldman Sachs as a Technology Analyst. She plans to return to her studies as a graduate student in computer science in the future.

Ashley Kim ’11

Jessica Laughlin ’11

BRADY KIMBALL

RACHEL LEIB

Art History Francesca graduated cum laude and is planning to attend graduate school this year. While in college, she traveled throughout Europe and South America.

KOBI JOFFE University of Southern California

Business Administration with a minor in Real Estate Development Kobi graduated cum laude from USC and is currently working in San Francisco as a financial analyst at Wells Fargo for their Commercial Real Estate Group. He plans to continue a career in real estate finance/ development in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Toronto.

Kobi Joffe ’11

University of California, Berkeley

Mechanical Engineering Brady has begun his career at Space Systems Laral (SSL) building satellites!

CHARLOT TE LANSBURY Stanford University

Psychology with a minor in Spanish Charlotte relished her four years at Stanford and was well-prepared by her Viewpoint experience. She is beginning the rest of her life in Paris and plans to reside in New York City, eventually. Charlotte credits

Boston University

Psychological and Brain Sciences with a minor in Biology Rachel took full advantage of her time at BU. She researched in the Laboratory of Cognitive Neurobiology for two consecutive years. Her focus was hippocampal brain research, and her team earned a National Institute of Health research grant for which she will be published as an author. Rachel also studied in London where she completed an internship program at Goldsmiths College at the University of London doing research in the infant lab. Upon

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graduating, Rachel began working as a research assistant at Keck School of Medicine at USC in the Neurology Department. After completing her time at Keck, Rachel is moving to New York to attend a graduate pre-medical program at Hofstra University for one year, and then she will apply to medical school.

CLAIRE MERIWETHER Duke University

International Comparative Studies with a focus on Latin America and Global Health Claire has a full-time internship for 2015-16 at Innovations in Healthcare, a nonprofit founded by Duke Medicine, McKinsey and Company, and the World Economic Forum. Innovations in Healthcare studies, supports, and scalesup pioneering health innovations, from new technology to care delivery models, that have the potential to revolutionize ways that health care is delivered.

venues all around Los Angeles.

To check out his music and more, visit hellopachino.com.

ARJUN MODY University of Michigan

Rachel Leib ’11

IAN MCLANE Johns Hopkins University

Electrical Engineering and Romance Languages Ian will remain at Johns Hopkins for one more year to earn his master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. In addition to completing a dual degree program, Ian also finished his pre-med training. He completed his MCAT this summer and will apply to medical school in 2016. Ian is applying to MD/PHD programs across the country. He wants to work in medical and technology research.

Mechanical Engineering Arjun thoroughly enjoyed his Michigan experience. At the end of his sophomore year he interned at ControlTec in Detroit, where he analyzed computer models to increase fuel efficiencies of automobiles.

The following year he interned at Dow Chemical in Houston, where he worked on various projects in Dow’s pipeline operations. Arjun accepted a full-time position with Schlumberger, a multinational wireline oil services company, where after completing his training in Abu Dhabi, he will work as a field engineer in the North Sea, based out of Aberdeen, Scotland.

ALEX PACHINO

Alex Pachino ’11

AARON PAGE Chapman University

Business with a minor in Music Aaron presently sings as a soloist as well as in the studio, and he aspires to incorporate his knowledge of business with his passion for music. Aaron has lent his voice to such recent films as 50 Shades of Grey,Tomorrowland, and JurassicWorld.

He is acting, most recently in his senior theatrical production of The Last Five Years at Chapman University. Aaron is presently working as a greeter, bartender, and security team member at the Saddleranch Chophouse. He is excited for a future of turning his dreams into accomplishments.

University of Southern California

Popular Music Performance Alex graduated from the Thornton School of Music. At USC, Alex honed his skills as a songwriter, producer, multiinstrumentalist, and performer. He’s written and produced songs of his own that are showcased on his debut EP titled The Valley, which was released earlier this year. In addition, Alex produced music for several other local artists and bands, and has performed in

Ian McLane ’11

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Aaron Page ’11

ALEXANDRA PAISLEY

GRACE RUNK

University of California, Santa Cruz

Pepperdine University

Anthropology After ending the school year at Voice of America in Washington, D.C., Alex moved home to Los Angeles where she is working at Milk Studios. She hopes to find work in documentary television or film production and to eat lots of delicious food along the way!

Political Science and Govenrment Grace moved to San Francisco this summer to experience a different culture, while working at Oracle Corporation.

Her main career goal is to become an entrepreneur in the environmental conservation sector, specifically bettering the treatment of marine mammals.

Ujit Satyarthir ’11

JD SEVERINO University of California, Santa Barbara

Environmental Science with a minor in Chinese

ASHLEY TESORIERO University of Southern California

Public Relations and Art History Ashley graduated magna cum laude from The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and The Dana and David Dornsife College of Letter, Arts, and Sciences. She was one of 185 Renaissance Scholars in her entire graduating class. Currently, Ashley is pursuing her master's degree in Public Relations at USC.

Alexandra Paisley ’11

KAITLYN POWER Kenyon College

Psychology Kaitlyn graduated cum laude, with distinction.

She played four years of collegiate volleyball at Kenyon, and was captain of the team her senior year.While at Kenyon, Kaitlyn also volunteered at Transition Mission working with disabled adolescents and at Wiggens Street Elementary School. She currently works as a research assistant on the Family Studies Project at USC. She plans to apply for her master’s degree in Social Work for the fall of 2016.

Kaitlyn Power ’11

Grace Runk ’11

UJIT SAT YARTHI University of California, Davis

Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering With a team of five classmates, Ujit recently completed the design of an all-electric general aviation aircraft for NASA's 2020 E-GA ARMD Design Challenge as his Senior Capstone Project. Out of the 20 undergraduate groups to participate, his group received fourth place nationally. Ujit looks forward to working in the industry and hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in Engineering.

Ashley Tesoriero ’11

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ISAAC WENDER

SHAYAN ZAHEDI

The George Washington University

University of Southern California

Political Science Isaac graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from GW. He interned at HBO in the summer before his junior year, and then worked in the scheduling/ programming department of Discovery ID in Silver Spring, MD the next summer and during his senior year. Isaac hopes to make a career in entertainment, and is currently looking for a job in Los Angeles.

Business Administration Shayan is currently working as an analyst at Paladin Realty Partners, a real estate private equity firm.

T YLER ZIMMET Columbia University

Nicole Winters ’11

JOSH WOLFSON Kenyon College

Isaac Wender ’11

NICOLE WINTERS University of Washington

Communications with a minor in Spanish Nicole graduated on the Dean’s list, while also completing a Professional Sales Program Certificate. She was the Director of Administration for the Undergraduate Women in Business program, and joined the Alpha Phi Sorority where she served as the Social Chair. During her college career, Nicole studied in Cadiz, Spain for six months, and while there traveled throughout Europe and Morocco. This summer, Nicole completed a 10-day Birthright trip to Israel, and then returned to Seattle where she is pursuing a career in sales management.

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Film Josh loved his time at Kenyon, where he worked as the head videographer for the Kenyon College Football program, served in student government, and held several leadership positions within his fraternity.

After spending his junior year in Prague, he returned to the U.S. for a summer internship with Parrable, a start- up in the advertising technology space. At the end of the summer, he was offered a full-time job with Parrable. Josh writes, “My time at Parrable has been both a rewarding and an educational experience. I look forward to continuing to work at Parrable this year and helping the company grow and succeed. My personal goals completing my degree from Kenyon next year (I was only one credit away from completing my degree), building my own successful company, and one day donating a ping pong pagoda to Viewpoint School to ensure that Viewpoint has the facilities to offer a top line table tennis program within the Upper School.”

Economics and History Tyler graduated cum laude, Dean's List, and Order of Omega Greek Honor Society. He also was recognized at graduation as a recipient of the 2015 King's Crown Leadership Excellence Award. This award is given to the Columbia College fraternity member who has demonstrated leadership, academic achievement, and participation in athletics or other campus activities.

During his four years at Columbia, Tyler was President of the Columbia International Relations Council and Association (CIRCA), vice president of Sigma Nu Fraternity, and served as an advisory board member and tour guide for the Columbia Admissions Office. Tyler works in New York City as a financial analyst at the international investment bank Houlihan Lokey.

Tyler Zimmet ’11

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES The notes below include news received between April 1 – October 1, 2015.

Acupuncturist. Joachim has been serving the community in all aspects of health care using Traditional Chinese Medicine since 2010. Joachim specializes in pain and stress management in addition to emotional balance.

1998

book Heroes You Should Know. The book details the stories of 50 lesser-known men, women, and children who serve as inspirations and models for us all. The book is available for purchase with all proceeds going to support the mission of Stillpoint Family Resources.

It’s been an exciting year for Amity past summer, Amity began a new job as an anchor for KING 5 (NBC) News in Seattle. She writes, “It’s an amazing job in an amazing city! My husband, our two-year-old daughter, and I have been exploring all Seattle has to offer and we are loving it. As an Emmyaward winning journalist, I have covered wildfires, investigated injustices, and interviewed everyone from politicians to movie stars. I love my job and can’t imagine doing anything else.”

1992

1999

1982 Ross Porter recently completed his

Jennifer Grossman Burke lives in

Joachim Marque ’93

Michigan with her husband, Spencer, and their three-year-old son Brenden. Jennifer has worked for CBS radio for 13 years.

1996 Andreea Constantinescu Vineyard

was married on April 26, 2015 in Georgia. Nazbanoo Pahlavi ’96 was in attendance!

Addrisi-Boicelli! This

Monica Daneshrad currently lives in Irvine. She earned her Project Management certificate from University of California, Berkeley and is working as a Senior Quality Engineer at Johnson & Johnson. She writes, “I am pursuing my master’s degree in Quality Assurance at California State University, Dominguez Hills.”

Brendon, son of Jennifer Grossman Burke ’92 and Spencer Burke

1993 Since graduating from Viewpoint,

Joachim Marque earned a master’s degree

in Traditional Chinese Medicine (MTCM) and is a California State Board Certified

Andreea Constantinescu Vineyard ’96 (center)

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2000 After moving back to San Diego and completing a master’s degree in Mass Communication and Media Studies at San Diego State, Erik Glyttov returned to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) this fall to continue his Master of Fine Arts. He is attending the VoiceArts graduate program in the Herb Alpert School of Music, and will be combining his vocal studies – through a multidisciplinary, dual-focus option called “Interschool” – with the Creative Writing Program at CalArts.

Darby Stern Sedighan recently took

a new job with Amgen, and she and

Artin Sedighan welcomed their second

daughter, Cyrene Avah Sedighan, on March 4, 2015.

Christian Welch completed his radiology

residency at UC San Diego and is currently a radiology fellow at Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Upon completion of his one year fellowship, he will join a radiology group in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

currently a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistics at UCLA.

2003 Jessica Lessing O’Leary was married to Jim

O’Leary on June 20, 2015. Many Viewpoint alumni helped to celebrate the very special day in Cape Cod. Those who made the trip included Krystal Dry-Murphy ’03, Ali Ahmadian ’03, Breana Simpson Kennedy ’03, Meenu Dogra ’03, Ashley Lakin ’03, Jenny Gumer ’03, Andres Lessing ’97, Brette Schneiderman Womack ’03, Kelly Everett ’03, Juan Lessing ’00, David Goodman ’03, Ashley Zamost Proctor ’03, Steven Ettinger ’03, and Sarah Sepasi ’03.

2006 Adam Sowlati graduated from Harvard

Law School in May, and moved to New York, where he began a one-year clerkship with the Honorable Ralph K. Winter of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Upon completion

Dougley Stewart Jr. ’02 and Victoria Mateu

2001 Patrick Sheffield, his wife Denise, and daughter Morgan are expecting another baby girl to arrive this Christmas!

2002 On August 29, 2015, Dougley Stewart Jr. married Victoria Mateu. After a beautiful Welcome Reception on Friday evening, on the North Patio Rooftop of the Jonathan Town Club, the wedding took place at Our Savior Parish, at the USC Catholic Center in Los Angeles. Doug is currently a Vice President of Business Development at FGI Finance Inc. Victoria is from Barcelona, Spain and is a graduate of the University of Granada. She also obtained a Master’s of Science degree from UCLA and is

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Jessica Lessing-O’Leary ’03

of his clerkship next June, Adam will begin working as an associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City.

2007 Mary Lane Haskell is one of the stars of

the NBC TV Movie, Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors. It aired on December 10, 2015 on NBC. This is the true story of Dolly Parton’s upbringing in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Mary Lane plays young Dolly’s teacher, Miss Tallulah Moody.

2010 Shane Fogerty and his band Hearty Har

opened at the Hollywood Bowl this past summer!

Emily Mischel began studying for her master’s degree in Social Entrepreneurship program at the USC Marshall School of Business and will graduate spring 2016.

2011 John Kleinman begins medical school

at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California this fall.

2012 Brandon DeCaussin interns at Farmers Insurance Group as a Product Manager Analyst Intern, and will finish his undergraduate program this spring with a major in Economics and minor in Math from the University of San Diego.

Michael Williams-Hart works as

After completing her sophomore year at Duke, Elouise Roche interned with Morgan Stanley in New York City for the Investment Banking Division in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group and the Industrials Coverage Group.

2014 Jonathan Hutnicki traveled to Israel

with the Birthright Program. Jonathan writes, “I had an amazing time and would recommend it to anyone that qualifies for it. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the trip!”

Bobby Webster is a sophomore at Williams College. He is the starting punter and placekicker for the football team. As of the third week of the season, Bobby is leading the NESCAC conference in punting average and recently kicked a game winning field goal in the Ephs 16-14 victory versus Bates College. Bobby is taking full advantage of the liberal arts curriculum by taking classes in an array of subjects and is leaning towards majoring in economics.

a Product Marketing Engineer at National Instruments, a large virtual instrumentation company based in Austin, TX. He works on both the marketing and technical sides of projects, investigating market need for new products, while also designing code to interface with new bioinstrumentation sensors that will be used in Biomedical Engineering college courses. Michael is eager to pursue a master’s degree after graduation next spring.

Mary Lane Haskell ’07

Melanie Prescott is the co-founder of

Anything But Basic, a private luxury salon suite in Los Angeles where she works as a hairstylist. Her steadfast clientele includes many Viewpoint alums, and her work can be found on Instagram @melanie_ anythingbutbasic.

2013 Zoe Pierrat writes, “I am currently

studying abroad, and traveling in New Zealand. I have focused my studies on atmospheric physics and climate dynamics, and learning about the interactions between the native Maori science and current western science.”

Bobby Webster ’14

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Liza Wong '15, Huber Gonzalez '15, Gianni Uba '16, Niki Zahedi '15, Henri Salamati '15

CONTRIBUTORS

VIEWPOINT

A special thank you to those listed below for contributing information and photographs, and for assisting in the production of Viewpoint magazine.

A Magazine for the Community of Viewpoint School Calabasas, California

Cathy Adelman Porschia Adler ’16 Dan Anderson Claudia Antoine Jennifer Berger Robert Bryan Greg Bisheff Keith Carr Lara Conklin Jill Hanson Dash Rhody Davis Craig Didden Cisco Dilg Dr. Robert J. Dworkoski Leslie Frost Sue Gellerman Jesse Guerrero Travis Kikugawa Jennifer Kirchmann Dr. Kristin Herkstroeter Alan Howie Lisa Kessler Kieran Koehnlein

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Jason Lee Amy Maentz Mark McKee Patrick Moyal Darrin Ortega Brenden Rodriquez ’16 Mary Rodriquez Carlos Sanchez Jodi Schapiro Elizabeth Mawn Scott Charlie Sitzer Patrick Skahan Brooke Smith Melissa Strong Lisa Stutman Daryl Thrasher Jennifer Townes Matthew Tucker Candy Wallace Lori Wineman Adam Yates Ani Zakari

M AG A Z I N E

Editor Monica Case ’90 Editorial Consultant Anne Leonetti Photography and Art Direction Bill Youngblood Additional Photography Jennifer Berger, Steven Chen, Gregg Kessler Graphic Design Dog Ear Design Printer Typecraft Wood & Jones Head of School Mark McKee Director of Strategic Communications Jill Shaw

Contact Viewpoint Viewpoint School 23620 Mulholland Highway Calabasas, CA 91302-2060 Phone: 818-340-2901 Fax: 818-591-0834 E-mail: info@viewpoint.org Web: www.viewpoint.org

Viewpoint School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School.

The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, its admission policies, scholarships, and athletic or other School-administered programs.

Viewpoint is published by the Viewpoint Educational Foundation. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our apologies and notify us. Thank you.

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