Windward 2018 spring magazine

2 0 1 8 S PR I N G

FOSTERING

A Connected and Engaged Community

ADVANCEMENT OFFICE CONTRIBUTORS DAWN BARRETT

Director of Institutional Advancement and Operations WHITNEY BURKE

Assistant Director of Communications

From the Head of School

JEFF GILDER ‘08

01 A Letter from Tom Gilder

Director of Alumni Relations

Arts 02 04 05 06

CASEY KIM

Associate Director of Advancement

An Evening of Arts Movin’ and Groovin’ Iconic Musical Brings Timeless Lessons Scholastic Gold Key Winners

JEFF LAKE

Digital Communications Specialist/Webmaster

21st Century Learning

07 Students Learn Skills for Professional Growth 08 Entrepreneurship Students Develop Real World Skills on Field Trip 09 Tips from the Pros

SUSAN MARX

Around Campus

JERYLDINE SAVILLE

Director of Windward Fund and Parent Relations ROBIN PICKETT

Director of Windward Network Director of Communications and Public Relations

10 Four-Year College Outcomes 12 Shirley’s Slams ‘n Jams

ASHLEY WEBSTER

Athletics

Director of Service Learning and Social Entrepreneurship

14 Winter Sports 16 Girls Basketball CIF State Open Division Champions

ERIC WELLER

Associate Director of Special Events

Community

18 Windward Hosts Fall Welcome with Amde Hamilton 20 Windward Community Members Share Entrepreneurial Mindset

Student Voice

22 Capping Off the Year 23 Senior Brings Holocaust Survivor’s Story to Windward 24 Balancing Passions while Chasing Dreams 25 Rylan’s Reality: Visualizing a Virtual World 26 Young Women’s Retreat Empowers and Enlightens Students

Windward Fund at Work

27 Windward Fund Program Enhancements 28 Cultivating Diversity Responsive Schools 29 Next Generation Learning Spaces

Parent Perspectives

30 Sharing our Windward Stories

Innovative Spaces

32 Sharing Time and Talent 33 Writing with Purpose

Service Learning

34 Ninth Graders Bring Service to Mar Vista Community 35 Windward Gives Back

Alumni Updates 36 38 40 42 43

Alumni Networking Night Greg Richling ’88 Shari Sant Plummer ‘76 Allison Wong ’89 Devin Jameson ’12 Printed on Recycled Paper containing 30% Post Consumer Waste

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS Jenna Ashendouek ’18 Stella Beale James Bologna Michael Chasalow Rachel Chasalow ’18 Bruce Eskovitz Christy Kwon Kreisberg Gia Kokotakis ’20 James Patric Moran Tess Rosenthal ’19 Meghan Tally Nick Webster

PHOTOGRAPHY Paul Antico/Creative Antics Keith Birmingham Joe Lester Photography Jenna Schoenefeld Stephen Zeigler

DESIGN Bacio Design & Marketing, Inc.

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

A Letter from

Tom Gilder

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f you spend any amount of time on our school’s website—and I hope that you do!—you’ll find that two words keep popping up: supportive and community. It’s no accident that these two words combined appear nearly 200 times on the windwardschool.org pages. A supportive community is, in fact, the bedrock of our school.

Every day and everywhere you look, you see these close ties in action: students supporting other students, faculty and staff supporting students, faculty and staff supporting their colleagues, parents supporting parents, parents supporting their own and other students, and alumni supporting their fellow—and future—Windwardians.

We foster support of our students—our most important mission—through countless ways. Our new division structure— which devotes a full-time Counselor and Dean of Students to every 200 students—ensures that each student feels seen and heard and supported during this crucial developmental time in his/her life.

Once a week, depending on their grade level, students also take part in either Seminar or Advisory, where in small groups, they explore and discuss common goals and challenges specific to their grade level with the support of a faculty mentor. Seminar offers opportunities for connection and social-emotional learning. Advisory is a place where meaningful and lasting relationships are nurtured and where challenges that students may face as they move through their years at Windward can be shared and discussed.

Students who feel more comfortable chatting with a classmate can also seek support through our Peer Counselor program in which highly trained Upper School students work with Middle

School students individually and in group settings covering topics such as bullying, peer pressure, and risk-taking behavior.

Peer Counselors serve as active participants in providing a caring source of support to students within our community.

The far-reaching and substantive support our students receive is echoed throughout our community. New faculty and staff benefit from a robust mentoring program, in which they are partnered with a colleague who provides support and guidance to help them learn how to become active members of the School community and enhance their professional skills and abilities.

New Family Liaisons ensure that families entering the School feel fully engaged in and embraced by the Windward community. Parents dealing with exceptional challenges can seek support from the Parent Guild Families in Need Committee, which collaborates with counselors and school administrators to provide an abundance of assistance and compassion.

And alumni of all ages can tap into our rapidly growing Windward Network to help them advance in their careers.

Through the Windward Network, alumni—as well as students in 10th Grade and above—are able to access career guidance and support while leveraging connections within the entire Windward community to develop their professional skills.

While the methods of support are many, the goal is the same: No matter where Windwardians are in the life cycle of our school, they’ll find a caring community here to help them on their journey.

TOM GILDER Head of School

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EVENING OF ARTS Windward Collaborates on Inaugural Cross-Curricular Showcase

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uests at Windward’s “Evening of Arts” on Jan. 27 were surprised and delighted at every turn on the mood-lit campus as they discovered a wide variety of inventive student work conceived and created to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s iconic “Frankenstein” novel. The evening was a joint effort among the Visual and Media Arts, Performing Arts, STEAM and English departments and is reflective of the School’s deep commitment to collaboration and connection across curricular areas. The campus-wide celebration of arts dovetailed with the installation, “Or, The Modern Prometheus,” by artist Peter Wu in the Held and Bordy Family Gallery.

Student Frankenstein-themed creations included: videos, sculptures, paintings, augmented reality, digital prints, photography, projections, robots, audio recordings, and a mannequin display. Students also performed readings outside the Irene Kleinberg Theater and chamber music inside of it.

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ARTS

A highlight of the event was the Evening of Dance, attended by nearly 300 guests in the Lewis Jackson Memorial Sports Center.

The dance concert, featuring work from some of today’s most sought-after choreographers in contemporary dance— like Barak Marshall and Yusha Sorzano— and performed by Windward’s advanced level Middle and Upper School companies, resembled an examination of the concept of holism. Dancers moved from solo to duet to quartet, returning in a powerful statement to the full ensemble and demonstrating that the parts of the whole are intimately connected. The dance concert also included an original work created by Windward alumna and former Dance Company member Katia Kupelian ’15.

The organizers of the celebration are looking to further scale the event in coming years to include student contributions from all curricular areas, united by a common theme.

To view the video from An Evening of Dance, go to: bit.ly/EODVid18 To view photos from Frankenstein: 200 Years, go to: bit.ly/WWFrankenstein

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Movin’ and Groovin’

MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA AT THE CONGA ROOM

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n Jan. 21, several Windward Music Ensembles took to the stage for an electrifying display of music at The Conga Room to a packed audience, which included parents, faculty, and members of the community. The show featured numerous styles from classical to jazz with some funk and rock and roll thrown in for good measure!

The concert featured the Upper School Chorus, Chamber Music Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Chromatics, and the Advanced Jazz Ensemble. The show capped off with a combined ensemble version of “Don’t Stop Believin,’” which received a standing ovation from a very enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

Each of the ensembles performed with energy and enthusiasm showing their very best work, which continuously displayed a high level of artistry as well as an infectious connection with the audience.

Special thanks to Yanka Burgos and Brad Gluckstein for providing this idyllic venue. All in all, it was a wonderful event for the entire Windward community.

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To view photos from the event, go to: bit.ly/WWConga18 To view the video, go to: bit.ly/WWBroad18

ARTS

Upper School Fall Musical

ICONIC MUSICAL BRINGS TIMELESS LESSONS “Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to see a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery—all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.”

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his was the first line that attendees at last December’s performances of “Chicago” heard as they sat in the Irene Kleinberg Theater. The production was dramatic even before students took the stage the first night since the previous performance schedule had to be scrapped due to the devastating wildfires that impacted the area.

“‘Chicago’ highlights our willingness to do anything to achieve that 15 minutes of fame,” he explains. “The catch is, at any time the spotlight can be taken away by someone who is waiting in the wings with a story more risqué and intriguing than their own.

However tempting those 15 minutes of fame may seem, you should always aim to attain the other 45! They are much more fulfilling, and not as fleeting.”

The show, of course, went on to the delight of the Windward community, which reveled in the modern-day lessons that could be drawn from the intelligent American satire that showcases the humor of 1920s vaudeville.

Director James Patric Moran relished the opportunity to bring the production to Windward and share its enduring truths with the young performers.

To view photos from the performance, go to: bit.ly/WWChicago17 W I N D WA R D M A G A Z I N E - 05

VISUAL ARTS Scholastic Gold Key Winners

AIDAN GERST ‘20 Error HUDSON BROWN ‘23 Conspiracies

SARA SPILLMAN ‘18 Pizza

ASHLEY SAMMANN ‘18 Figure

BRYAN BERKOWITZ ‘19 T-Shirt

ELLA DIAMOND ‘20 Elements

ALEX TREISMAN ‘18 Distanced

SARA SPILLMAN ‘18 Beach

XANDER HERTZ ‘22 Potato Killer

KIMIA RAHBAR ‘18 Identity

For a full list of Scholastic Art winners, visit www.windwardschool.org/visualarts 06 - A RT S

2 1 S T C E N T U RY LEARNING

Students Learn Skills for Professional Growth

By Jeff Gilder ’08, Director of Alumni Relations

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n March 2, 10th Grade students embarked on a full-day conference to explore their personal and professional interests and develop critical skills needed to pursue their goals. The conference, inspired by the goals of the Windward Network Initiative, was designed to prepare students for future growth and connect them with contacts in the Windward community who can provide guidance and support.

The Windward Network forged a partnership with the organization Skillify, which was founded at the USC Marshall Entrepreneurship Program, to run the conference. Held on Loyola Marymount University’s campus, the conference covered goal-setting, professional networking best practices, resume and cover letter tips, strategies for utilizing LinkedIn and social media, and interviewing skills.

During the event, students had the opportunity to engage with a panel of alumni, current parents, and community members from a diverse range of industries and backgrounds.

Subsequently, students put their networking skills to the test by connecting and asking follow-up questions to the panelists who most intrigued them.

Students will now utilize Skillify’s six months of virtual support services, which include professional reviews of resumes and cover letters, a one-on-one Skype session with a career coach, and mentor match-ups to find contacts in their field of interest. The 10th Grade class has also been onboarded to the “Windward at Work” platform, an initiative of the Windward Network. The platform allows students to connect with Windward parents, alumni, and community members who are willing to serve as professional resources.

By working with students to ensure they acquire these critical skills, learn networking best practices, and feel confident in a professional setting, students are better equipped to utilize the wealth of knowledge and connections in the Windward community.

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Entrepreneurship Students Develop Real World Skills on Field Trip

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By Ashley Webster, Director of Service Learning and Social Entrepreneurship

tudents in Windward’s “Think Differently” entrepreneurship class were given a unique opportunity during their March 1 visit to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where they were introduced to the hospital’s Accelerator program, which promotes innovation in health care.

During the visit, which was made possible by Windward parent Darren Dworkin—the hospital’s Senior Vice President of Enterprise Information Services and Chief Information Officer—students were briefed on the history and creation of the Accelerator program.

Hundreds of companies apply to participate in the program, but only 10 are chosen. Teams receive several perks—seed money, access to the hospital’s clinical expertise and information, and mentorship from leading physicians—as they work on their projects, completing the equivalent of two years of work in three months. The program culminates with a “demo day” during which the teams have the opportunity to pitch their companies to healthcare leaders, investors, reporters, and other community members.

As part of their own “demo day” at the hospital’s Innovation Space, the Windward students were split into teams of four and asked to come up with inventive solutions for improving

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a common experience: going to the doctor. The students brainstormed and crafted pitches in their groups before sharing their work in a three-minute pitch to their peers and a panel of judges.

The students did not disappoint, putting forth wonderfully creative ideas, such as creating virtual glasses to connect doctors with their peers around the world for surgery assistance and developing an app to reduce wait time for patients. They also answered tough questions from their classmates and judges.

“It was a great challenge that forced us to think outside the box about issues in our everyday lives,” Emma Gargiulo ’21 said.

“Our visit to Cedars provided a real experience of what life is like as an entrepreneur.”

Overall, the day was a huge success. The students got to step out of the classroom environment, collaborate, and learn more about the hard work and dedication it takes to be an entrepreneur.

“Successful entrepreneurs have curiosity to challenge the status quo and are passionate problem-solvers—two great qualities for kids to learn,” says Darren, parent of Julia ‘21 and Molly ‘23.

2 1 S T C E N T U RY LEARNING

tips from the pros Broadcast Club visits Spectrum Sportsnet Studio

By Nick Webster, Livestream Coordinator

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f you’re a Lakers or Dodgers fan, then your mecca is Staples Center and Dodger Stadium. But if you can’t make it to these arenas, then coming a close second is hanging at home with former hoop superstars, “Big Game” James Worthy, “Big Shot” Robert Horry, and baseball great Nomar Garciaparra.

From there, we poked our heads into the audio and editing stations before entering the hallowed area of the main stage.

Head south down the I-405 freeway from downtown Los Angeles, and you’ll swing past El Segundo and the studio for Spectrum Sportsnet, the official broadcaster for the Lakers, Dodgers, LA Sparks, and the LA Galaxy.

It was a trip down memory lane for James, whose daughters, Sierra ‘10 and Sable ‘08, attended Windward and played basketball for the all-conquering Wildcats.

Barry Turbow ’89 was on hand as 10 students from Windward’s Broadcast Club and I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of this state-of-the-art facility and connect with directors and producers as well as visit the set during a live taping of the Lakers pre-game show with Robert and James.

Barry was kind enough to lay on a feast for the students who then proceeded to flood him with questions about the television and sports industry. Fueled with pizza and knowledge, the Windward crew began the exploration of the facility.

The first stop was the control room where a small army of people ensure that what we see on the screen is exactly what the director and producer envision. This room is like a spaceship filled with screens and consoles. The atmosphere is quiet and very professional.

James and Robert were behind the desk along with the host, Chris McGee. During a break in the action, we were invited up onto the set for pictures with the stars of the show.

From the Lakers set, we headed to the Dodgers custom-built palace, constructed to replicate many components of the iconic Dodger Stadium. More pictures followed and more questions for the producers of the show.

As the Lakers game tipped off, Barry, James, and Robert joined us again for one last round of selfies and autographs before we headed back to Windward, inspired and ready for a career in the sports and entertainment industry.

“For a kid like me, who is interested in broadcasting, touring the Spectrum studios was like a trip to Disneyland,” — Eli Pearl ’23

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Indicates accepted school in state

INTERNATIONAL: Canada Norway Scotland

Four-Year College Outcomes The following list represents the 124 four-year colleges and universities to which the 95 members of the Class of 2018 have received offers of admission. As of March 30, roughly half the class made an enrollment decision; these schools are bolded.

Non-matriculated students have until May 1 to make a decision. An asterisk (*) indicates more than one offer of admission.

American University Arizona State University* Babson College* Bard College* Barnard College Beloit College BI Norwegian School of Management Boston College* Boston University* Bowdoin College Brandeis University* Brown University* Bucknell University California Institute of Technology California Lutheran University California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo* 10 - C L A S S O F 2 0 1 8

California State University, Fresno* California State University, Fullerton* California State University, Long Beach* Case Western University Chapman University* Clark University Colorado State University Connecticut College Cornell University* Dartmouth College* Davidson College* DePaul University DePauw University Dickinson College Dillard University Drexel University* Duke University

Elon University Emerson College* Emory University* Fordham University* Franklin & Marshall College* The George Washington University* Georgetown University Haverford College Hofstra University Howard University* Humboldt State University Indiana University at Bloomington* Kenyon College Lawrence College Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College* Loyola Marymount University*

CLASS OF 2018

Loyola University New Orleans Marymount California University McGill University* New York University* Northeastern University* Northwestern University* Oberlin College Occidental College Pace University* Pennsylvania State University Pepperdine University Pitzer College Pomona College* Pratt Institute Purdue University Regis University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute* Rollins College Rutgers University Santa Clara University* Scripps College Skidmore College* Southern Methodist University* Stanford University* Swarthmore College

SUNY, Oswego Syracuse University* Texas Christian University The New School* Tufts University* Tulane University* University of Arizona* University of California, Berkeley* University of California, Davis* University of California, Irvine* University of California, Los Angeles* 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, Boulder* University of Connecticut* University of Delaware University of Denver University of Illinois, Chicago University of Maryland, College Park* University of Massachusetts, Amherst* University of Miami* University of Michigan*

University of Nevada, Reno University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill University of Notre Dame University of Oregon* University of Pennsylvania* University of Puget Sound University of San Francisco University of Southern California* University of Texas, Austin* University of St. Andrews, Scotland University of Vermont University of Virginia* University of Washington* University of Wisconsin, Madison* Vanderbilt University Virginia Commonwealth University Vassar College Wellesley College Washington University in St. Louis* Wesleyan University* Westmont College Willamette University Williams College Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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SHIRLEY’S Slams ’n Jams

Shirley’s Slams ’n Jams was created as a way of honoring the enduring legacy and creative spirit of our founder, Shirley Windward.

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AROUND CAMPUS

In addition to group performances by the Chromatics and Advanced Jazz Ensemble, the festival also showcased a number of student talents, including:

On Jan. 19, the Windward community came together to again pay tribute to that legacy, joining for a celebration of music, poetry, and spoken word. From amazing soloists to crowdpleasing ensembles, students and faculty united in a joyous display of community and expression.

Jaden Anselmo ’23 Jesse Brenner ’21 Naomi Daneshgar ’23 Lizzie Donzis ’19 Phoebe Eskovitz ’21 Nathan Goldenberg ’18 Kira Gopinath ’20 Hannah Kanter ’18 Darian Levey ’19 Delaney O’Brien ’19 Wyatt Peers ’23 Kate Provisor ’19 Ally Reynolds ’21 Naomi Rubin ’19 Eliana Szabo ’19 Keon Vafaee ’22 Nick Whelan ’18 The variety and quality on display made for a fantastic afternoon and served as yet another reminder that in every note, every story, every moment, Shirley Windward’s legacy lives on.

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WINTER SPORTS Temperatures may have been on the frosty side at the start of this year, but the Windward Athletics program continued its hot streak with a strong Winter season.

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indward’s CIF State Division I Champion Girls Varsity Basketball team picked up where they left off, charging through the regular season with a 23-3 record. The team was crowned CIF Southern Section Open Division Champions after defeating Harvard-Westlake on March 2 and then State Champions March 24 (see related story, pages 16-17).

Middle School Girls Basketball made a strong playoff run of their own, making it to the final round of the 32-team Jr. NBA All-Star Invitational.

The Boys Varsity Basketball team also celebrated a winning season, punctuated by two high-profile contests: a Spirit Night matchup Jan. 30 in which they prevailed over Viewpoint 65-52 and a special Twitter Live broadcast on Feb. 8, which received over three million replays.

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ATHLE TICS

The Varsity Girls Soccer team placed third in Gold Coast League play, securing their highest finish in years. With a fantastic group of players set to return, they’re already looking forward to next year.

Varsity Boys Soccer battled through a hardfought season, driven by the team-first nature of a strong Senior class. “The Seniors made the rest of the team feel like a family, and it generated a unit that wanted to compete for one another,” said Emilio Lari, Boys Soccer Program Lead.

Windward’s Middle School Boys Soccer team also showed grit, taking the Pacific Basin League Championship deep into overtime.

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WILDCATS! Girls Varsity Basketball CIF State Open Division Champions

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ATHLE TICS

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hey did it again! On March 24, the Windward Girls Varsity Basketball team’s magnificent season came to an end in the best possible way, notching a 58-47 victory over Pinewood School in the CIF State Open Division Championship in Sacramento.

Junior Charisma Osborne led the way, pouring in 26 points and setting a CIF State Open Division record with six three pointers.

The Wildcats led the majority of the game, buoyed by a strong second period and a great defensive effort down the stretch. Senior Kamil English had 14 points, including a key three pointer in the final period that extended the Wildcats’ lead. Leadership also came from Windward Seniors Sela Kay, Selena McLurkin, and Elyse Shepherd.

The Wildcats finished the season 27-3 and 6-0 in league.

To view photos from the Championship game go to: bit.ly/WWStateChamps

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WINDWARD HOSTS

FALL WELCOME with Amde Hamilton

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COMMUNITY

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n Oct. 19, Windward hosted “Conversations and Connections” with Amde Hamilton and Dee Dee McNeil, of the legendary spoken word group The Watts Prophets, as part of the School’s annual Fall Welcome.

The event helps set the tone for the school year ahead by fostering new connections and deepening existing relationships in a festive and inclusive atmosphere.

To communicate the impact of this visit in the present, it’s helpful to step back to the past. Formed in the late 1960s, the LA-based Watts Prophets were a trio of poets and vocalists composed of Richard Dedeaux, Otis O’Solomon, and Amde Hamilton. Working with collaborator Dee Dee McNeil, the group’s jazz-inspired rhythms, socially relevant lyrics, and poetic delivery paved the way for many of modern rap and hip hop’s biggest artists.

Students, parents, faculty, and staff got to know one another over dinner before settling in for a panelist discussion featuring Amde and Dee Dee. Moderated by Vida Brown, visual arts curator at the California African American Museum, the audience engaged in a spirited back and forth with the panelists as they shared their worldly wisdom and poignant poetic talents with the community.

Through these visits, the knowledge of an older generation was passed along, inspiring students to find their own voice as they rapidly approach a bigger world ahead of them.

Fall Welcome was the culminating event for the duo, who spent the week visiting classes and interacting with students and faculty. From the soaring space of the Lewis Jackson Memorial Sports Center to intimate learning spaces, the charismatic guests captured the attention of the entire Windward community throughout the week.

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Windward Community Members Share Entrepreneurial Mindsets

By Eric Weller, Associate Director of Special Events “We’ve obviously had a good time talking because I’m already getting the signal that it’s time for the Q&A,” said Windward Parent of Alumni Bob Clifford, Founding Principal of Liquid Venture Partners and moderator of Windward’s “The Entrepreneurial Mindset” panel discussion on Jan. 24.

When the first question of the evening arrived, regarding the group’s views on the future of the corporate pay scale and how employees participate in profits, their responses were honest, and perhaps a bit expected, considering the caliber of panelists gathered on stage.

With more than 30 years of experience raising capital and working with high net-worth investors, Bob was the perfect person to manage the panel, which included some of the most prominent entrepreneurs from the Windward community.

“There is a definitive need for lifelong learning at this point,” said Windward Parent Adam Miller, Founder and CEO of human capital management software firm Cornerstone OnDemand.

“Technology is making industries and jobs change faster. Everyone is going

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to have to learn on the job or risk becoming obsolete. That’s the biggest challenge for our kids. What used to be 20-year cycles are now 20-month cycles, resulting in a completely different labor pool tomorrow than we have today.”

Jane Wurwand, Windward Parent of Alumni and Co-Founder and Chief Visionary of Dermalogica and The International Dermal Institute, believes entrepreneurship is one of the biggest opportunities for young people— even better than working for a big corporation. Her brand is recognized

COMMUNITY

“You must believe what you are doing makes a difference.

You have to love it.

No plan B! It doesn’t matter if people believe in you or not.”

—JANE WURWAND Co-Founder and Chief Visionary of Dermalogica

as game-changing within the sphere of professional skin care education and is available in more than 100 countries. She believes honing in on a company’s mission statement is imperative for success.

Carly de Castro ’02 is a seasoned health and wellness advocate who started Pressed Juicery with one mission in mind: to make high-quality, nutrientdense products widely accessible.

“It’s the glue that bonds your team.

Pursue what you know will make a difference and what you believe is your purpose, and the money will come. But if you’re pursuing just the dollar or the market share, it will elude you. Customers see straight through it, and they won’t connect to it emotionally,” said Jane.

“I got together with one of my best friends and former classmates, Hayden Slater ’02. We quit our jobs and decided to take a chance because of the impact we felt after changing our own lives through small steps toward health and well-being. We decided to start a small kiosk with a refrigerator of juice, and right now we have 75 stores nationwide.”

Windward Parent Mick Ebeling, Founder and CEO of Not Impossible Labs, agrees. “Consumers and businesses alike will make decisions on what they buy or who they work with based on their perception on whether that company stands for something bigger than their bottom line.

People want to believe in something bigger,” said Mick. He founded Not Impossible, a multiple award-winning social innovation lab and production company, on the premise that nothing is impossible.

But what about the entrepreneurial mindset? Adam offered his three Ps: be passionate about your idea, able to persuade people to both invest and work for you, and then be persistent in achieving your goal. Jane agreed with Adam’s Ps, yet had an additional set of Ps to contribute: No pouting, no prima donnas, and no pity parties.

“Shut-up and stop whining,” Jane elaborated, inciting laughter throughout the audience. “You must believe what you are doing makes a difference. You have to love it. No plan B! It doesn’t matter if people believe in you or not.”

To view a full recording from the evening, visit bit.ly/WWentrepanel

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CAPPING OFF THE YEAR Seniors Culminate Scholarship with Capstone Courses

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By Jenna Ashendouek ’18

y Senior year, students have one foot in the door and one looming in the future. The final year of high school is one of transition, and thus, in thinking toward the future it is often hard for students to focus on the present. It is no secret Seniors country-wide experience dwindling attendance and increased daydreaming come second trimester. Yet, the Senior year is also full of excitement, discovery, and next steps.

Therefore, it is essential to capitalize on students’ newfound passions and more sophisticated skills to finish a Windward career with true, professional-level work.

To do so, a group of faculty members and administrators came together to ask the question: “How might we create a truly dynamic, challenging, supportive, and inspirational culminating year for our Seniors?” explains Stella Beale, Windward’s Director of Studies.

Following a “blue sky” design thinking process, the group charged with the exploration landed on the Senior Capstone, which is now a Graduation requirement. Senior Capstones are year-long courses designed to ensure that every Senior has an in-depth research experience in a selected area of passion guided by a dedicated Windward teacher. Every Senior, through this program, has the opportunity to explore scholarship at a high level.

Seniors this year have the option to complete a Capstone course in one of the following areas: 20th Century History, Psychology, English, Visual and Media Arts/Performing Arts, Civic Engagement and Social Innovation, or Innovative Design.

Capstone course developers were keen on granting students the opportunity to research from vastly different lenses, drawing on students’ individual interests.

Each Capstone takes a different approach—research in the arts differs from historical inquiry—and yet all Seniors work on building a fundamental set of skills that will place them

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much above their peers in college. Capstone teachers, no matter the discipline, agree on a set of skills to help develop in students throughout the year: research, writing, revision, collaboration, presentation, public speaking, and time and project management.

Senior Miriam Harshberger is enrolled in the STEAM/Global Capstone called “Innovative Design for Real World Problems.”

She describes the course as “a modern wood shop.” Miriam explains the course has improved her communication skills dramatically, and she has “learned what it takes to solve an issue.”

The Capstone Senior experience is still evolving. Teachers and students alike continually share ideas about how to improve and expand the program. Next year, Capstones in World Language and Leadership will be added. Math may be incorporated in future years. And while the new Capstone offerings are still being refined, Stella says that this program is fast becoming “one of Windward’s signature programs.”

Come see the final result: On May 21, the Senior class will be holding the Senior Capstone Colloquium, a communitywide celebration of research and learning to highlight the intellectual curiosity of the Class of 2018.

STUDENT VOICE

Senior Brings Holocaust Survivor’s Story to Windward

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n Thursday, Jan. 25, Windward’s History Department, in partnership with the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust and student host Senior Dane Wise, brought 97-year-old Betty Cohen to campus. Betty shared her incredible story of survival as she endured not only an extensive time in hiding, but also years in concentration camps such as Westerbork Transit Camp and Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp in Poland.

Betty spoke to a standing-room only crowd for more than an hour about her harrowing experience.

In 1940, Betty, just 19 at the time, met her future husband, Al. Just eight days later, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands.

In 1942, Betty and her family were forced into hiding in Hilversum. In 1944, the family was caught and sent to Westerbork Transit Camp, and then six months later to Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp.

When Betty arrived at Auschwitz, her head was shaved and her left forearm was tattooed with the number A-52885252,

which she showed the students during her presentation. Betty was the subject of many medical experiments at the hands of the Nazi doctors.

In 1945, liberation finally came. Betty and her husband eventually made their way to the United States, where she has resided ever since.

Betty has spoken at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust for over four years. Her daughter encouraged her to tell her story because she had not spoken about her experience during the Holocaust. She has graciously shared her story as a way of educating audiences on this terrible historical reality.

Dane first approached Windward’s Division Directors back in August 2017, eager to share the exciting work he had done over the summer as a member of the teen board at the Los Angeles Museum of Holocaust. Through a significant amount of commitment and planning, Dane was able to bring Betty to campus to share her story.

Dane’s grandmother was at Auschwitz at the same time as Betty.

“This topic is important to me, and I think that it should be just as important to others as we are the last generation to be able to hear about one of humanity’s darkest moments first hand,” said Dane.

At the conclusion of the talk, Betty told students that she was a “big fans of hugs.”

Following the talk, which extended over a half hour after school was dismissed, more than 30 students—many with tears welling up in their eyes—lined up for the chance to introduce themselves to Betty and to receive one of her famous warm hugs.

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Balancing Passions while Chasing Dreams

By Gia Kokotakis ’20

I decided to begin researching. My doctor had presented me with two options: surgically repairing the tear or waiting for the body to repair itself. The former presented a sole benefit: I would be back on the ice faster. As a person with such a love for my sport, this was a huge plus. However, the latter also offered its hand of positives: Although it would take longer for the body to repair itself, the muscle would be stronger after healing and much less likely to rip again in the future.

Through this research, I discovered what, exactly, the surgeons would be doing to me if I decided to go through with the procedure. I looked at online descriptions of the process, detailed videos, and descriptions of both the level of invasiveness and the estimated recovery times. Based on what I saw and through discussions with my doctor, parents, and coaches, I decided to let my body heal itself.

I

am an elite figure skater, national medalist, and full-time student at Windward School.

Windward has gone above and beyond to help me maintain a balance and chase my dreams in my sport, and they have also introduced me to a new passion. The information sources Windward has provided me with opened my eyes to modern medicine and my great interest in the subject.

The year before I won my national medal, I had a devastating hip flexor tear. I spent weeks confined to my bed before I could even think about moving around, much less think about skating again. My only hope, desire, and wish was to get back to the ice. When faced with my injury, I had to consider the treatment options. Which one would be more beneficial to my career not just in the next few months, but in the long run?

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My hip was back to normal in four months, but my newly discovered passion for medical science had just begun. Using the resources made available to me by Windward, I have been able to discover more about this topic of interest and even study specialized practices. Windward’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) was the greatest help in this journey. The extensive library provided me with insight on topics such as modern developments in medical sciences, the most deadly diseases in human history, the breakdown of human and nonhuman anatomies, and more.

I have decided to launch a digital newsletter in order to spread my knowledge and passion for medical science.

I hope that this newsletter will bring out a passion for medicine in members of my community as Windward has helped me discover it.

Without Windward and the Center for Teaching and Learning, I would never have fully discovered my passion for modern medical science, nor would I have been able to study it to such an extent that I could create my own informative site on such a fascinating topic.

STUDENT VOICE

R

Rylan’s Reality: Visualizing a Virtual World

ylan Daniels ‘20 is a busy guy. Not only does the Windward Sophomore keep his plate full in the real world—participating in extracurriculars ranging from journalism and music to digital media—but he also spends his free time building virtual ones.

adhering to a typical VR setup, which utilizes joysticks and buttons to control player movement, Rylan instead created a program that mimicked movement via “walking locomotion,” thus guaranteeing a greater level of immersion. The Upload judges clearly agreed, as Rylan won first place in the event, beating out many older, more experienced coders.

Tutoring fellow students as the founder of Windward’s VR Club, Rylan knows a thing or two about coding. He recently put that knowledge to the test in a competition hosted by Upload VR, a startup incubator specializing in virtual and augmented reality-driven events. Contestants were tasked with creating a virtual experience graded on its originality and technical features, with the winner receiving the opportunity to work alongside Upload in developing a mixed-reality training video.

Despite his technical success, Rylan’s interest in VR remains rooted in his desire to tell a compelling, empathetic narrative.

For Windward’s recent Frankenstein: 200 Years art installation, Rylan created an augmented reality app that allowed players to build their own virtual monster, provided they collected all the parts spread across campus in a virtual scavenger hunt.

Not only did Rylan build the software and create the design aesthetic, but he also composed the game’s musical score, effectively creating a world that combined art with technology.

Rylan’s entry placed players in the role of a neuroscientist, his virtual walkthrough leading deep inside the human brain for a more hands-on brain scan. Of course, all good games come with an unexpected twist, with Rylan’s coming in the form of an eager AI gone rogue. Rylan’s creative focus also extended to the program’s more technical elements. Rather than

It’s that marriage that Rylan sees himself exploring further in the future, particularly as it pertains to educational applications.

In his eyes, VR has the potential to change the learning landscape—that is, if he doesn’t change it first.

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Young Women’s Retreat Empowers and Enlightens Students

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By Rachel Chasalow ’18

s our van made its way up the twisty mountain roads toward Lake Arrowhead, I was focused on two things: trying desperately not to be carsick and the 27 other Junior and Senior girls I was about to spend the next 24 hours with on the Young Women’s Retreat. The retreat is a new tradition at Windward, and one I’m proud to say that I have been involved in for the past two years. It is a transformational overnight experience filled with empowering workshops and bonding with young women whom you may not connect to on a regular basis.

We started the retreat at the School, where female faculty members joined us to discuss the impact of gender in our lives.

After we got to Lake Arrowhead, we had our first workshop, led

by Jennie Willens, Dean of Students for the College Preparatory Division and one of the retreat founders.

We discussed our interviews with important women in our lives—which we had conducted before the retreat. Most people, like me, chose to interview their moms. It was incredible to learn so much about the lives and relationships of my fellow female classmates. We watched presentations about other peoples’ interviews; the most impactful of which was a group that chose to do an art-style performance about labels. They stuck Post-Its onto one of their group members with labels that women are traditionally mislabeled as—things like “too emotional” and “inexperienced.”

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Our next workshop was led by Alesia Young, Dance Area Head at Windward. The theme of the workshop was “radical self love.” Alesia had us write down two lists, one negative and one positive, about the things that we felt about ourselves. We then ripped out the negative side of our list, leaving only the positives behind. It was just the right combination of powerful and pointed, and it left us all a bit emotional.

After that Alesia had us write “our stories.” They varied from stories about families to college rejection letters. One amazing story was shared by a Junior who read an inauguration speech she had written for herself, as though she had just been elected president. We cheered her on, yelling encouragement and campaign slogans and volunteered to canvass for her in 2036.

The next morning we did some yoga and meditation before our last workshop on healthy relationships. To end our trip, we passed around a ball of yarn and complimented the women around us whom we had learned so much from that weekend.

We were watching new friendships being formed—and old ones being strengthened—as we moved the multicolored yarn between students and teachers, Seniors and Juniors, and amazing and inspiring young women.

I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of the kind of community where such bonding is possible, and where I get to spend time with such empowering young women.

WINDWARD FUND AT WORK

Thank You 2017-18 Windward Fund Volunteers Special recognition is due to all of those Windward Fund Volunteers who have dedicated their time and talents to helping the community realize our important goals.

program enhancements Each year, the Windward Fund helps support Program Enhancements in the form of campus upgrades that improve the student experience. As donations are received throughout the year, they are immediately put to use to make classroom upgrades that create a more innovative and dynamic learning environment for students.

One of the changes that was completed this year because of Windward Fund donations was an upgrade to the flooring, desk structure, and electrical capabilities of the Physics Rooms, 470 and 485. These updates have enabled every faculty member who uses the spaces to expand their use of them and implement new ways to teach in them.

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“

— AUSTIN TOTTY, MATH TEACHER

The new, flexible tables in 470 have allowed me to seat my students in a configuration this year that helps promote a more cohesive sense of community.

The new, easily accessible electrical floor outlets have made it much faster to plug in equipment for labs and hands-on activities.

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— DOROTHY LEE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHER

“

CO-CHAIRS Jennifer & Alexander Kwit Rita Tuzon & Rick Stone

VOLUNTEERS Kori & Darren Dworkin Evanne & Edward Gargiulo Susan Winfield & Stephen Grynberg Dana & Richard Pachulski Jaime & Andrew Schwartzberg Jennifer Harris & Joseph Sliskovich Trina & Adam Venit Jessica & Steve Yi

Windward Fund CO-CHAIRS Kristen & Dave Hodess Karen & Scott Silver

VOLUNTEERS

The number of whiteboards in my room are a huge asset. Students love to use them to ‘think on the board’ and share their ideas with each other.

The ample space in the room makes changes in arrangement easy; physical limitations don’t get in the way of helping my students learn.

“

Leadership Committee

I’ve really enjoyed having the freedom to easily move the furniture in Rooms 470 and 485. It allows me to more frequently place students in different and varied learning groups—to form smaller study groups, to pull tables into different positions for demonstrations, or to form groups of varied sizes, depending on our goals for the day.

“

— BECKY CARTER, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHER

Jamie & Michael Angus Michelle & Gareth Asten Kerry & Robert Benderson Cynthia Sikes & Ross Brodie Shainaz & Mark Burg Jo Champa Jennifer Blum & Adam Cotsen Beata Pozniak Daniels & Jeff Daniels Teri & Darryl Eaton Stacey & Tim Farish Alisa & Craig Farkas Beth Osisek & Ken Fink Lori & Kirk Goldstein Jennifer & Rafi Gordon Jennifer & Scott Gordon ‘84 Sharon Novey & Edward Harshberger Susan & Tom Hertz Ing Lee & Todd Jerry Neal Koch Caroline & Matt Kunitz Monica & Ross Lacy Wendy & Gary Leshgold Nancy & Robert Lurie Vaughan & Nick Meyer Allison & Peter Morrison Joanne & Matt Pauley Angie & Jon Platt Rachael & Bob Platt Mahi Lashgari Renselaer & Edward Renselaer Joy & Jason Rothenberg Diana & Andrew Sachs Pamela & Matt Schwab Jocelyn & Kenny Solomon Maie & Richard St. John Maxine & Brent Stratton Gail Woods & Mitch Tenzer Christina & Andrew Thau Karyn & Rob Weber Karen & Alan Weil Emily Stern & Jeremy Weitz

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diversity responsive Schools The Essentials of Diversity Responsive Schools, Hawley & Wolf 1. Data collection 2. Professional development 3. Access to rigorous academic content and necessary support 4. Processes and protocols

CULTIVATING DIVERSITY RESPONSIVE COMMUNITIES

By Stella Beale, Director of Studies, and Meghan Tally, Associate Director of College Preparatory Division

H

ow might schools formalize and realize their commitments to diversity and inclusivity? And, once a school like Windward has made a commitment to diversity and inclusivity in its mission statement and/or strategic plan, where does the work begin?

This past March, we had the opportunity to explore these and other related questions as co-presenters at the annual conference of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) in Atlanta with Echo Horizon educators Peggy Procter and Roger Bridges. Our session on Leadership for a Diversity Responsive Community included a panel presentation as well as break-out work for attendees from independent schools across the country.

Between the four of us on the panel, our roles in independent schools over the years have included: teacher, team leader, department chair, diversity director, counselor, associate director, director of studies, assistant head, and head of school.

Through our many years in education, we have learned that a diversity responsive school is iterative, continuous, and ever-

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evolving work. Drawing on the research of Patricia Gurin of the University of Michigan, (see sidebar) we offered attendees our understanding that creating and sustaining diversity responsive communities requires an integrated approach shared by individuals and teams across all levels of the institution, and we emphasized that this work does not belong to someone else; we must all take responsibility.

We also shared aspects of Willis D. Hawley’s and Rebecca Wolf’s nine-part framework for diversity responsiveness in schools. Among other benefits, Hawley and Wolf advocate for the kinds of professional development, diverse curricula, and equitable access to rigor to which we are devoted here at Windward.

It was an honor to be selected to present among this year’s wide range of presenting educators from many peer schools. We were privileged to share some of our own challenges, experiments, and successes at various schools and, most of all, to have the opportunity to learn from fellow educators from across the country to engage in a rich dialogue about diversity responsiveness.

5. Family and community engagement strategies 6. Diverse curriculum 7. School policies and practices reflect a commitment to inclusiveness 8. Recruitment and retention 9. Processes in place to surface, discuss, and address issues

Students [white and non-white] who have the most experience with racial diversity in their classrooms and informal interactions... demonstrate: • Increased scores on a test used to measure complex thinking • More motivation to achieve • Greater intellectual self-confidence and engagement • The highest level of interest in graduate degrees • A greater understanding that group differences are compatible with societal unity • A higher level of motivation to understand the perspectives of other people • Higher levels of citizenship • A greater likelihood after graduation that they will have friends, neighbors, and coworkers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds — Patricia Gurin, “The Benefits of Diversity in Education”

WINDWARD FUND AT WORK

NEXT GENERATION

LEARNING SPACES

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By James Bologna, Director of Technology

o paraphrase Thomas Edison, “Innovation is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration” and while hard work is the foundation of success, inspiration is sometimes elusive. I recently attended the “Next Generation Learning Spaces” conference in downtown Los Angeles and was fortunate to find some inspiration, along with the hundreds of people representing colleges and universities from around the nation.

At the conference, several universities shared their principles of design for learning space renovations that: support a multitude of teaching and learning styles; encourage faculty to advance pedagogy to support student learning; harmonize digital and analog technology to share content; and provide intuitive technology options to support a multitude of learning activities that promote active engagement and interaction with content as well as peer learning.

Keynote Phil Long (pictured at right), Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Texas-Austin, shared insights from his extensive research on learning spaces at universities around the world.

• Learning is enhanced through social interaction and augmented with flexible technology and digital augmentations. As the cost of digital—software, storage, cloud—goes down, the physical can become more virtual.

• The efficacy of learning can often be increased by transparency and the sharing of space and equipment, like open learning spaces, glass walls and windows, and high visibility. Likewise, creativity can be heightened by providing high-ceiling spaces.

• Performance spaces that are designed around shared experiences—like a theater—may not directly affect academic learning; however, they are an effective way to build community. Non-formal spaces should be attractive to students and designed to give them a reason to study together. This increases the “stickiness” of learning and campus spaces.

An interesting side note is the research done on the amount of space per student in university learning areas. The average square foot per student in a traditional university classroom is 12 to 13. As a point of reference, a typical airplane allots you 3.5 square feet, while a Starbucks provides you 22 square feet.

Newer, active learning spaces are now targeting 28 to 30 square feet per student. Windward averages 60 or more square feet per student!

A number of presentations also covered the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to boost student engagement. The University of South Florida presented on its use of Sharecare, a VR simulation of the human body that allows users to navigate and explore an anatomically accurate 3D model of the human body. The University of Central Florida presented on the virtual, interactive case studies (VR) they are using that show pathologies from the first-person patient perspective and build student empathy for patients.

I returned from the conference feeling inspired by all of the possibilities and am truly grateful that the Windward Fund’s Research and Development program is available to support faculty research.

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Sharing our

WINDWARD STORIES In this new spotlight series, we check in with various Windward community members to capture the wide diversity of experiences our School supports and embraces

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By Christy Kwon Kreisberg Parent Guild President, Parent of Lily ’18

remember the day I stepped on the Windward campus with my husband and my daughter, Lily, for a tour. Little did I know that this campus would soon become our home and our community for the next six years, and these relationships would create lifelong memories that I will never forget.

I knew I wanted to be involved with the Windward community before school started. I had already heard about the wonderful parents and families and supportive faculty and staff, but I had no idea that this Windward community would become my extended family. Becoming involved with Windward and joining this community was a seamless transition for me. I was greeted as a new parent with great enthusiasm from fellow parents and the Windward staff and faculty. I knew right away I wanted to be involved in any way I could. I started working at Grandparents Day and at the “bookstore” and loved every moment. I loved seeing the kids on campus and interacting with other parents and meeting new friends. Soon after I was volunteering at various areas on campus and eventually co-chaired the annual

Spring Event fundraiser before joining the Parent Guild board as a VP and ultimately becoming Parent Guild President this year.

Windward creates an environment for all families to become involved and included in so many different ways. I remember the first time I volunteered at Grandparents Day and meeting wonderful parent volunteers and greeting hundreds of grandparents and then watching and listening to so many talented Windward students perform on that sunny afternoon. Lily was so proud playing volleyball in front of her grandparents and then walking them around to “show off” her new school. As the years went on, my time spent at Windward increased. I found so many opportunities to volunteer and join various committees, whether it was cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the local children’s center or stuffing packages to send to Windward alumni at their new homes in college. With every committee, I met more and more wonderful families and realized how special Windward is.

Lily has also had such a wonderful experience these past six years. Windward has given her such an amazing opportunity to explore her passions with the arts and enable her to become a confident and strong young woman who isn’t afraid to speak up and most importantly to have compassion for her peers and student community. Lily has always felt so supported academically, socially, and emotionally throughout her wonderful journey at Windward and this is all because of the nurturing faculty and staff at Windward.

As a family, we are so grateful that Windward provided us with such an inclusive and caring community these past several years. As bittersweet as it is that this is our last year at the School, the Windward community will always be dear to our family, providing us memories and friends that we will never forget.

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PA R E N T PERSPECTIVES

By Michael Chasalow Parent of Justin ’18 and Rachel ’18

When Rachel and Justin started Windward in the Seventh Grade, we were aware that the School’s mission statement includes the words, “… a nurturing community,” but we had no idea how deeply that mission runs through the fabric of Windward. Over the last six years, our kids have been encouraged, supported, and nurtured in so many ways.

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e have seen our somewhat shy and reserved 12-yearold boy grow into a mature and confident 18-year-old man. Justin was encouraged to join the football team in Ninth Grade.

He had never played tackle football and was one of the smallest players on the team. Four years later, we watched him start several games and help lead the team, nurturing and supporting younger players and passing on the support and encouragement he had received.

Justin has also become an excellent and

inquisitive student, encouraged by wonderful teachers who helped him find his academic talents in a number of engaging classes.

Even when Rachel started Windward, she was strong and independent. She had never been afraid to let her voice be heard. Windward nurtured Rachel in a different way. We watched her grow into a strong, confident student who used her sharp mind to excel academically.

Windward embraced Rachel’s passion for community service and willingness to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.

Rachel also found a community that welcomed her voice and let her be part of a chorus, literally by joining the Chromatics, so that her points and passions, while still strong, were broader and more evolved.

Both Rachel and Justin are part of WIT (Windward Improv Troupe) and have learned to speak and perform with confidence and humor. Their success at improv is due to the supportive environment that has taught them to follow a scene and trust that your partners on stage have your back. Our kids can speak publicly without notes and with confidence and knowledge. These skills

have been honed through the many opportunities in which Windward students are encouraged to express themselves.

Now we look at our Windward kids, and we wonder how it is that we have such remarkable people, who just a few years ago were awkward and tentative preteens. We know that a good part of these remarkable people comes from the Windward environment that doesn’t believe in saying, “Don’t do that—you might not be good at it.” Rather it encourages inquiry and exploration.

Windward enables kids to flourish and grow, to find their strengths and passions, and to develop skills that will serve them in the many circumstances they will undoubtedly confront in the outside world. We will forever be grateful for the growth and joy our kids have experienced throughout their time in the Windward community.

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S H A R I N G T I M E A N D TA LEN T

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Design and Engineering Workshop hen Aaron Kramer’s oldest daughter Emma ’19 joined Windward’s Robotics Team three years ago, he decided to take his role as a parent volunteer to a new level.

While Aaron had offered his time delivering CREATE Studio guest lectures and leading Visual and Media Arts Department workshops, he soon became a weekly parent volunteer in the School’s Design and Engineering Workshop (DEW).

“I was very excited for Emma to join Robotics and felt I could lend some of my artistic and seat-of-the-pants engineering expertise to help the team,” said Aaron, an artist who frequently works with reclaimed and recycled materials in his sculptures.

As a DEW volunteer, Aaron helped STEAM Program Director Simon Huss guide students on the FRC Robotics Team through the process of designing, prototyping, troubleshooting, and building a 120-pound robot to compete in the Utah regional FIRST competition.

“For me as a parent to see those kids go from not knowing what kind of robot they’re going to build into brainstorming sessions and then democratically arriving at a decision and actually making it is amazing,” he says. “I love seeing the arc of it all.”

Aaron says he also loves seeing the grit and perseverance that students develop as they turn “failures” into “opportunities,” which he believes to be an essential life skill. Equally essential is the hands-on tool training that takes place in the DEW. “I think most kids should be fluent with hand tools as well as digital tools,” he says. “They rely on these tools and need to be able to know how to use them safely. That is an area where I can help.”

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Emma has clearly internalized her father’s viewpoint; she serves as Safety Captain in the DEW space and has at times reminded Aaron about protocols, which resulted in a light-hearted trading of authority. As Aaron, also a parent to Ana ’20, laughingly says: “She takes her job very seriously. We’re in her domain, so her rules apply.”

Aaron’s weekly connection with the students has not only given him a sense of accomplishment, it’s also helped him in his own work. “It’s forced me to reconnect with processes and methodologies that I may have forgotten since they’ve become so intuitive to me,” he says. “When you’re working with kids, they want to know ‘Why?’ so you need to slow down and explain things.”

Aaron says he would encourage other parents to lend their expertise to the School as a classroom volunteer. “Mentors are invaluable at this age,” he says. “Leading by example and lending your personal skill set is an amazing gift to give to our children. Even not knowing the ‘how’ and together finding out the ‘why’ helps a child see firsthand other methodologies for problem-solving. And just having another adult in the room helps focus the kids and maximize their potential.”

INNOVATIVE SPACES

WRITING WITH

PURPOSE Interview with Maja Starcevic, PhD Director of the Studio for Writing and Rhetoric

By Tess Rosenthal ’19

What is the Studio for Writing and Rhetoric and what is your role in it?

The Studio is part of Windward’s Center for Teaching and Learning. It is a place where students gather to learn together and from each other. At Lunch, the Studio is run by our Writing and Rhetoric Consultants— Juniors and Seniors who have been trained in supporting their peers on various writing, from creative to analytical, and presentation projects. My role is to train the students, organize events that celebrate writing, and to reach out to and support faculty with various writing assignments.

How has the Studio evolved since it first began?

The Studio was the product of a Writing Initiative that spanned several years and departments. The basic model of a peerto-peer supportive environment hasn’t changed, but we made some changes in how we are selecting Consultants— it is by teacher recommendation now— added social-emotional learning aspects, especially the idea of the growth mindset to their training; put on inspiring events like Windward Poets in Conversation or the Middle School Creative Writing contest; and made the Studio space more welcoming and intellectually stimulating for our students.

What effect does the Studio have on the students and teachers in the Windward community?

Studio Consultants are able to give feedback and suggestions to their peers in ways that we teachers can’t, so the students get a richer understanding of how they can tackle an assignment or their own project. I’d like all of our students to see the Studio as a safe, non-judgmental space where they can grow as writers, thinkers, and presenters—a place that is divorced from grades or assessment.

What exciting things are coming to the Studio?

This Spring, the Consultants will host a session on “Writing and Communicating on Social Media.” We are also expanding our Creative Writing Contest to now include both the Middle and the Upper School, hosting a Windward alumna writer Corinna Nicolaou ’89, and starting a Studio Book Club!

If you could give anything, be it advice or a crazy invention, to help students in the writing process, what would you give them?

Two things: A Babel fish—see “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”— so they can decode difficult text, and a procrastination vaccine shot, which will make them super-efficient and fearless to tackle any kind of writing or presentation project.

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S ERV I C E LE A R N I N G Ninth Graders Bring Service to Mar Vista Community On March 7, Windward Ninth Graders participated in a number of community service activities as part of the Ninth Grade Service Retreat. The annual retreat allows students to connect to the larger, local community by giving back through a number of service learning opportunities.

Students broke up into several different groups, each with a faculty chaperone, to do service work in the Mar Vista community. The goals of the retreat were three-fold: 1) to instill in students respect and enthusiasm for doing service work; 2) to give students hands-on experience doing work of their choice with a chance for reflection and sharing with classmates; and 3) to ensure that each student leaves the retreat with one or more good ideas of what kind of service work they would like to pursue individually.

“At each site, our Ninth Graders had the opportunity to participate in a unique experience and immerse themselves into a new environment. The preparation in

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Seminar in the weeks leading up to the retreat allowed students to have a deeper understanding of the sites they would be visiting and have meaningful reflection upon returning to campus,” said Ashley Webster, Director of Service Learning and Social Entrepreneurship. Service sites and opportunities included: • Adopt and Shop; • LA Kitchen; • Windward Teaches Tech, wherein students led a technology workshop for senior citizens; and • Richland Avenue Elementary, where students took part in campus beautification and taught an enrichment class in either Dance or STEM education.

“I hope that this retreat has allowed them to broaden their perspectives and has sparked a greater curiosity for how they can be upstanding citizens in our local and global communities,” said Ashley.

SERVICE LEARNING

Windward Gives Back On Nov. 15, students and parents continued Windward’s longstanding partnership with the Westside Children’s Center (WCC), teaming up to host their annual Thanksgiving dinner.

A cornerstone of Windward’s Parent Guild Service Committee, volunteers donated and prepared the ingredients to make a full turkey dinner for over 300 people on site.

Organizing the event were committee chairs: Kim Shore, Karyn Weber, and Susanne Cipolla Olmos; Parent Guild President Christy Kwon Kreisberg; and Member at Large Lisa Provisor. They were in turn aided by chef Cari Levin. Not only did Cari help plan and organize the event, she also spearheaded the kitchen effort, providing the entirety of the event’s turkeys and working to ensure that all meals were well-cooked and delicious.

A group of around 15 parent volunteers started prepping the day before, working in shifts to ensure every potato was peeled and every turkey stuffed. On the day of the event, 40 of Windward’s own students aided in the effort, stepping in as everything from servers to decorators.

It was yet another joyous celebration of the holiday spirit and a great representation of Windward’s partnership with the Westside Children’s Center.

Continuing this theme of being thankful, grateful, and giving back to the local community, Windward’s campus came alive on Nov. 28 as students, parents, and faculty joined forces to honor #GivingTuesday. Inspired by the global event, which encourages giving back during the holiday season, the Windward community packed meals for those at the Safe Place for Youth and collected toys to donate to children supported by The Jeffrey Foundation.

Collectively, Windward’s generous community donated over 200 toys and prepared enough meals to feed 120 homeless youth. A huge thank you goes out to all of our students, parents and volunteers for making this year’s event such a complete success. Shirley Windward would be proud!

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ALUMNI

Networking Night

By Robin Pickett Director of Windward Network

Over 170 alumni and current Windward parents came together for the third annual Windward Networking Night at Mr. C Beverly Hills on March 1.

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he goals set out in the Windward Network Initiative inspired the evening. The Windward Network is aimed at leveraging connections within the entire Windward community to support both current students and alumni.

Members of our community are leaders in nearly every field: actors and musicians, scientists and engineers, entertainment and

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ALUMNI UPDATES

Alumni enjoyed reconnecting with former classmates, catching up with former teachers, and building relationships with parent and alumni professionals. The event welcomed attendees from all types of industries, ranging from entertainment, real estate, law, finance, consulting, entrepreneurship, non-profit, healthcare, engineering, technology, and the arts.

business executives, and entrepreneurs and innovators.

The Windward Networking Night is just one example of the many opportunities that alumni have to expand their network. Summer internships, our newly launched online mentoring platform Windward at Work, panel discussions, and networking events like this one are critical to building the value and vitality of the Windward Network.

For more information about the Windward Network, visit www.windwardschool.org/network

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Greg Richling ’88 JOB TITLE: Head of Music COMPANIES: Buffalo 8, Stand Sound Post INDUSTRY: Entertainment

e l t t i l a y r t n o e m o c , y e H r e v e r o f s i g n Nothi n a h t r e t t e b g n i h t e m o s e b e's got to e l d d i m e h t In a l l e r e d n i C d n a e m t u B r e h t e g o t l l a t i t u p e W e m o h t i e v i r nd 38 - A L U M N I U PD AT E S

Photo credit: Tamarind Free-Jones

ALUMNI UPDATES

The tour manager announced that it was time to make our way to the stage. As the show started you could hear the crowd humming. It sounded like “boo,” though we quickly realized they were chanting “Bruce!” Obviously, word had traveled that he was going to jam with us.

After our set, we filed off stage and into the dressing room where Bruce was sitting. He congratulated us on a great show and said, “Hey guys, why don’t we go out and open with your song, Track Nine. Ya know, ‘God Don’t Make Lonely Girls!’” We couldn’t believe it.

With over 20 years of experience as the bassist for the Wallflowers performing alongside your Windward classmate Jakob Dylan ’88, what is a moment as a performer that you’ll never forget?

One afternoon, in the middle of a yearlong tour, the band received a call that Bruce Springsteen wanted to have us over to his home for lunch, drive us to our soundcheck, rehearse a few songs, and sit in during our encore. Needless to say, we were thrilled. A couple of weeks later, the band met in the lobby of the hotel, minutes before a Stetson-clad Boss pulled up in his Dually. We walked out and said our hellos as we piled into his brawny four-door pickup. I rode shotgun, and I can’t lie, I did turn to Bruce and think to myself, “How did this happen? You’re 26, on tour supporting a hit record, and riding in the front seat of Bruce Springsteen’s truck as he waxes on about local points of interest.”

After an amazing afternoon, which included a tour of Bruce’s home, we marched back into the truck and Bruce drove us to the Tradewinds club in New Jersey. We soundchecked a bunch of songs with Bruce, including “Tears of a Clown,” “My Girl,” and “Not Fade Away.” After we felt good about the arrangements, we hung around the bus, waiting to play. Jon Bon Jovi dropped by. Levon Helm stopped in.

Sting arrived with his wife, Trudie. It was a special night.

After a rousing Springsteen-led version of “God Don’t” (as we always called it), Levon Helm and Jon Bon Jovi joined us and Bruce for the rest of the encore. The crowd loved it, and it was a real treat for everyone involved. In fact, we were so caught up in the moment it wasn’t until after the encore that we realized we had forgotten to do one thing.....invite Sting up to play!!!

For years, every now and then, while on tour, someone would remember that night and say: “Guys, Bruce knew Track Nine.

He goes deep.”

How does your experience as both an artist and executive affect how you approach your current role as Head of Music at both Buffalo 8 Productions and Stand Sound Post?

Like a lot of kids, I started off playing in local bands in the mid-’80s, but then I went to film school where I made my own little movies on a Bolex. Upon graduation, I started in production houses such as Grosso-Jacobson, TriStar Television, and Zalman King Productions. After that stint, I joined The Wallflowers for 20 years and began doing session work for artists such as Fiona Apple, Macy Gray, Michael Penn, and Joe Henry, as well as producing records. This dual background has helped me package the music side of media in a unique and detailed fashion. I’m a linernotes geek and have worked with so many musicians, composers, engineers, and mixers throughout the years that I have an extensive Rolodex and create exciting combinations of talent to collaborate.

“I always look back fondly on my time at Windward.

It has the perfect balance of academics, arts, and sports.”

My business partner, Jonathan Sheldon, and I are really having a lot of fun with our new venture. We meet with the director and producer, go over the script and get the vision for the music, provide composer and music supervisor options and spot the film. Starting early in the process avoids backing the music into a corner in post, which is very typical. Especially with indies where the budget is tight. Our model is designed to manage the budget more efficiently, not increase it.

How did your years at Windward influence who you are today?

I always look back fondly on my time at Windward. It has the perfect balance of academics, arts, and sports. I made some lifelong friends and had many incredible teachers and administrators, some of whom are still there today. Tom Gilder.

Tom Haglund. Paula Hirsch. Ken Asher.

All top shelf! Most important, if I could only have one takeaway, it would be that Shirley Windward instilled in me a love of reading and an appreciation for the value of literature. At a young age, she made it fun and now in hindsight, I see clearly how that passion has enhanced all areas of my personal and professional life.

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Shari Sant Plummer ’76 JOB TITLE: President ORGANIZATION: Code Blue Foundation INDUSTRY: Non-Profit

What inspired your transition from Design Director and Senior Stylist for Ralph Lauren to conservation activist, philanthropist, and photographer?

One of the campaigns I styled for Ralph Lauren was for the Safari fragrance in 1987. I had been to Africa on safari with my family and had learned about elephants and rhinos being poached for their horns. When I returned to Kenya to shoot the Safari campaign, I learned a lot more about the complexities around this tragic killing of wildlife, and I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to change the way I spent my time and energy toward something more meaningful to me than fashion.

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I studied photography at the International Center of Photography in New York after I left Ralph Lauren and thought I might transition into a conservation photographer, but I was hired by Esprit in San Francisco to be Visual Director overseeing all the ad campaigns and product styling for the stores. The company was very socially and environmentally conscious. It was there I learned about the negative impacts of fashion on the environment and decided in 1994 to start my own store, “Wordware,” and fashion and home collections, “S.A.N.T.” (soft and not toxic) from environmentally sourced materials. I did all my own fashion photography, designing, and styling, as well as buying other lifestyle products, and worked with my designer friends to create other one-of-a-kind eco collections.

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That was a huge learning curve to understand how everything was produced and what the environmental impacts were. From there I tried to find alternatives without losing the aesthetics—it was a great creative challenge! That process brought me into contact with a lot of environmental organizations, and ultimately I thought my time would be more effective working full-time on conservation than running a business, so I sold it in 2000.

My husband, Dan, and I were scuba-certified on our honeymoon in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1999, and from that moment on I was hooked on diving! We met marine biologist Sylvia Earle on a dive trip to Belize later that year, and she convinced us of the critical importance of ocean ecosystems to the health and survival of all life on the planet. We also learned from her the multiples of threats the ocean is facing including overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

Meanwhile, my dad and stepmother had started a family foundation called the Summit Foundation a couple years earlier and had asked the children and their spouses to serve on the board. I also learned a great deal about the environment from that experience; we had decided to focus Summit’s biodiversity work in the Mesoamerican reef, which includes Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala. I thought my time would be most effective if I focused on one aspect of the environment. Since I loved the ocean, and it was possibly the most critical ecosystem facing the greatest amount of threat, that became my area of expertise.

What Code Blue project has had the biggest impact?

There isn’t any one project or methodology that can achieve protection of the planet, but we have been really impressed with the power of evocative communication to bring about change. At Code Blue we look for projects that can create transformative shifts in behavior by broadening people’s perspective, such as films. We have tried to identify and support diverse forms of communication that will reach a broad audience and create support for protection. This has led us to work with photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, who can translate science into impactful messaging and help to inspire an environmental ethic as well as a new generation of thought leaders, explorers, and scientists.

How can the public best advocate for the health and sustainability of our oceans?

There are multiples of choices in our everyday lives that affect the health of the ocean and the entire planet. What we choose to buy and to eat and the people we elect in our democracy to represent our interests are decisions that affect everyone and everything else on the planet. Plastics, for example, are responsible for overwhelming global pollution, especially in the ocean where they are consumed by wildlife, often killing them.

Just being aware of what you buy, refusing single-use plastic like water bottles, bags, and straws, reducing as much plastic use as

possible, and then recycling what you have used can make a big difference. Eating a more plant-based local diet can save tons of carbon emissions, so can your personal energy use. Finally, it’s our responsibility to fight back when our right to a healthy environment is threatened as it is now. Sign petitions, attend marches, write letters, and demand accountability.

How did your Windward experience help spur the work you are doing today?

Windward in the ’70s was considered an experimental high school. At its core was the novel idea students could be trusted with the responsibility of attendance and learning. That forever changed the way I thought about the opportunity of education.

Of course we were given an outstanding education, but the experience also helped build character, which is important for everything you do in life. I wasn’t thinking about going into the field of conservation, but the confidence I gained from my time at Windward stayed with me and helped me to take on new career challenges as they came up.

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Allison Wong ’89 JOB TITLE: Deputy Director, Operations and Administration ORGANIZATION: Honolulu Museum of Art INDUSTRY: Art

Photo credit: Shuzo Uemoto, Honolulu Museum of Art

What ignited your passion for the art world, and how did your Windward experience support your interests?

I grew up surrounded by art. My father and I shared a love for contemporary art, and we spent many days in museums and galleries. Early on, I knew I wanted to work with the arts, but wasn’t sure which field. At Windward, I took my first Art History class, which I really enjoyed, and also took classes in ceramics and jewelry making. In ceramics, we studied the styles and techniques of many artists, and I even made a dinner place setting inspired

by Judy Chicago’s “The Dinner Party.” I majored in Art History at Mills College and spent my Junior year studying in Florence, Italy. All of these experiences paved the path for my career today.

How has your interest for the arts evolved over time?

Growing up in Los Angeles and studying in Europe gave me a solid foundation for the arts. After graduating from Mills, I started as an intern at The Contemporary Museum

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in Honolulu, learning everything from art handling to curating. I became interested in the art scene there, realizing that being in the middle of the Pacific has its pros and cons. Understanding artworks that stem from a host culture was very important, and I had to get up to speed quickly.

Over time, I also developed a better understanding of painting.

What do you enjoy most about your current role as Deputy Director of the Museum?

Most of my career has been spent as a curator, and I had to choose whether to stay in the curatorial side of my job or move to a more administrative position.

As Deputy Director for Operations and Administration, I oversee Development, Security, IT, Operations and Facilities, plus our Museum Shop and Café. I enjoy the development work as well as the building and facilities aspects of my job. I am a fundraiser at the core, and with the museum embarking on a large capital campaign soon, I am excited to be working on this significant project.

What advice would you give to Windward students and alumni interested in a career in the arts?

Try different areas in the arts. I knew that I was not going to be a practicing artist, but taking classes in the arts made me appreciate the grit that goes into being an artist. I also worked for an art consulting firm and in a Hawaii state agency for the arts. Learning finance and management are also great skills to have.

Can you speak to the importance of the arts in secondary education?

I think that having the arts in our students’ lives and helping them to develop the ability to think creatively are extremely valuable. Having opportunities to take risks and fail are also very important in the long run for being successful in one’s career.

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Devin Jameson ‘12 (middle) and fellow Co-Founders of Eversound

What would you consider your company’s proudest accomplishment to date?

We’re most proud of (and motivated by) the fact that thousands of older adults are benefiting from Eversound every day. It’s awesome to constantly hear new stories about how people’s lives are being positively impacted by our technology.

How did your experience at Windward influence the entrepreneur that you are today?

Devin Jameson ’12 JOB TITLE: Co-Founder ORGANIZATION: Eversound INDUSTRY: Technology What inspired your first venture involving “silent discos,” where people dance to music on wireless headphones?

Heading into college, I was obsessed with music production and visual design.

I ended up doing a lot of freelance videography and scoring work for clubs and student-run businesses in my Sophomore year at Cornell. That’s when I met Jake Reisch, who hired me. We worked really well together, so we later became co-founders of Eversound.

How did your experience with silent discos evolve into what you are doing now with Eversound, which is revolutionizing hearing technology for senior communities?

It was a surprisingly natural evolution from silent disco to senior living. Folks at senior communities started buying the Party

Headphones product used for silent discos to help their residents hear more clearly at group events and activities. We quickly realized that hearing loss was a huge problem for senior communities, and that it was an issue no one was really addressing.

Soon after, we were able to raise our initial round of funding to build the first wireless headphone system designed for senior living.

I think Windward students are treated like adults from a very young age, which helps them build an independent and free-thinking mindset. If I hadn’t been in that kind of situation as a teenager, I probably wouldn’t be an entrepreneur.

Also, Windward has always been incredibly supportive of students in terms of enabling them to pursue their passions. It was an environment where I could put a lot of time into building the skills I knew would be useful for me down the line.

Eversound was recently featured in the Forbes Magazine “30 Under 30” list for consumer technology leaders. What advice would you give to other students or alumni interested in creating their own company?

Work hard to become excellent at whatever you choose to do, and the rest will follow.

Is there a significant challenge you’ve faced during Eversound’s growth?

There have been so many challenges that it’s difficult to narrow down to just one, but that’s part of the joy of building an organization. I can think of about a dozen interesting and exciting challenges we’re facing right now! In terms of overcoming those challenges, I think it just comes down to hard work and dedication to our mission.

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ALUMNI REUNION W E E KE ND SATURDAY, JUNE 9

S U N D AY , J U NE 1 0

Reunion Dinners 5 p.m. - Cocktails and Appetizers 6 p.m. - Catered Dinner

Alumni Food and Wine Festival Noon - 2 p.m.

The classes of 1978, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2008, and 2013 are celebrating their 40 year, 30 year, 25 year, 20 year, 10 year, and five year reunions respectively! Join your class for a 5 p.m. cocktail reception and 6 p.m. dinner at Windward.

! u o y k Than Thanks to the generous support of current parents, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, faculty and staff, and friends of the School, we have surpassed our goal of raising $2.15 million for the 2017-18 Windward Fund, and we aren’t stopping there!

This strong support from our community has allowed us to put the funds to immediate use by investing in upgrades across campus in addition to continuing to inspire our faculty with Research and Development opportunities. There are still needs to be fulfilled, and we are hoping to make this year our most successful one for the Windward Fund yet. Make your gift today and join the 97% of current parents who believe in the power of all that Windward has to offer!

www.windwardschool.org/give

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The whole family can join from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. and enjoy food from the In-N-Out Truck and Humble Crust Pizza Truck, craft beer from Absolution Brewery, tastings from Windwardian-run restaurants, a photo booth, a bounce house, and a reptile show for the kids!

Goal Exceeded!

GOAL: $2.15 MILLION

75%

50%

25%

2018

CAMP

REGISTRATION Open for Students Grades 2-12!

Boys Basketball

Robotics

Girls Basketball

CREATE Camp

Co-Ed Basketball

STEAM Camp

Football

Beginning and Intermediate Lego Robotics

Volleyball Soccer

Intermediate and Advanced Lego Robotics

Baseball

Debate

Tennis

Dance Intensive

Track and Field

Visual and Media Arts

Camp Tyrone

Summer Algebra 1 Course