EHS Pillars - Spring 2018
PILLARS - The Episcopal High School Magazine www.ehshouston.org PILLARS - The Episcopal High School Magazine www.ehshouston.org
Interim Term • Creative Knights • College Counseling
- Page 2 and 3: Episcopal High School was founded i
- Page 4 and 5: IN THIS ISSUE From the Head of Scho
- Page 6 and 7: FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear EHS Fa
- Page 8 and 9: # KNIGHTS STAND OUT Artists Bring H
- Page 10 and 11: # KNIGHTS STAND OUT "Lead the Way"
- Page 12 and 13: Bright Knights MARY HELEN KENNEDY '
- Page 14 and 15: 12
- Page 16 and 17: MOMENTS Fairy tale characters came
- Page 18 and 19: 16
- Page 20 and 21: "With the challenges a temporary di
- Page 22 and 23: INTERIM TERM: A WORLD OF IDEAS Inte
- Page 24 and 25: COSTA RICA Travelers to this verdan
- Page 26 and 27: WADING INTO THE COSMIC OCEAN Create
- Page 28 and 29: FROM PRINCESSES TO KARDASHIANS: WOM
- Page 30 and 31: Interim Term 28
- Page 32 and 33: SPORTS AND NATIONALISM In Yugoslavi
- Page 34 and 35: CREATIVE KNIGHTS Julia Jiao '08: Te
- Page 36 and 37: ALUMNI WEEKEND Old and New Friendsh
- Page 38 and 39: COLLEGE COUNSELING Helping Students
- Page 40 and 41: Inner genius is the spark inside th
- Page 42 and 43: Q+A with EHS Teachers Pop Quiz turn
- Page 44 and 45: MARK MITCHELL English Teacher and C
- Page 46 and 47: CLASS NOTES Send your updates to Di
- Page 48 and 49: Class Notes Ollison and husband Chr
- Page 50 and 51: Class Notes On October 30, 2017, La
Interim Term • Creative Knights • College Counseling
Episcopal High School was founded in 1983 as a four‐year coeducational day school within the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.<br />
ACCREDITATION<br />
Independent Schools Association of the Southwest<br />
MEMBERSHIPS<br />
National Association of Independent Schools<br />
National Association of Episcopal Schools<br />
Council for the Advancement and Support of Education<br />
Educational Records Bureau<br />
College Board<br />
National Association for College Admission Counseling<br />
Texas Association for College Admission Counseling<br />
Southwest Preparatory Conference<br />
MISSION<br />
Episcopal High School is an institution of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas established for the purpose of providing a superior<br />
education in preparation for college and a significant life thereafter. Through a rich offering of academic, spiritual, artistic, and<br />
athletic programs, the School provides an opportunity for each student to reach his or her maximum spiritual, intellectual,<br />
social, and ethical potential. Operating as a Christian community within the beliefs and traditions of the Episcopal Church, <strong>EHS</strong><br />
in its teaching philosophy emphasizes understanding and responding to the individual needs and capabilities of each student.<br />
In an effort to reflect the community we serve, <strong>EHS</strong> strives to maintain a student body that is diverse in its social, economic,<br />
ethnic, and academic backgrounds.<br />
ADMISSION<br />
Episcopal High School admits students of all races, colors, and national/ethnic origins to all the rights, privileges, programs, and<br />
activities accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or<br />
national/ethnic origin in the administration of its educational and admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic<br />
and other school‐administered programs.<br />
ALUMNI<br />
Please share your news with the <strong>EHS</strong> Alumni Association. Send information to:<br />
Margaret Young<br />
myoung@ehshouston.org<br />
713‐512‐3600<br />
Kendall McCord '03<br />
kmccord@ehshouston.org<br />
713‐512‐3478<br />
Episcopal High School<br />
P. O. Box 271299<br />
Houston, TX 77277‐1299<br />
b facebook.com/groups/<strong>EHS</strong>HoustonAlumni<br />
x instagram.com/ehs_alumni<br />
j linkedin.com/grps/Episcopal‐High‐School‐Houston‐Alumni‐1029617<br />
This publication is printed on FSC certified paper with soy‐based inks.<br />
2
The Episcopal High School Magazine, <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
IN THIS ISSUE<br />
From the Head of School 04<br />
#KnightsStandOut 06<br />
Bright Knights 10<br />
Heart and Hustle 16<br />
Interim Term 20<br />
Creative Knights 32<br />
College Counseling 36<br />
Pop Quiz 40<br />
Class Notes 44<br />
The Last Word 50<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
Performing Arts Chair Garmon Ashby leads the chorale<br />
at evening Mass in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word<br />
in San Antonio, Texas. Photo by Ashleigh Teel.
SAVE THE DATE<br />
Commencement 05‐20‐18<br />
Alumni Leadership Day 10‐23‐18<br />
Auction Gala 02‐22‐19<br />
Each year at Alumni Leadership Day, the medical panel is a<br />
favorite among students. Photo by Ashleigh Teel.<br />
3
FROM THE<br />
HEAD OF SCHOOL<br />
Dear <strong>EHS</strong> Family,<br />
"Talent and intelligence are universal, opportunities and resources are not," proclaimed<br />
Devon Cash '14 at this year's Auction. While some might quarrel with the assertion that<br />
talent and intelligence are universal, we at <strong>EHS</strong> believe in every student's innate talent<br />
and intelligence; we pride ourselves in guiding each of our students to find their particular<br />
inner genius. And we do it very well.<br />
At times, our role in the life of a student is to nurture and develop capacities that are<br />
clearly identifiable in them before they ever set foot on campus—see current senior<br />
TayJon Martin's profile on page 13 for one such story or the profile of Ben Estus '09 on<br />
page 32 for another. More common, however, is the student who arrives on campus with<br />
only a vague sense of identity and direction. What we do, across all Four <strong>Pillars</strong>, is inspire<br />
our students to explore themselves and their world, to find, with our instruction and<br />
support, their unique inner genius. Senior Mary Helen Kennedy recounts this incredible<br />
process on page 10 and Marlo Cobb Saucedo '87 details her journey on page 33.<br />
Of course, none of this would be possible for our students without our talented and<br />
inspiring faculty and staff. Several are profiled within, but let me draw your attention to the<br />
feature on Episcopal's food service staff, a team that embodies the important role that our<br />
non‐teaching staff members play in the lives of the school, students and teachers alike.<br />
It is amazing to think of the impact our food service staff has had on generations of <strong>EHS</strong><br />
students—faith, love, and our mission enlivened through food. Jordan Lang '18 captures<br />
it when she states that every day, "they greet me with smiles on their faces, which puts<br />
a smile on mine." What a wonderful thing that Denman Kane '18 can recall the love he<br />
witnessed as a child while on campus to visit his older brothers, and that Sonny Reil '03<br />
still makes a point of stopping by to say hello and thank you when he returns to <strong>EHS</strong>.<br />
If you haven't visited campus recently, be sure to do so when you are next in the<br />
neighborhood. There are beautiful new buildings and facilities, but rest assured that the<br />
love, learning, and mentoring are just as you remember—as we help our students find<br />
their inner genius so that they will be equipped to live a life in service to others.<br />
Have a wonderful summer, and Go Knights!<br />
Ned Smith<br />
Head of School<br />
4
Head of School Ned Smith addresses the Auction guests and thanks them<br />
for dreaming big in support of <strong>EHS</strong>. Photo by Chris Bailey Photography.<br />
5
# KNIGHTS STAND OUT<br />
Artists Bring<br />
Home Accolades<br />
Our student‐artists are standing<br />
out in local and statewide arenas.<br />
Results from the highly competitive<br />
South by Southwest Film Festival<br />
(SXSW) and the Texas Art Education<br />
Association's Visual Arts Scholastic<br />
Event (VASE) showcase the talent,<br />
effort, and potential unleased at <strong>EHS</strong>.<br />
Weston Bering was nominated to<br />
the SXSW Texas High School Shorts<br />
Moviemaking Program. Bering is one of<br />
only 20 students from Texas to receive<br />
this honor. He recently learned that his<br />
music video "Loveless" won Best U.S.<br />
Music Video at the prestigious Lovett<br />
High School Film Festival in Atlanta,<br />
Georgia, and was screened in front of<br />
650 people.<br />
<strong>EHS</strong> students Teagan Ashworth,<br />
Madeleine Berckley, Miranda<br />
Greenwalt, Helen Hecht, Mary Helen<br />
Kennedy, Nora Lawless, Parker<br />
Nickerson, Dailey Nottingham,<br />
Natalie Peterson, Ryan Rassoli, River<br />
Reinertsen‐Forehand, and Sam<br />
Wilson received honors at the regional<br />
level of the VASE competition for their<br />
media and studio arts submissions.<br />
VASE artists that advance to State<br />
include Teagan Ashworth, Madeleine<br />
Berckley, Nora Lawless, and Ryan<br />
Rassoli.<br />
Guest Speakers<br />
Enlighten Students<br />
In addition to the guest homilists who<br />
speak in Chapel, the School often<br />
welcomes outside experts to address<br />
issues relevant to the curriculum or<br />
current events.<br />
In February, the Underwood Library<br />
hosted Baylor College of Medicine<br />
pediatric genetics counselor Haley<br />
Streff for a day‐long series of seminars<br />
on the latest advances in genetics<br />
testing. Streff engaged the students by<br />
sharing photos of popular celebrities<br />
who have inherited health conditions,<br />
such as "Game of Thrones" actor Peter<br />
Dinklage (dwarfism), Selena Gomez<br />
(lupus), and Angelina Jolie (BRCA<br />
gene). "Genetic information can be<br />
empowering," Streff asserts, and she<br />
enjoys counseling and advocating<br />
for her young patients. Streff and the<br />
students discussed the pros and cons<br />
of genetic testing and the implications<br />
for employment and families.<br />
In March, the Choices program invited<br />
Houstonian Maureen Wittels to be this<br />
year's Distinguished Speaker. Wittels<br />
explained that her son, Harris, a rising<br />
star in comedy writing, had been a<br />
popular and brilliant student, but after<br />
he suffered a back injury in his 20s, he<br />
developed an addiction that led to his<br />
death in 2015 at age 30. "Addiction<br />
does not discriminate," she says. "It<br />
affects all demographics."<br />
Eight Students<br />
Named National<br />
Merit Finalists<br />
By taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/<br />
National Merit Scholarship Qualifying<br />
Test and meeting the required Selection<br />
Index of 212 or above, eight <strong>EHS</strong><br />
students have shown outstanding<br />
academic potential and have been<br />
entered into the 2019 National<br />
Merit Scholarship Program. From<br />
approximately 1.6 million entrants,<br />
these students are among the 50,000<br />
highest‐scoring participants who will be<br />
recognized in the fall.<br />
From the 50,000 high scorers<br />
nationwide, about 16,000 will be named<br />
National Merit Program Semifinalists,<br />
representing the top scorers in each<br />
state. The other 34,000 students<br />
will be commended for their PSAT/<br />
NMSQT performance. Semifinalists<br />
will be the only students to continue in<br />
the competition for about 7,500 Merit<br />
Scholarship awards to be offered in<br />
September 2019.<br />
Congratulations to our <strong>EHS</strong> finalists:<br />
Daniel Cai, Brett Hauser, Carter<br />
Kardesch, Claire Kardesch, Anna<br />
McLauchlin, Ellie Ragiel, James<br />
Henry Ray, and Gabrielle Small.<br />
After her son's death, Wittels embarked<br />
on a mission to prevent other families<br />
from similar tragedy. She travels<br />
throughout the country educating<br />
audiences about opioid addiction and<br />
effective recovery programs. Wittels<br />
believes that a key to prevention is<br />
to encourage self‐care and stress<br />
management in families, schools, and<br />
workplaces.<br />
6
#KnightsStandOut<br />
NHS Welcomes<br />
58 Students<br />
From the Athletics Director:<br />
Knights Unleash Success Early in <strong>2018</strong><br />
More than 50 students were inducted<br />
to the National Honor Society at the<br />
April ceremony. The nationwide society<br />
recognizes students who stand out<br />
in areas of scholarship, leadership,<br />
service, and character. In addition to a<br />
minimum grade‐point average, students<br />
are required to complete a monthly<br />
requirement of service hours.<br />
Congratulations to our newest NHS<br />
members: Mea Ayers, Elizabeth<br />
Barringer, Emeline Birdwell, Lauren<br />
Bordelon, Clayton Butler, Sophia<br />
Casetta, Ashley Chandler, Lilly Cone,<br />
Katherine Davidson, Tyler Donovan,<br />
Abigail Flame, Anna Giesler, Ellie<br />
Gilchrist, Carolyn Hammond,<br />
Alexander Haney, Sophia Haugh,<br />
Brett Hauser, Alexandra Herrera,<br />
Harrison Holmes, Harris Inoff, Alyssa<br />
Kapusta, Carter Kardesch, Claire<br />
Kardesch, Jackson Kelso, Rachel<br />
Koch, Sadie Jensen, Anabelle<br />
Maples, Molly McGreevy, Anna<br />
McLauchlin, Macy Miller, Finty<br />
Milton, Mekaela Murphy, Gaby Murra,<br />
Julia Nasser, Delaney Newsome,<br />
Mark Nylund, Elyse Pedrick, Vincent<br />
Perryman, Lauren Porter, Eleanor<br />
Ragiel, James Henry Ray, Claire<br />
Schwarze, Amiri Scrutchin, Isabella<br />
Shin, Sofia Siegel, Story Sinex,<br />
Gabrielle Small, Camille Spence,<br />
Lillyana Stefanakis, Jamie Tatum,<br />
Kathryn Taylor, Sophie Thomas,<br />
Cameron Anne Trainer, Isabelle<br />
Vobbe, Emily West, and Hannah<br />
Windle.<br />
The new year launched successfully for the Athletics Pillar as the Knights enjoyed<br />
outstanding results at February's winter SPC tournament. The boys soccer team<br />
led the charge as they defeated Cistercian (1‐0), St. Mark's (4‐0), and Casady<br />
(2‐0) to capture their third consecutive SPC championship. The Knights finished<br />
the season with a 13‐0‐1 record and ranked #33 in national top‐50 polls. The<br />
boys basketball team competed in their fourth consecutive SPC championship<br />
game and lost a hotly contested match to Houston Christian. The wrestling team<br />
parlayed an incredible performance in the early rounds of the SPC championships<br />
to earn second place in the conference. Both girls soccer and girls basketball each<br />
earned two impressive wins in the tournament to place fifth overall. Girls and boys<br />
swimming competed very well in the championship meet as the girls finished sixth<br />
and the boys eighth.<br />
The spring season is now upon us, and the Knights have enjoyed a strong run in<br />
non‐SPC play. The softball team is having a season for the ages as the Knights<br />
sport a 22‐1 record (at press time) and a #14 national ranking! The team is poised to<br />
hold on to the SPC championship trophy for another year. The baseball team also<br />
looks to match last season's championship success, and the early results are very<br />
promising. The Knights are ranked #1 in the state private school baseball polls and<br />
earned a big 6‐3 win over nationally‐ranked and defending UIL 6A champ Cy‐Ranch<br />
in early March.<br />
Several students will continue sports at the collegiate level, and on May 1, our<br />
seniors will announce college commits. <strong>Spring</strong> SPC kicks off May 3; all results will<br />
be posted on the <strong>EHS</strong> website. Go Knights!<br />
—Jason Grove, Athletics Director<br />
The boys soccer team set a school<br />
record with their third consecutive<br />
championship at the winter<br />
SPC tournament.<br />
7
# KNIGHTS STAND OUT<br />
"Lead the Way"<br />
Capital Campaign<br />
Seeks Support<br />
for Next Phase<br />
The skyline at the <strong>EHS</strong> campus reveals<br />
signs of progress as the walls come up<br />
for the 25,700‐square‐foot Underwood<br />
Student Center. Key features of this<br />
building will include: a large dining hall<br />
and server with double the seating<br />
capacity of our former space, two<br />
state‐of‐the art innovation classrooms,<br />
a performance stage, a coffee bar, and<br />
an art gallery. The construction project,<br />
which is funded through generous<br />
donations to the school, is on budget<br />
and will open in Fall <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
This building is the second building of<br />
an $80 million multi‐phased campus<br />
master plan which includes the<br />
Hildebrand Athletic Center, the new<br />
Underwood Student Center, a new<br />
Visual and Performing Arts Building,<br />
a new Benitez Chapel, and field<br />
improvements.<br />
Just over 50 percent of our ambitious<br />
goal has been raised to date;<br />
fundraising is ongoing for this important<br />
effort. For more information, contact<br />
Peggy Haney, Director of Advancement,<br />
at 713‐512‐3436 or via email at<br />
phaney@ehshouston.org.<br />
Scholastic<br />
Awards Celebrate<br />
Creative Minds<br />
Episcopal High School marked a stellar<br />
year in the Scholastic Art and Writing<br />
Awards, with 32 students recognized<br />
by the program locally, and one writer<br />
and 11 artists earning Gold Key awards,<br />
which advanced their work to the<br />
national competition. National winners<br />
will be recognized at Carnegie Hall in<br />
New York City on June 8.<br />
Congratulations to our Gold Key<br />
winners: Rohan Asthana, Kelsey<br />
Barker, Weston Bering, Rosalind<br />
Coats, Uday Dhillon, Mollie Hanna,<br />
Nicole Hopwood, Elliott Jones, Mary<br />
Helen Kennedy, Cade Williams, and<br />
Annmarie Youtt in the arts categories,<br />
and Ellie Gilchrist in the Poetry<br />
category.<br />
Congratulations to the Silver Key<br />
recipients: Merrie Afseth, Rosalind<br />
Coats, Anna Layton Debes, Parker<br />
Forque, Miranda Greenwalt, Nicole<br />
Hopwood, Sadie Jensen, Nora<br />
Lawless, Elaina Manalac, Morgan<br />
McKee, Sophia Pamphilis, and<br />
Annmarie Youtt for their arts entries,<br />
and Anna Moise for three writing<br />
entries. Seniors Mollie Hanna and<br />
Mary Helen Kennedy were each<br />
awarded two Silver Keys for works<br />
submitted in the arts categories.<br />
Hexagon Yearbook<br />
Named One of<br />
Nation's Best<br />
In March, the American yearbook<br />
manufacturer Jostens announced that<br />
the 2016 ‐ 2017 Hexagon will be featured<br />
in the Jostens Look Book.<br />
The largest publication of its type,<br />
Jostens' Look Book features 296 pages<br />
of design, coverage, photojournalism,<br />
and themes reproduced from<br />
outstanding yearbooks created by<br />
Jostens customers. The Hexagon made<br />
the cut for outstanding design.<br />
"Of all the honors The Hexagon and its<br />
staffs have received over the years, this<br />
one is the most special," says yearbook<br />
faculty sponsor David Framel. "With<br />
our appearance in such an exclusive<br />
publication like the Jostens Look<br />
Book, graphic artists and yearbook<br />
professionals recognize our team as<br />
unique innovators. This is a big pat<br />
on the back for every student in the<br />
publications program."<br />
Congrats to those awarded Honorable<br />
Mention: Sam Birdwell, Holt Johnson,<br />
Blair Lovoi, Judy Roberts, Keith<br />
Sill, Sarah Vanderbloemen, and<br />
Sam Wilson for their arts entries, and<br />
Catherine Andrews, Ellie Gilchrist,<br />
Rachel Hallett, and Claire Kardesch<br />
for their writing entries. Two arts<br />
submissions by Catherine Cohn and<br />
three by Mary Helen Kennedy were<br />
also awarded Honorable Mention.<br />
8
#KnightsStandOut<br />
<strong>EHS</strong> Office of<br />
Communications<br />
Strikes Gold<br />
California Dreaming: A Knight<br />
on the Golden Coast Made<br />
Our Dreams Come True<br />
The Episcopal High School<br />
Communications team recently earned<br />
six awards at the CASE District IV<br />
conference in Fort Worth. CASE<br />
District IV includes universities and<br />
independent schools from a five‐state<br />
region that includes Texas, Louisiana,<br />
Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.<br />
Advancement departments and<br />
communications offices submit their<br />
best brochures, magazines, websites,<br />
and photography for the competition<br />
each year. <strong>EHS</strong> is proud to compete<br />
against some of the largest universities<br />
in the United States and be judged the<br />
best of the best.<br />
The <strong>EHS</strong> Office of Communications<br />
received the following awards this<br />
year: Gold in the Website Homepage<br />
category; Gold in Viewbook Design;<br />
Gold in Admission, Recruitment, and<br />
Promotional Literature Design; and<br />
Silver in the Design Improvement<br />
category.<br />
Additionally, Graphic Designer and<br />
Communications Associate Ashleigh<br />
Teel was awarded Silver in the Athletics<br />
Photography category, and Webmaster<br />
Mauro Gomez took home Bronze<br />
in the Digital or Computer Enhanced<br />
Images category.<br />
On Friday, February 23, <strong>2018</strong>, the <strong>EHS</strong> community headed to "Palm <strong>Spring</strong>s" to<br />
celebrate and support Episcopal High School at California Dreaming: A Knight<br />
on the Golden Coast in our new Hildebrand Athletic Center. Co‐chairs Tammy<br />
Barringer and Molly Shaffer, along with countless volunteers and generous<br />
donors, raised an astounding $1.3 million for the School's operating budget.<br />
Decorations Chairs Allyson Connelly and Gretchen Hilyard worked with<br />
Swift + Company to transform Alkek Gym into an unforgettable evening in California.<br />
Upon arrival, guests were greeted by two classic retro vehicles, palm trees, and<br />
a replica of the iconic Parker Hotel breeze bricks. Frank Sinatra played in the<br />
background as attendees sipped on California sparklers and bid on silent auction<br />
items. After a gourmet dinner, guests raised their paddles high for the outstanding<br />
Live Auction. We finished the evening with brandy freezes and a throwback DJ at<br />
the after‐party—all while "dreaming big" for <strong>EHS</strong>.<br />
During the Paddles Up portion of the Live Auction, <strong>EHS</strong> alumnus Devon Cash '14<br />
discussed the impact <strong>EHS</strong> and the financial aid program had on his life. "Because<br />
I was fortunate enough to study at such a great high school without financial<br />
impediments, I was able to focus all of my efforts on simply being a student. The<br />
ultimate result is that eight years after starting my journey here, I have been<br />
positioned to embark on a career that has already allowed me to begin paying it<br />
forward. Talent and intelligence are universal, opportunities and resources are not."<br />
Devon's heartfelt testimony combined with the generous donations of the <strong>EHS</strong><br />
community raised over $200,000 for the financial aid program at Episcopal.<br />
With our California road trip complete, the<br />
<strong>EHS</strong> is gearing up for Auction 2019<br />
"Derby Knight." Co‐chairs Sabrina<br />
Espinoza, Patricia Hammond,<br />
and Lyria O'Brien promise<br />
an unforgettable evening<br />
at "Churchill Downs" that<br />
can't be missed!<br />
For the latest "Derby<br />
Knight" news and<br />
updates, check the<br />
School's website<br />
and weekly Windows<br />
eNewsletter. If you<br />
would like to get involved,<br />
contact Debbie Kelley at<br />
dkelley@ehshouston.org<br />
or Kendall McCord '03 at<br />
kmccord@ehshouston.org.<br />
9
Bright Knights<br />
MARY HELEN<br />
KENNEDY '18<br />
An Eye for Design<br />
Mary Helen Kennedy has always been interested in art, but through <strong>EHS</strong>'s robust Arts Pillar she's learned<br />
that she also likes design. "I never really thought my artistic abilities would translate into a career, but through<br />
knowledge and encouragement I found I was interested in architecture," she says, and now she's looking to<br />
further her study of architecture in college.<br />
What she appreciates most about Episcopal is how the school is such a tight‐knit community, with each<br />
of the Four <strong>Pillars</strong> working in sync to develop the whole person. "A lot of times in math I've looked at<br />
proportions, how the eye moves, and I try to figure out how that relates to what I'm learning in physics or<br />
biology," says Kennedy. "Even learning about history can help my research in art projects. This school really<br />
lends itself to relating my different classes together."<br />
The faculty and structure of the arts program have made Kennedy the artist she is today. Arts teacher<br />
Sharon Wilcutts has been an inspiration to her during her four years at <strong>EHS</strong> and helped broaden her artistic<br />
interests. "We did a project together called 'Color Theory Matching' that really interested me. Mrs. Willcutts<br />
is good at encouraging me to keep exploring new things." Kennedy appreciates how Episcopal weaves<br />
arts electives into the schedule and makes creativity a priority. "We have so many opportunities within the<br />
Arts Pillar. We're encouraged to take a class every semester, not just once in four years," she explains. "The<br />
variety of options, not to mention after‐school opportunities and workshops, allows you to explore many<br />
areas. Even if you're not in a class, you're always welcome in the Art Wing of the Convent."<br />
The turning point for her, where art became not just a hobby or a pastime but something she would explore<br />
the rest of her life, was a project called "Grief and Relief." "I was working with more design in painting. That<br />
was the moment where I solidified my interest in design. It wasn't so much the actual painting but the<br />
experience that led to it. Although it was a simple piece with bubbles and cloth, I was working with shapes<br />
and placement and contrast, incorporating all these concepts that I'd never used before," she explains. "The<br />
prompt was about the Seven Deadly Sins. I made it relatable to my life at that time—stress—and ended up<br />
winning a citywide competition."<br />
The <strong>EHS</strong> arts program focuses a lot on the creative process, and Kennedy has not only improved her artistic<br />
skills but also the ability to take risks and problem solve. "We've worked on projects that are challenging and<br />
call us to do more than what's expected in a typical art class. These courses incorporate the students' ideas,<br />
not just, 'I'll show you what to do, now do it,' but 'we'll figure out which process to take, and how we are<br />
going to formulate that together.'"<br />
10<br />
—Emma Tsai
11
12
Bright Knights<br />
TAYJON MARTIN '18<br />
The Power of Patience<br />
August 2005. That's when 5‐year‐old TayJon Martin began to comprehend the grace and power of patience.<br />
Hurricane Katrina destroyed his family's New Orleans home and pitched him, his mom, brothers, and sister<br />
into a nomad's life of bunking with relatives, starting new schools, and bouncing from Oklahoma to Georgia,<br />
before landing in Houston in 2007. The moves were tough, but Martin taught himself to be patient and to<br />
believe that things happen for a reason. He knew he would do better than simply survive in life—he would<br />
thrive.<br />
During middle school in the Cy‐Fair district, Martin's athletic prowess lit up the football field and basketball<br />
court, and he quickly realized that those talents could lead to a college scholarship.<br />
To reach his full potential as a scholar‐athlete, Martin researched area coaches and high schools. "Coach<br />
Jones and Coach Leisz are known for bringing out the best in their athletes," he explains. "My goal was to<br />
transfer to Episcopal, so I could achieve my full potential both athletically and academically."<br />
Martin left the 3,600‐student Cy‐Falls High School after sophomore year to transfer to <strong>EHS</strong>. His instincts<br />
were spot‐on. "I love a small school where you know almost everyone in your grade. The teachers here listen,<br />
and I have been fortunate to build relationships with coaches and faculty like Ms. Nancy Eisenberg and<br />
Mr. Eric Lerch. I also appreciate daily Chapel," he continues, "because it provides a break from the rigor of<br />
classes. Hearing personal stories of student homilists helped me build connections and make friends here."<br />
The qualities of patience and good instincts made Martin a standout cornerback in the SPC. "I'm fast, but<br />
the key is to not act too soon or a receiver can fake a route," he says. "I wait, read the route, then go for the<br />
burst and tackle." Coach Leisz concurs, adding, "TayJon stays with a play better than any athlete I've seen.<br />
He never gives up, and in every game he makes a touchdown‐saving tackle on the other side of the field."<br />
When college scouts came calling, Martin evaluated his opportunities and trusted his gut to determine which<br />
program would be the best fit. "I'd like a chance at both a stint in the NFL and a career on Wall Street," he<br />
asserts. "I want to play Division I, but have the support of a small school environment." With that wish list in<br />
mind, he signed with the Lafayette Leopards in Pennsylvania, where he will play in the Patriot League.<br />
Lafayette's Head Football Coach John Garrett told Martin he will start freshman year, and so he heads to<br />
Pennsylvania for practice and conditioning in June. "I'm not eager to leave home, but at the same time I am<br />
excited to join the Leopards, start college, and see what the future brings."<br />
Equipped with patience, self‐awareness, and faith in the future, it's a good bet that Martin will not only<br />
survive his next steps, he will thrive.<br />
—Claire C. Fletcher<br />
13
MOMENTS<br />
Fairy tale characters came to life when <strong>EHS</strong> Onstage<br />
journeyed "Into the Woods" for a spectacular<br />
spring musical. Photo by Ashleigh Teel.
15
16
HEART AND<br />
HUSTLE<br />
<strong>EHS</strong> Food Service Dishes<br />
"Awesomeness" Every Day<br />
From the first shift at 5:00 a.m. to after‐hours concessions or campus events,<br />
the Episcopal High School Food Service team delivers the fuel that powers the<br />
Four <strong>Pillars</strong>.<br />
As the school expands and the new Underwood Student Center undergoes<br />
construction, a determined team of cooks and crew presses forward, rolling<br />
steaming trays of scratch‐made meals from the kitchen, across the sidewalk,<br />
to the temporary dining hall in Crum Gym. This daily choreography unfolds with<br />
dedication, cheer, and a commitment to excellence.<br />
But the team's mission incorporates more than lunch. Because the students<br />
interact with Food Service every day for four years, many Knights develop<br />
friendships with the staff. Class of 2003's Sonny Reil makes a point to visit<br />
the group every time he returns to campus for meetings or athletics. "The<br />
friendship with the cafeteria staff is just one more example of the unique<br />
connections students make during their time at <strong>EHS</strong>," explains Reil.<br />
Junior Mia Carrabba concurs. "I look forward to lunch because I'm hungry,"<br />
she says, "but more importantly because I get to interact with people like Ms.<br />
Darlene, Ms. Karen, and the staff. Every one of them has genuine care and<br />
concern for the students."<br />
Macy Miller '19 says, "I love coming to get a<br />
sandwich and visit with the staff. They are always so<br />
happy and funny, and it brightens my day."<br />
Food Service Director Susana Borges‐Pasini leads with a combination of<br />
precision, unparalleled work ethic, and compassion that brings out the best<br />
in her team, and her respect for them is clear. "This group puts their heart<br />
and soul into getting here at the crack of dawn, preparing meals, transporting<br />
food back and forth from the kitchen to Crum, delivering catered meals to the<br />
Trustee Room or Alumni Center, catering special events like Knight Celebration<br />
and Open House, and going above and beyond to better serve everyone<br />
seamlessly," she states.<br />
17
"With the challenges a temporary dining facility brings, this year has been tough<br />
for our department," she adds, "but I am so proud of our team."<br />
Besides providing a wholesome rotation of menus, Borges‐Pasini and her<br />
team are intentional about ambiance and information, decorating the serving<br />
areas with seasonal themes or spirit swag, and labeling gluten‐free and vegan<br />
options. Each month, Borges‐Pasini sends a monthly nutrition newsletter to<br />
students and faculty that highlights fun trivia about vegetables such as snow<br />
peas or cuisine from countries like Venezuela.<br />
Next school year, Food Service moves to the re‐imagined Underwood Student<br />
Center, complete with plenty of natural light, seating for 500, and a coffee<br />
bar. While stunning architecture and amenities will certainly elevate the dining<br />
experience, senior Denman Kane says the camaraderie among students and<br />
cafeteria staff is the tradition that endures. "I will be sure to come back and<br />
visit the Food Service staff after I graduate," he promises. "They have meant so<br />
much to me and to <strong>EHS</strong>."<br />
—Claire C. Fletcher<br />
More Than Lunch: Beloved Food Service<br />
Team Impacts Students' Daily Lives<br />
"They not only provide great food, they are also hospitable and funny," Mia<br />
Carrabba '19 shares. "The staff never fails to put a smile on my face, no matter<br />
how stressed or tired I am."<br />
Senior Denman Kane '18 is a long-time fan of <strong>EHS</strong> Food Service. "The Food<br />
Staff is awesome. I've been coming to the cafeteria since I was a little kid when<br />
my brothers were in school here. They know exactly what I want each day and<br />
that means a lot. I will be sad to leave them, but I will make sure to come back<br />
and visit because they have meant so much to me and to <strong>EHS</strong>."<br />
"Whenever I am on campus, I make an effort to visit the Food Service team,<br />
many who have worked here since I was in school," says alum Sonny Reil '03.<br />
"Not only is the food delicious, it gives the students the fuel necessary to<br />
participate in all the extracurricular activities available throughout the Four<br />
<strong>Pillars</strong>."<br />
"Mrs. Maria and Ms. Karen are two of happiest faces on campus," adds Jordan<br />
Lang '18. "Every day I get the same sandwich, and now they know my order<br />
by heart. When I walk up to the serving line, they greet me with smiles on their<br />
faces, which puts a smile on mine!"<br />
18
Meet the Team<br />
Darlene Alexander<br />
Entrée line and catering<br />
Maria Arias<br />
Sandwiches, salads, and fruit<br />
Gvahn, Nancy, Karen, Maria, and Darlene.<br />
Olga Benavides<br />
Prep and dish room<br />
Silvia, Olga, Adrian, Blanca, and Susana.<br />
Susana Borges‐Pasini<br />
Director of Food Service<br />
Karen Rogers Broussard<br />
Sandwiches and entrée sides<br />
Nancy Hastings<br />
Grill and prep<br />
Gvahn Nelson<br />
Main cook<br />
Adrian Rodriguez<br />
Catering, prep, and dish room<br />
Blanca Villescaz<br />
Entrée line and prep<br />
Silvia Warren<br />
Desserts, bakery, and dish room<br />
19
INTERIM TERM:<br />
A WORLD OF<br />
IDEAS<br />
Interim Term, a two‐week period at the<br />
start of each spring semester, gives students<br />
the opportunity to broaden their high school<br />
experience through courses not offered in the<br />
standard curriculum. Diverse topics range<br />
from fashion to film, and magic to med<br />
school. Three travel opportunities<br />
were also available this year,<br />
featuring trips to Costa Rica,<br />
Walt Disney World, and<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
20
MINI MED SCHOOL<br />
Calling Doogie Howser, MD! Mini Med School, taught by Erin<br />
Russe and Cade Slepitza, introduced the basics of terminology<br />
and testing skills needed to help students formally diagnose a<br />
fictitious patient and present their findings. Students completed<br />
CPR and First Aid certification, met with doctors and medical<br />
school students, analyzed popular medical TV shows for their<br />
accuracy, and experienced a taste of life as a med student.<br />
This course opened my eyes about the stamina and<br />
perseverance needed to pursue a career in medicine.<br />
I really enjoyed the hands‐on experiences. We visited<br />
the UT McGovern campus, practiced suturing<br />
techniques, learned CPR, and even worked with a<br />
laparoscopy machine.<br />
—Clayton Butler '19<br />
21
COSTA RICA<br />
Travelers to this verdant<br />
destination returned with<br />
tales of exotic adventures and<br />
attitudes of pura vida. Led<br />
by faculty chaperones Krystal<br />
Davis, Kerry Hofmeister, and<br />
Amira Kamal, students explored<br />
Costa Rica's culture, history,<br />
and way of life.<br />
We immersed ourselves in the style of pura vida, the<br />
"live and let live" philosophy of Costa Rica. We enjoyed<br />
so many amazing experiences: zip‐lining, hiking through<br />
national parks, seeing monkeys swing in trees, watching<br />
sea turtles hatch and crawl in to the ocean. I can't wait<br />
to go back!<br />
—Brooke Braniff '19<br />
22
Interim Term<br />
23
WADING INTO THE<br />
COSMIC OCEAN<br />
Created by science teacher Justin Hickey,<br />
this course fostered an appreciation,<br />
understanding, and ongoing curiosity<br />
about the mysterious, intense, and<br />
magnificent Universe. Students learned<br />
about astronomy in a historical<br />
context, understanding its relevance<br />
in ancient and modern times alike,<br />
and hypothesized about what<br />
impact astronomy will have on<br />
the future of the human race.<br />
I loved this class, especially learning about<br />
constellations and black holes. We each made<br />
constellation spheres and mapped out our<br />
favorites like Orion, Ursa Major, and Cygna.<br />
You could say my experience with this course<br />
was... out of this world!<br />
—Catherine Andrews '20<br />
24
Interim Term<br />
25
FROM PRINCESSES TO<br />
KARDASHIANS: WOMEN IN<br />
POPULAR MEDIA<br />
Via Disney movies and other popular media, English<br />
teacher Emily Barron led students to examine the messages<br />
that entertainment conveys about the norms and cultural<br />
expectations of women in modern American society.<br />
Why was Snow White cleaning<br />
up after the Seven Dwarves?<br />
This Interim Term class taught<br />
us to spot cues about how<br />
women are represented in all<br />
forms of media. I consider<br />
myself a passionate feminist and<br />
enjoyed hearing other students'<br />
perspectives about the changing<br />
roles of women in society.<br />
—Rachel Koch '19<br />
26
Interim Term<br />
27
Interim Term<br />
28
HIP‐HOP<br />
From "breaking" to "krumping," dance instructor Kristina Burgess<br />
and her Interim Term students choreographed urban dance<br />
styles, investigated the evolution of hip‐hop, and performed body<br />
movements to improve balance and coordination.<br />
Hip‐hop is all about expressing feelings. Though the<br />
moves are the same, each choreographer's style is<br />
unique. It's amazing that this 1970s dance genre began<br />
on the streets and is so mainstream today.<br />
—Noah Prophet '19<br />
29
SPORTS AND NATIONALISM<br />
In Yugoslavia, brothers and basketball teammates are torn apart as<br />
they find themselves on opposites side of a war. In India, Cricket<br />
is a matter of life or death. In Columbia, drugs and soccer prove<br />
to be a fatal mix. Guided by documentaries, students and history<br />
teacher Travis Smith examined how sports explain the political<br />
and social makeup of a country.<br />
People all over the world connect<br />
their identities with their sports<br />
teams. If a World Cup team loses<br />
in Italy, some fans can hardly<br />
crawl out of bed the next day.<br />
Documentaries about a famous<br />
cricket player and other superstars<br />
showed us both the joy and the<br />
burden young athletes feel when<br />
the stakes are so high.<br />
—Connor Baily '21<br />
30
Interim Term<br />
31
CREATIVE KNIGHTS<br />
Julia Jiao '08: Telling Stories in 3D<br />
"Nothing beats a design that tells a story," declares Julia<br />
Jiao '08. After leaving the Rhode Island School of Design<br />
in 2012 with a degree in Industrial Design, Jiao landed an<br />
internship at Puma. Within a few months she became a<br />
major player on the All‐Star design team at Converse. Jiao<br />
felt happy and inspired at Converse, creating the next line<br />
of women's footwear, but something was missing. Jiao, a<br />
typical creative, admits she is always antsy and seeking<br />
innovation. She explored other areas of product design<br />
to further her visual language and started experimenting<br />
with 3D modeling and printing. Jiao joined a design team<br />
building prototypes, proofs, and concepts for start‐ups,<br />
where she gained valuable business skills, but the team was<br />
small and the opportunities were limited.<br />
Via networking, Jiao met two engineers, Wombi Rose and<br />
John Wise, who launched Lovepop out of the Harvard<br />
Innovation Lab in late 2014. The two were named to the<br />
2015 Techstars class, nominated for "50 on Fire" by BostInno,<br />
and gained the confidence of investors all over the world<br />
by building custom‐made, 3D greeting cards. After meeting<br />
the Lovepop founders, Julia joined the fledgling firm of 15<br />
to become their 16th card builder, creating intricately cut<br />
3D paper sculptures that are engineered on software and<br />
handcrafted in the "kirigami" art form.<br />
Jiao says she has found her niche at Lovepop, where she can<br />
combine her knowledge of business with 3D modeling. Now<br />
two years into the gig, she is the lead designer of the wedding<br />
products team, working alongside sales and production,<br />
and helping to build one of the fastest‐growing start‐ups in<br />
the industry. Recently, the team worked with HBO to create<br />
"Game of Thrones" cards, and the five‐piece set is just the<br />
beginning of what Lovepop calls "an intriguing relationship we<br />
are building in the mysterious continent of Westeros."<br />
Jiao plans to stay in Boston for a few more years. "I love the<br />
company and team I'm with and can see myself growing<br />
within<br />
it," she<br />
explains. "At<br />
the same time, I would like to give back to the communities<br />
that helped me along the way. One of my interests concerns<br />
young designers or those invested in a creative field. Creative<br />
fields include the most empathic and versatile groups of<br />
people, important to many organizations, but they are often<br />
light on resources and tools. I am interested in learning how I<br />
can help young designers navigate the industry."<br />
Reflecting on her high school years, Julia says her passion for<br />
design was ignited by the variety of art classes she was able<br />
to take at Episcopal. "The classes were relevant to the trends<br />
of the time and taught collaboration and risk‐taking—two<br />
qualities important in creative fields. And the digital programs<br />
boosted me a few years ahead of my peers in college," she<br />
says. "The benefits gained at <strong>EHS</strong> keep bubbling up in my<br />
career and personal life in so many amazing ways."<br />
—Sharon Willcutts<br />
Ben Estus '09: Enjoying Every Step<br />
"Giving life to stories and characters—that's what I love to<br />
do," says actor Ben Estus '09. He gets to share that passion<br />
almost daily, as he continues his fifth season in Broadway's<br />
"The Book of Mormon," written by television "South Park"<br />
creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Estus, one of <strong>EHS</strong><br />
Onstage's high‐profile alumni, brings his trifecta of acting,<br />
singing, and dancing skills to the musical satire, playing a<br />
wholesome Mormon who travels door to door to recruit<br />
converts. The show is a rare box office smash, and Estus<br />
feels blessed to have a steady job and perform with top<br />
talent—a dream for most actors.<br />
Besides delivering memorable leads in "Dracula" and "Pippin"<br />
while at Episcopal, Estus won a prestigious Tommy Tune<br />
32
Award for his role as Tommy in the musical "Urinetown." Estus<br />
says that citywide accolade helped him gain auditions during<br />
the first years of his career.<br />
After graduating from Episcopal, Estus headed to<br />
Northwestern University to complete his B.A. in Theatre, with<br />
a Musical Theatre Certificate. At Northwestern he balanced<br />
rigorous academics and performed in many productions,<br />
such as "Rent," "The Pajama Game," and "42nd Street."<br />
While <strong>EHS</strong> Onstage prepared him for his dream career, he<br />
says that joining the Knights wrestling team—where he was<br />
named State Champion and All‐American—provided equal<br />
benefits. "Wrestling re‐defined hard work and taught me<br />
teamwork and discipline," he explains. "George Brock and<br />
Steve Leisz toiled tirelessly with my schedule to ensure I<br />
could participate in both theatre and wrestling in high school,<br />
and I think that kind of collaboration is pretty rare."<br />
As with most live theatre productions, his role in "Book"<br />
requires eight performances a week. "You have to be healthy<br />
and in great shape, so a background in athletics is terrific."<br />
Besides Broadway, Estus has performed in regional theatre,<br />
film, and movies—and at only age 26, his future looks bright.<br />
"If students love acting<br />
and know it's something<br />
they want to do, they<br />
just have to go for<br />
it," he advises. "As in<br />
every field, there are<br />
plenty of naysayers,<br />
but the ability to handle<br />
rejection is especially<br />
important in theater. You<br />
have to love auditioning—<br />
see it as your chance to perform<br />
for the day. There's a lot of nonsense<br />
that comes along with the 'business' but if you still love the<br />
acting and the art it encompasses, it's worth it," he says.<br />
"Read a lot, do good work in class, don't be afraid to fail, and<br />
find ways to enjoy every step of the process. Everyone's road<br />
to success in this field is completely different. Keep hustling<br />
down your own road and don't pay attention or compare<br />
yourself to anyone else. If you work hard, know your lines,<br />
and show up on time, good things will always happen. And<br />
when they do—it's so awesome!"<br />
—Claire C. Fletcher<br />
Marlo Cobb Saucedo '87: Distance, Up Close<br />
Marlo Cobb Saucedo '87 was introduced to art long before<br />
high school through summer classes at MFAH's Glassell<br />
School. Art was a passion, but not a career goal. After<br />
graduating from <strong>EHS</strong>, Saucedo attended Davidson College,<br />
writing for The Davidsonian and majoring in psychology with a<br />
concentration in Spanish and French.<br />
Her first job took her to Washington, D.C., where she assisted<br />
with the resettlement of Vietnamese‐American<br />
war babies in her work for the International<br />
Catholic Migration Commission. She<br />
left that position to earn an M.B.A. in<br />
entrepreneurship from the University<br />
of Texas, all the while taking art<br />
classes in Austin. When creative<br />
friends began dropping out of<br />
the M.B.A. program at a fast<br />
clip, she was inspired to create<br />
a handwriting‐to‐line visual<br />
diary of the experience called<br />
"Escaping."<br />
Returning to Houston with her<br />
M.B.A. and working as an HTML<br />
coder, Saucedo continued to feel<br />
pulled toward visual art. After she and<br />
her husband, Alex, bought their first home<br />
in Bayou Lofts among the storied buildings of Houston's early<br />
downtown, Saucedo developed an interest in the architecture<br />
and history of Houston. She revisited handwriting‐to‐line<br />
techniques in depictions of the Houston skyline. Each work<br />
noted the building's height, architect, address, and year<br />
completed, and she sold the pieces to lawyers and architects<br />
with downtown offices.<br />
Today her medium extends to collage on canvas and<br />
board, using acrylic mixed with high‐end latex. The works<br />
feature words in English, Spanish, or French that allude to<br />
history, poetry, and opinion. Saucedo calls her style "visual<br />
art narrative." She's interested in exploring the internal and<br />
external, mind and matter, and presenting interiors at a close<br />
distance, "like the stories we hold within ourselves," she says.<br />
Having a studio in The Silos on Sawyer since 2016 has<br />
escalated her productivity and focus. "You never want to be<br />
the smartest person in the room," she says. "I'm fortunate to<br />
have talent all around me at Sawyer Yards. We collaborate,<br />
discuss our work, and bounce ideas off each other."<br />
As for the future, "I'll keep focusing on what I enjoy—color,<br />
shape, writing, and collaboration," she says. "Thinking bigger<br />
is better," she believes, "and failure is better than never trying."<br />
—Margaret Young<br />
33
ALUMNI<br />
WEEKEND<br />
Old and New Friendships<br />
Shine at "Stars at Knight"<br />
Knights from far and wide returned to campus for Alumni Weekend<br />
<strong>2018</strong>, eager to revisit the familiar and take in the new. A packed<br />
weekend of events provided alumni an opportunity to be on campus,<br />
explore the city of Houston, and even hit the golf course.<br />
In Friday's Chapel service, our <strong>EHS</strong> students were able to hear from<br />
both of the Alumni Weekend award recipients. Katheryn Shaffer<br />
Ray '89 and Eric Avera, gave heartfelt talks regarding their years at<br />
<strong>EHS</strong> and how they continue to look forward to each new school year,<br />
their students, and the many a‐ha moments that occur each year.<br />
The highlight of Friday's "Stars at Knight" celebration saw Ray and<br />
Avera both receiving their Alumni Weekend awards. In addition,<br />
the evening featured a special tribute and toast to retiring history<br />
instructor Ray Balch. Alumni from decades of class years joined<br />
in the festivities and enjoyed fabulous spirits and food pairings<br />
hosted by Nick Adair '05 and his latest bistro‐style restaurant, Eloise<br />
Nichols Bar and Grill.<br />
Saturday brought campus tours, a Kid's Zone for alumni children,<br />
lunch in the new Alkek Gym, and not‐to‐be‐missed class reunions.<br />
Capping a fun‐filled weekend was Monday's Dads Club and Alumni<br />
Golf Tournament.<br />
This year's host committee did a stellar job coordinating all the<br />
details and preparations. Attendees look forward to next year's<br />
party and reunions.<br />
—Margaret Young<br />
Save the date for Alumni Weekend 2019, on April 5‐6!<br />
34
Photos by Chris Bailey Photography.<br />
35
COLLEGE COUNSELING<br />
Helping Students Find the Best Fit<br />
SAT and ACT scores, extracurricular activities, service hours,<br />
honors and AP classes, rigorous academic courses—it's no<br />
wonder that the college selection process can be stressful.<br />
"The college counseling program at <strong>EHS</strong> not only takes some<br />
of the guesswork out of college preparation but uses a<br />
comprehensive method to find the best fit for each student,"<br />
says Director of College Counseling Julie Rollins.<br />
"We really get to know our kids," adds Patricia Houser, college<br />
counselor, "and that not only helps identify meaningful ways<br />
for students to get involved and pursue their passions, but it<br />
also leads to them discovering themselves."<br />
Ultimately, what the Episcopal High<br />
School College Counseling office seeks<br />
to accomplish for each student is a great<br />
college match socially, academically, and<br />
financially.<br />
<strong>EHS</strong> college counselors go beyond helping students build<br />
a resumé or complete a college application. Instead, they<br />
create a comprehensive persona for each student that gives<br />
them the space to fail or grow out of certain activities and<br />
interests. "We have an open‐door policy that's unique," says<br />
Rachel Lopez, college counselor. "A ninth grader can roll<br />
in and talk to us any time, however briefly. We make time<br />
to touch base, and it alleviates some of that anxiety around<br />
going to college."<br />
<strong>EHS</strong> has a holistic college selection process that takes into<br />
account the unique qualities of each individual student. "The<br />
end game is not to get into the most prestigious school,"<br />
Houser says, "but for the student to know him or herself well<br />
enough to identify and thrive and grow." Lopez adds, "We<br />
really have the freedom to find the option that's best for the<br />
student. Our program uses a collaborative approach that's<br />
unique and draws upon the knowledge of five people, not just<br />
one individual counselor."<br />
"Because of the size of our team, we carry a workable student<br />
load, and that frees up time to travel and network with<br />
colleges, so they know what an Episcopal student is and<br />
what that will add to a campus," Houser adds. "To get better<br />
acquainted with the students, I often pick up projects on<br />
campus, such as getting involved in the annual chili cook‐off<br />
or attending arts and athletic events."<br />
A Four‐Year Journey<br />
What differentiates the <strong>EHS</strong> college counseling<br />
program is the extent to which our counselors<br />
help students develop self‐awareness and<br />
confidence. The process begins freshman<br />
year, when the college counselors meet with<br />
students in large groups. Individual meetings<br />
are welcome but not required. A foundation<br />
is built as counselors discuss academic rigor,<br />
GPA trajectory, extracurricular involvement,<br />
and areas of interest. Sophomore year, the<br />
College Counseling Department strongly<br />
encourages an individual conference with<br />
a particular counselor, which parents are<br />
welcome to attend. That conference digs into<br />
details about the rigor of a student's schedule,<br />
extracurricular activities, testing (PSAT), and<br />
leadership opportunities. Though the counselors<br />
do not pull a college list together at this point, their<br />
goal is to ensure that students will have multiple college<br />
options down the road.<br />
36
Course selection guidance is a priority for sophomore<br />
year as students look ahead to 11th grade,<br />
arguably one of the most important years in<br />
the application and selection process. Junior<br />
year, following Interim Term, each student<br />
schedules a formal conference with a<br />
college counselor. A parent or guardian<br />
is required to attend, during which the<br />
counselor discusses potential areas of<br />
study, the student's course curriculum,<br />
and standardized test scores. <strong>EHS</strong><br />
counselors meet the students where<br />
they are—whether the family has<br />
an initial list they're working toward<br />
or they are open and flexible. This<br />
conference begins the conversation<br />
that will work toward a balanced list<br />
of college options. During senior year,<br />
each student has a conference with his<br />
or her individual counselor to finalize that<br />
list. The counselor helps with everything<br />
from the college essay to the resumé,<br />
reaching out to college reps, and exploring<br />
financial aid and scholarships.<br />
Counselor Mark Carter enjoys the breadth of the<br />
relationship that begins with students freshman year. "I<br />
watch them grow throughout the process, from when they<br />
were younger high school students until they become seniors.<br />
I can see a really big change." A number of programs help<br />
support families during the college selection process, such<br />
as advice on teacher recommendation letters, visits from<br />
college representatives, and conversational programs for all<br />
grade‐level<br />
parents. In addition, the counselors host Junior and Senior<br />
Parent Nights, with guest speakers that address topics such<br />
as admission trends and the transition to college life.<br />
College Counseling Advocates for Students<br />
The College Counseling Department's frequent networking<br />
with college representatives benefits the students and can<br />
change the trajectory of people's lives. Reps from more than<br />
200 colleges visit Episcopal each year, resulting in close<br />
relationships with our students and counselors.<br />
Ultimately, what the <strong>EHS</strong> College Counseling office seeks to<br />
accomplish for each student is a great college match socially,<br />
academically, and financially. "We give our families personal<br />
attention and treat each child as an individual. There's not a<br />
hidden agenda that we have to include certain colleges on<br />
the lists that we report. We have the kids look at places that<br />
will truly work for them," Rollins explains. The collaborative<br />
approach allows the counselors to work off each other, and a<br />
student can consult with a counselor that best fits his or her<br />
personality. "When we go into a junior conference, we'll get<br />
feedback from one another," says Rollins, "and we check to<br />
see if we're missing anything or there's something we should<br />
be looking for."<br />
A large part of the extraordinary work the counselors do is, in<br />
fact, counseling. "It can be disappointing for both the student<br />
and the parent when a student doesn't get into his or her<br />
top choice. On the other hand, most students realize there<br />
are many great options for an excellent college education—a<br />
place where they can grow both academically and socially,"<br />
Rollins explains. A close relationship with their counselor that<br />
includes trust, face‐to‐face meetings, and a bond that begins<br />
freshman year helps students cope with the mixed emotions<br />
of the application process.<br />
"Getting to know our students, helping them discover new<br />
passions, and encouraging them through rigorous academics<br />
and tedious applications brings positive results—and a<br />
college that's a great fit," says Rollins.<br />
—Emma Tsai<br />
37
Inner genius is the spark inside that allows us to become our<br />
best selves. When I'm in the dance studio, pushing myself<br />
as hard as I can, or in my classes where I'm challenged<br />
by my teachers to further my knowledge, that's where I<br />
#FIND INNER GENIUS<br />
—Elyse Pedrick '19, Dance and College Counseling Ambassador<br />
Inner Genius is being able to thrive in an environment<br />
that is constantly forcing you to find creative solutions<br />
to complicated problems. <strong>EHS</strong> challenges us in every<br />
aspect of the Four <strong>Pillars</strong>, so whether it's on the court<br />
or in the classroom, students are compelled to<br />
#FIND INNER GENIUS<br />
—Amiri Scrutchin '19, Boys Volleyball<br />
You #FIND INNER GENIUS when<br />
you discover your passion. My passion is musical theatre, and<br />
I love to step out on stage and shine with the people I have<br />
come to call my family.<br />
—Gwendalyn Diaz '21, <strong>EHS</strong> Onstage and Student Senate<br />
38
I help kids #FIND INNER GENIUS<br />
by facilitating those a-ha moments in their writing, in their<br />
connection to the world, and in themselves. Inner genius<br />
is also revealed when students seize new opportunities on<br />
campus, leading them to discover a little bit more of who<br />
they are and how they want to leave an impact on the world.<br />
—Courtney Goldberg, English Instructor and Director of<br />
Student Activities<br />
To #FIND INNER GENIUS you<br />
have to believe in yourself. We all have special talents<br />
and skills that are unique to us. Even if the skill doesn't<br />
feel unique, the way that you do it will be.<br />
—Preston Witt '19, Baseball and Boys Volleyball<br />
At <strong>EHS</strong>, we #FIND INNER GENIUS<br />
by allowing our hearts and minds to be shaped by the truest,<br />
most beautiful, and best of things. Thus, we study Einstein, are<br />
moved by Bach, and seek to emulate Mother Teresa.<br />
—Joshua Smith, Religion Instructor<br />
39
Q+A<br />
with <strong>EHS</strong><br />
Teachers<br />
Pop Quiz turns the table on teachers and asks them<br />
to respond to 11 quick questions. Their enthusiastic<br />
responses reveal the values, quirks, and interests that<br />
make them so effective in leading <strong>EHS</strong> students.<br />
40
ALAN DUNCAN<br />
Computer Science Teacher and Coach<br />
Alan Duncan is wrapping up his sixth year at<br />
Episcopal High School but his 20th year as a<br />
full‐time educator. His roles at Episcopal<br />
include teaching computer science,<br />
coaching freshman boys basketball,<br />
and sponsoring the Computer<br />
Science Club.<br />
A proud native Houstonian,<br />
Duncan is a graduate of Lamar<br />
High School. He has been<br />
married to his wife, Tanya, for<br />
five years and they have two<br />
children, Jazzmin and Jacob.<br />
Duncan earned a B.S. in<br />
Applied Mathematics from<br />
Texas A&M University and his<br />
M.S. in Management, Computing,<br />
and Systems from Houston<br />
Baptist University. After graduating<br />
from A&M, he worked for eight years<br />
in the oil and gas industry as a systems<br />
programmer and database administrator.<br />
"My teaching experience began in 1997 when<br />
one of my professors in graduate school offered<br />
me an opportunity to teach courses at the University of<br />
Houston‐Downtown," says Duncan.<br />
He found inspiration and purpose as a teacher and later worked at two HISD high schools and at Strake<br />
Jesuit College Preparatory. Besides teaching, he is passionate about music and plays the trombone. A<br />
career highlight was the chance to combine interests on a mission trip to Jamaica where he and his<br />
student‐volunteers donated more than 75 band instruments, sheet music, and instructional booklets and<br />
held five days of tutorials to start a student band at a Jesuit high school in Kingston.<br />
What's on your playlist right now? Jonathan Batiste, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Brian Blade Fellowship.<br />
What was the first concert you attended? Superfest starring Frankie Beverly and Maze, Guy, Kool<br />
Moe Dee, and MC Hammer. If you weren't a teacher, what would you pick for a career? I would be<br />
a disc jockey. I am fascinated with the various roles music plays in our lives. What is your proudest<br />
accomplishment? Being a parent, husband, and a first generation college graduate. Do you have a<br />
favorite app or tech gadget? My smart watch and Voice AIY (do‐it‐yourself artificial intelligence) that has<br />
me entertaining the idea of artificial intelligence on campus. Did you have a mentor growing up who<br />
inspired your career? My parents were my biggest supporters and mentors. Even though my parents<br />
have not been with me for 20 years, their guidance continues to be most inspirational and enlightening. If<br />
you could travel back in time, what period of history would you choose? Back to the future. What<br />
trait do you most admire in your colleagues? The ability to communicate and share positive, optimistic,<br />
and organized visions with and to young people. What trait do you most admire in your students? The<br />
confidence that comes from practice and preparation. Read any good books recently? The 7 Habits of<br />
Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. If you could eat only one meal this week, what would it be?<br />
My dad's BBQ and any one of my mother's homemade cakes.<br />
41
MARK MITCHELL<br />
English Teacher and Coach<br />
Mark Mitchell grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and taught<br />
high school in Raleigh, North Carolina. He also<br />
taught a first‐year writing course at the University<br />
of Texas while attending grad school. Now in<br />
his fourth year at Episcopal, Mitchell teaches<br />
English and debate and coaches the JV<br />
baseball team.<br />
Mitchell took a break from teaching<br />
after grad school to work as a<br />
legislative aide at the Texas Capitol,<br />
both in the House and the Senate.<br />
After that he went to law school<br />
and worked as an attorney. "Once I<br />
realized how much I really hated being<br />
a lawyer," he explains, "I came back to<br />
teaching and joined <strong>EHS</strong>."<br />
Mark and his wife, Brandie, stay busy<br />
keeping up with their two little girls,<br />
5‐year‐old Ella and 2‐year‐old Kate. But in<br />
those rare moments of spare time, "I still manage<br />
to get to the gym a lot and see a fair number of<br />
concerts in town," he shares.<br />
What's on your playlist right now? Audiobooks! Right now I'm listening to the last book in a trilogy called<br />
The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin. If you like science fiction‐ish books, they're worth a read (or a listen).<br />
What was the first concert you attended? I was lucky enough to see Stevie Ray Vaughn the year before<br />
he died. It's still the best show I've ever been to. That guy was electric. If you weren't a teacher, what<br />
would you pick for a career? I'd probably still be a fairly miserable lawyer or staffer at the Capitol. Not<br />
miserable in the sense of being bad at those jobs—they just did not agree with my personality. What is your<br />
proudest accomplishment? I don't have a proudest accomplishment. Once something is done for me, it's<br />
done, and I'm on to the next thing. I try not to spend too much time thinking about the past or resting on<br />
the things I've done. Do you have a favorite app or tech gadget? The Netflix app. When I was a little kid,<br />
I dreamed of someday having a magic television that would have all my favorite shows. Having Netflix on<br />
all my screens pretty much meets that definition. Did you have a mentor growing up who inspired your<br />
career? My geometry teacher really inspired me. No matter how many times I'd go to her for help, she was<br />
always patient, always kind. She never made me feel bad about how truly awful I was at any kind of math.<br />
She was always intentional about identifying our strengths and encouraging us to grow. If you could travel<br />
back in time, what period of history would you choose? I'd probably go back to my 9th grade year to tell<br />
myself it's going to be OK. No matter how weird high school, college, and your early 20s get, it's going to<br />
be OK. I'd probably also tell myself to place a substantial bet on the Atlanta Braves to win the 1991 pennant.<br />
What trait do you most admire in your colleagues? Despite how incredibly busy everyone is, they all<br />
come together whenever help is needed. Whether it's covering for a sick teacher or sharing resources,<br />
everyone has a commitment not just to their students but also to each other. What trait do you most<br />
admire in your students? The sense of humor my students show nearly every day. If I had a job like theirs—<br />
seven different bosses with seven different sets of expectations—I'm not sure I'd show as much grace and<br />
humor as they do. Read any good books recently? Ever since my senior year in college, I re‐read Moby<br />
Dick every winter. I got a late start this year, and finished it in March. If you could eat only one meal this<br />
week, what would it be? Whatever the taco of the month is at Torchy's. That place can do no wrong.<br />
42
SHELLY EDMONDS<br />
History Teacher and Coach<br />
"Field hockey shaped me into the person I am today," says Shelly<br />
Edmonds, history teacher and field hockey coach. Edmonds<br />
started playing the sport when she was in 3rd grade and<br />
continued through college at the University of Virginia.<br />
"In high school, I played for a very competitive school<br />
and club team. My coach didn't accept anything other<br />
than your best. It forced me to push myself mentally<br />
and physically—more than I ever thought I was<br />
capable of," she explains. "As a result, I developed<br />
discipline and resilience. Overall the sport made me<br />
a stronger person, and I realized how much I am<br />
capable of even in the most difficult situations."<br />
Edmonds grew up near Philadelphia in Emmaus,<br />
Pennsylvania, where her parents still live. She is the<br />
third child of four, and during holiday breaks she enjoys<br />
traveling back home or visiting her siblings who live in San<br />
Diego and London. She does have one sibling nearby, an<br />
older sister who lives in Houston.<br />
And though she left Charlottesville over five years ago, Edmonds bleeds<br />
Jefferson Blue, even through NCAA upsets. "UVA was awesome and I will always be a University of Virginia<br />
basketball fan—through the good and the bad!"<br />
What's on your playlist right now? A little bit of everything: Creedence Clearwater, Jack Johnson, Taylor<br />
Swift, The Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks, and Turnpike Troubadours.<br />
What was the first concert you attended? I was a junior in high school, and I saw O.A.R. If you weren't<br />
a teacher, what would you pick for a career? I'd be a yoga instructor on a beach in Mexico. What is your<br />
proudest accomplishment? My junior year in college we beat University of North Carolina to go to the ACC<br />
championship. We ended up losing the championship and later losing to UNC in the Final Four. As much of a<br />
rivalry as I feel toward UNC, that game and that season were my proudest accomplishments. We worked so<br />
hard to build our field hockey team from barely making the NCAA tournament my freshman year to making<br />
it to the Final Four. Do you have a favorite app or tech gadget? I recently made a Pinterest account. Now<br />
I understand what people mean when they say they love and hate Pinterest at the same time. I downloaded<br />
the app for some ideas on how to decorate my apartment for Christmas, and it ended with me trying to<br />
make DIY projects for 10 hours! It was a huge time sucker, but my apartment looked fantastic! Did you have<br />
a mentor growing up who inspired your career? My high school AP U.S. teacher, Mr. Haja. He loved<br />
U.S. history. He made it seem like a story but challenged us to think about how that day's lesson affected or<br />
shaped our lives. I had never worked so hard in a class in my life, and it felt good to put effort in and gain so<br />
much from it. If you could travel back in time, what period of history would you choose? I am interested<br />
in many eras. I would either travel back in time to West Africa during the rise of the trans‐Saharan trade<br />
route in the 1000s‐1200s, or land in Ancient Egypt. What trait do you most admire in your colleagues?<br />
Their willingness to collaborate. If I am looking for a new way to approach an event or time period, there is<br />
always someone willing to share their unique strategy. What trait do you most admire in your students?<br />
Their curiosity. Our students always want to know more about a specific topic or how an event shaped<br />
a current topic. Read any good books recently? Right now I am reading Nudge by Richard Thaler and<br />
Cass Sunstein. It is not a history book, but it is a great book about decision‐making. If you could eat only<br />
one meal this week, what would it be? I am not Polish, but I am Pennsylvania Dutch, and I used to eat<br />
pierogies all the time growing up. If I could have one meal for a whole week, it would probably be homemade<br />
pierogies sautéed with onions.<br />
43
CLASS NOTES<br />
Send your updates to Director of Alumni and Annual Giving<br />
Margaret Young at myoung@ehshouston.org so that you can be<br />
featured here in the next issue of <strong>Pillars</strong> magazine!<br />
87<br />
Tiny Marshall married Sarah<br />
Hartsough Callahan on November<br />
25, 2017, in Naples, Florida. Mark<br />
Williams and Mark Chehlaoui were in<br />
attendance. Tiny is the owner of Mac in<br />
a Snap, a Kentucky‐based IT services<br />
company focusing on Macintosh<br />
computer repair and support. The<br />
company was recently recognized<br />
as Louisville's most trusted on‐site<br />
computer repair company for Apple<br />
products.<br />
Marlo Cobb Saucedo was featured<br />
in the "Villager Vignette" section of the<br />
Houston Chronicle for her work as a<br />
local artist.<br />
88<br />
Artist Libbie Masterson (pictured<br />
above with Amanda Whitehead<br />
Johnson '87) recently hosted an open<br />
house at her beautiful Houston studio.<br />
Clint Miller is a software architect<br />
working for Convey in Austin, Texas.<br />
This spring, he will complete eight years<br />
as a youth baseball and soccer coach.<br />
89<br />
Katherine Alexander recently<br />
became the morning briefer to Dana<br />
White, Assistant to the Secretary of<br />
Defense for Public Affairs. Katherine<br />
is responsible for briefing Dana, a key<br />
member of Secretary of Defense James<br />
Mattis' staff, on crucial international<br />
defense issues. Katherine has served<br />
a variety of assignments during her<br />
20 years with the U.S. Department of<br />
Defense, including deployments to<br />
Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, as well<br />
as temporary assignments in Florida,<br />
Hawaii, Europe, and the Middle East.<br />
On July 22, 2017, Jennifer and Brad<br />
Tashenberg (pictured below with fellow<br />
alum DJ Johnson) announced the<br />
arrival of Colette Christine.<br />
90<br />
Ken Blair recently took a job as<br />
the lead systems administrator for<br />
Memorial Hermann Health System.<br />
Ken's job ensures that new technology<br />
is implemented according to the<br />
company's technical, legal, and security<br />
standards.<br />
Josh Roman and Andrew<br />
Hawthorn '91 (pictured below)<br />
both serve as volunteer firefighters.<br />
After learning about the impact of<br />
Hurricane Harvey on their respective<br />
fire departments, Andrew and his<br />
team donated two brush trucks and a<br />
Ford Excursion to the Meyersville Fire<br />
Department, where Josh serves, in the<br />
greater Brenham area.<br />
92<br />
Natalie Cronfel Aide and husband<br />
Michael welcomed daughter Elizabeth<br />
Grace Vivian on October 24, 2017.<br />
Chadrick Cross (pictured right with<br />
son James) returned to campus to film<br />
a video about his time at <strong>EHS</strong> and his<br />
path to becoming a cardiothoracic<br />
surgeon. Look for the video on the<br />
alumni page of the Episcopal High<br />
School website.<br />
Research from neuroscientist Dena<br />
Dubal was highlighted in a recent<br />
San Francisco Chronicle article titled<br />
"Scientists Aim to Wipe Out Dementia<br />
and Other Diseases of Aging." Dena<br />
treats patients with strokes, seizures,<br />
dementia, and other cognitive problems.<br />
44
Hillary Brooks Houle and <strong>EHS</strong> physics<br />
instructor Eric Avera participated<br />
in Brazos Bookstore's "Writers on<br />
Remembrance" reading. Hillary's work<br />
has been featured in USA Today and<br />
Poet Lore, America's oldest poetry<br />
journal.<br />
While working at the same hospital,<br />
fellow Knights Heather Schwab<br />
Sambilay and Chidi Achilefu '04<br />
(pictured above) discovered that they<br />
are both <strong>EHS</strong> graduates!<br />
Eric Santamaria (pictured right<br />
with <strong>EHS</strong> science instructor Beverly<br />
Rutledge) returned to campus to kick<br />
off Alumni Leadership Day with a<br />
Chapel talk. He shared what it's like<br />
working at the Tesla headquarters and<br />
the importance of believing in yourself.<br />
93<br />
Arden O'Donnell is living outside of<br />
Boston with her partner, Liz Berges,<br />
and three beautiful daughters. She<br />
works as a palliative care social worker<br />
and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in<br />
social work at Boston University.<br />
95<br />
Michael Eisenberg was the lead<br />
author of a recent report on paternal<br />
age. He serves as the director of male<br />
reproductive medicine and surgery<br />
as well as the associate professor of<br />
urology at Stanford University Medical<br />
Center. A New York Times article, "New<br />
Fathers Are Older Than Ever," features<br />
Michael's research.<br />
Brad Kirklin and wife Natalie<br />
welcomed Bradley "Mac" McMahon<br />
Kirklin II on December 19, 2016.<br />
Rachel Rosen Wyatt now serves<br />
as the creative director for Elisabeth<br />
Christian Public Relations. Rachel's<br />
business, Wyatt Brand, was recently<br />
acquired by the PR company.<br />
96<br />
On October 24, 2017, Jenny Harris<br />
Kelly and husband Chris welcomed<br />
new addition Quinn McIver.<br />
Kara and David Kirsten welcomed twin<br />
girls Bayla Sarah and Shoshanna Ruth<br />
on June 2, 2017.<br />
Dominique Newton Kohl recently<br />
received a grant to start her nonprofit,<br />
Upside Down Paper Crown, which<br />
focuses on empowering students in the<br />
learning process by connecting their<br />
mind, body, and spirit. Dominique's<br />
work was featured in The Huffington<br />
Post, and she recently presented at the<br />
We Are Girls Conference in Houston,<br />
Texas. Alexandra Ortiz '05 was the<br />
volunteer assigned to Dominique's<br />
conference workshop.<br />
Megan McGraw MacIntyre '03 and<br />
Shaw MacIntyre proudly announced<br />
the arrival of Robert "Robbie" Shaw<br />
MacIntyre IV on November 13, 2017.<br />
For the past seven years, Marshall<br />
Pengra has served as the gospel<br />
community pastor at Sojourn Heights<br />
Church. He recently accepted a new<br />
role within the church as the pastor of<br />
care and counseling.<br />
97<br />
Jarred King joined the <strong>EHS</strong> community<br />
for daily Chapel where he gave a<br />
heartfelt talk about the medical<br />
volunteer group Faith in Practice and<br />
their missions in Guatemala.<br />
Elizabeth and Brett Monroe became<br />
the proud parents of a baby boy,<br />
George Theodore, born May 9, 2017.<br />
98<br />
Marcia and Michael Laas announced<br />
the arrival of their son, Jake Martinez,<br />
on November 2, 2017.<br />
On October 9, 2017, Louise Plumb<br />
Paez and husband Gabe welcomed a<br />
baby girl, Stella Thomas.<br />
Lauren Blaylock Teare and husband<br />
Sean welcomed their fourth child, Sadie,<br />
on November 18, 2017.<br />
Jamie Eidman Waldrep and husband<br />
Jordan are the proud parents of Parker<br />
Cayce, born January 22, <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
99<br />
Christina Pickett Blackwell and<br />
husband Bart welcomed daughter<br />
Vivian on November 1, 2017.<br />
45
Class Notes<br />
Ollison and husband Christopher<br />
announced the arrival of Theodore<br />
"Theo" Fitzgerald.<br />
Megan and Jay Cohen welcomed baby<br />
girl Caroline Lila on October 31, 2017.<br />
Sarah and B.W. Crain had a baby boy,<br />
Bluford "Ford" Walter V, on May 9, 2017.<br />
Sarah Lodowski Kitchen and husband<br />
Benjamin announced the birth of<br />
Frederick Cameron (pictured left with<br />
older brother Benjamin) on July 22,<br />
2017.<br />
Jenny Jackson Miller and husband<br />
Steve had a baby boy, Bodhi Sai, on<br />
May 27, 2017.<br />
Suzanne Burdett Howley and<br />
husband Justin welcomed baby boy<br />
Harrison on August 24, 2017.<br />
Kasey Morton Marshall and husband<br />
Chad became the proud parents of Ali<br />
Grace on January 27, 2017.<br />
On August 23, 2017, Kittie and Wilson<br />
Mayfield proudly announced the birth<br />
of Ralph "Will" Wilson Jr.<br />
Riley Sharman started a new job<br />
with Marcus & Millichap as a retail<br />
investment sales associate.<br />
Sandra and Ryan Mendez announced<br />
the birth of their daughter, Ava Delilah,<br />
on March 24, <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
On August 12, 2016, Nealey Levi<br />
Stapleton and husband John had a<br />
baby boy, Mason Wild.<br />
Beth Stockwell Vanderkolk and<br />
husband Ryan have two beautiful<br />
children. Their son, Reed, was born<br />
on June 11, 2015, and the couple<br />
welcomed their second child, Skye, on<br />
April 21, 2017 (pictured below).<br />
On May 24, 2017, Allison Holmes<br />
Spayd and husband Mike welcomed<br />
new addition Scott Morgan into the<br />
world.<br />
00<br />
John Baker serves as design director,<br />
founding member, and board member<br />
of the Houston‐based Dirt Dogs<br />
Theatre Company.<br />
Courtney and Wells Brown became<br />
the proud parents of Avery Rose on<br />
January 22, <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
Shenna and Jeffrey Brown welcomed<br />
a baby girl, Shannon Giselle, on May<br />
23, 2017.<br />
Collier Crouch moved to Washington,<br />
D.C., from Yokohama, Japan. He is<br />
currently a lieutenant commander in the<br />
U.S. Navy and is part of the Joint Staff<br />
at the Pentagon.<br />
Philip Storey recently completed<br />
an ophthalmology residency at the<br />
University of Southern California. He<br />
is currently at Wills Eye Hospital in<br />
Philadelphia for a fellowship in retina<br />
surgery.<br />
Melanie and Anthony Thomas became<br />
the proud parents of Malcolm Davon on<br />
December 10, 2017.<br />
02<br />
On November 10, 2016, Emma<br />
Simmons Anselmi and husband<br />
Michael became the proud parents to a<br />
baby boy, Elias Simmons.<br />
Christine and Hunter Blackwell had a<br />
baby girl, Margaret "Margot" Rose, on<br />
May 18, 2017.<br />
Kristina and Houston Braly welcomed<br />
daughter Harper Lee into the world on<br />
November 9, 2017.<br />
Caroline Wray married Daniel Fox on<br />
August 19, 2017. They currently reside<br />
in Winston‐Salem, North Carolina,<br />
where she works as a patent litigation<br />
associate at Kilpatrick Townsend &<br />
Stockton LLP.<br />
03<br />
Lindsay Evans Black and husband<br />
Jeremy announced the arrival of<br />
Charles Douglas on February 1, <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
Melissa and Logan Moncrief became<br />
the proud parents of Charlotte Elise on<br />
November 6, 2017.<br />
01<br />
On January 16, <strong>2018</strong>, Amanda Sirota<br />
On June 10, 2016, Gina von Sternberg<br />
Free and husband Collins proudly<br />
announced the birth of William<br />
Anderson.<br />
Courtney Evans Henke and husband<br />
Andrew welcomed Adeline Patricia on<br />
January 4, <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
Anne Louise Conway married<br />
Brett Blanchard (pictured right) on<br />
September 30, 2017. Caroline Conway<br />
Lipscomb '05 served as matron of<br />
honor. Bridesmaids included Diana<br />
Dunlap Bridger, Kendall Buckalew<br />
McCord, Elizabeth Schlotzhauer<br />
Putnam, and Ashley Forgason Willis.<br />
46
Caroline Dudley Bean and Megan<br />
McGraw MacIntyre were in the house<br />
party. Tim Conway '09 served as a<br />
groomsman.<br />
Kappler '05, Katie Lucia Rottet,<br />
Megan McGraw MacIntyre, Ariel<br />
Reed Spagnoletti '02, and Annina<br />
Stefanelli Emmott '04.<br />
Throckmorton Jackson and Jeff<br />
Jackson welcomed a son, Charlton<br />
Henry (pictured below).<br />
Becca Heilman Davison and husband<br />
Daniel had a baby girl, Hadley Gray, on<br />
September 24, 2017.<br />
Tobin Summers married Michael<br />
Moeller on April 29, 2017, in Brooklyn,<br />
New York.<br />
Caroline Keeland Harrison and<br />
husband Andy Harrison welcomed<br />
Hunter Watts on May 14, 2017.<br />
On July 8, 2017, Kendall Buckalew<br />
McCord and husband Trey became<br />
the proud parents of James Richard<br />
McCord IV (pictured above).<br />
Kate McLean was featured in the<br />
Houston Chronicle with her article, "The<br />
#MeToo Movement and the Restaurant<br />
Industry."<br />
Jose Molina started at South Texas<br />
College of Law in Houston.<br />
Adriana Banks married Mark<br />
Monroe on March 25, 2017. Honorary<br />
attendants included Liz Webster<br />
Hunter Wakefield married Elizabeth<br />
Cleveland on September 9, 2017, in<br />
Fort Worth, Texas. Ralph Abenshein,<br />
Stephen Fox, and Lloyd French were<br />
groomsmen, and Rogers Crain '05<br />
served as an usher.<br />
04<br />
Julie von Sternberg Andrews and<br />
husband Will welcomed a baby boy,<br />
Charlie Sackett, into the world on<br />
August 17, 2016.<br />
Jessica Ahrens Bingaman and<br />
husband Conor welcomed twins, Phillip<br />
Wright and May Towns, on May 18,<br />
2017.<br />
Liz McCormick obtained her Master<br />
of Science in Architecture Studies<br />
from the Massachusetts Institute<br />
of Technology. She will be serving a<br />
fellowship in building technology with<br />
a New Orleans architectural firm and<br />
acting as a guest lecturer at Tulane<br />
University.<br />
05<br />
On July 18, 2017, Elizabeth Matthews<br />
Dickson and husband Colin became<br />
the proud parents of daughter Riley<br />
McKenzie.<br />
Amanda and Juan Martinez welcomed<br />
daughter Ava Marie into the world on<br />
July 3, 2017.<br />
On October 23, 2017, Maggie Rose<br />
Loper Page and husband Corey<br />
became the proud parents of Jack<br />
Edward.<br />
Joe Sharman married Whitney<br />
Easterling on November 11, 2017.<br />
Groomsmen included Cooper<br />
Morris, Jeff Jackson, Justin Dzik,<br />
Price Monroe, Nick Adair, Rogers<br />
Crain, and Jeff Williams. Simon<br />
Feinsilver '06 served as an usher.<br />
On January 9, <strong>2018</strong>, Leigh Owens<br />
Fitzgerald and husband Nicholas<br />
announced the arrival of their son,<br />
Michael Charles Fitzgerald (pictured<br />
right).<br />
On July 27, 2017, Tany and Chaz Klaes<br />
had a baby boy, Charles "Charlie"<br />
Thomas.<br />
On October 19, 2017, Taylor<br />
06<br />
JohnPaul Colello received awards<br />
at the South Texas College of Law's<br />
Appellate Advocacy Moot Court<br />
competition. He was awarded<br />
Outstanding Advocate and placed first<br />
for his brief.<br />
47
Class Notes<br />
On October 30, 2017, Lauren Bricker<br />
Hodge and husband Jeffrey welcomed<br />
a baby boy, George Henry.<br />
On September 30, 2017, John<br />
Kerns wed Sydney Mafrige in Aspen,<br />
Colorado. Emily Vidor '08 served as<br />
maid of honor. Simon Feinsilver, Eric<br />
Jaschke, and Tolar Hamblen were<br />
best men, and Mitchell Malone was a<br />
groomsman.<br />
Gina and Vu Nguyen proudly<br />
announced the birth of their son,<br />
Maddox Kai Moore, on June 29, 2017.<br />
In 2016, sisters Sarina Rapini<br />
Peterson and Brianna Rapini created<br />
a science curriculum around their<br />
YouTube channel, the "Amoeba Sisters."<br />
Last year, they earned enough revenue<br />
to leave their day jobs and pursue the<br />
business full‐time.<br />
William Turner married Kathleen Long<br />
on November 4, 2017. Harrison Glover<br />
and Walton Leavell were groomsmen.<br />
07<br />
Molly and Travis Adams welcomed<br />
their son Phillip William into the world<br />
on December 5, 2017.<br />
William Baker is a professional tennis<br />
player who works for former University<br />
of Houston and nationally‐ranked player,<br />
Jim Rombeau.<br />
On September 12, 2017, Katelin and<br />
Binford Halverson welcomed their<br />
baby girl, Walker Kate (pictured below).<br />
On November 18, 2017, Caroline and<br />
Peter McLean welcomed their son,<br />
James Johnson.<br />
On December 22, 2016, Kristen<br />
Winship Ross and husband John<br />
welcomed baby girl Alaina Ann.<br />
08<br />
In October 2017, Katia Mazzone<br />
Basley and her catering company, La<br />
Petite Dominique, were featured in the<br />
"Inspiring Stories" section of Voyage<br />
Houston magazine.<br />
On January 29, <strong>2018</strong>, Maria Tapia<br />
Cavanaugh and husband John<br />
welcomed daughter Julieta Avery.<br />
Vivian Heard wed Byron Langford in<br />
Houston on April 22, 2016. Catherine<br />
Heard Riewoldt '06 served as matron<br />
of honor. Bridesmaids included Anne<br />
Giles Langford '10, Laura Murphy,<br />
Meagan O'Shaughnessy, Emily<br />
Briansky Tamlyn, and Linden Utt.<br />
Jordan Jones '10 was in the house<br />
party, and Denman Heard '12 served<br />
as a groomsman.<br />
Amy Engler and her colleagues<br />
(pictured left) recently presented their<br />
research, "Empowering Underserved<br />
Youth: An Adolescent Mental Health<br />
Initiative Serving Urban Middle<br />
Schoolers," at a Baylor College of<br />
Medicine symposium. Their research<br />
centered on an educational intervention<br />
at Navarro Middle School.<br />
Last fall, Jay Magness joined the <strong>EHS</strong><br />
community for Chapel where he shared<br />
his poignant story of recovery.<br />
John Wooldridge received awards<br />
at the South Texas College of Law's<br />
Appellate Advocacy Moot Court<br />
competition. He was awarded<br />
Outstanding Advocate and placed third<br />
for his brief.<br />
10<br />
David Gow's production "Where Has<br />
Tommy Flowers Gone?" had an exciting<br />
run at New York City's WorkShop<br />
Theater last winter. The production<br />
met with positive reviews. Broadway<br />
Radio's Peter Filichia said of David, "He<br />
is astonishing. For an actor to memorize<br />
this would be so difficult, but he does it.<br />
It's a showcase for him."<br />
Christian Lane is working at Cars.com,<br />
one of Chicago's first tech start‐ups. He<br />
was recently promoted to senior sales<br />
consultant and asked to manage their<br />
largest market in New York City. He will<br />
be moving to NYC in May <strong>2018</strong> to join<br />
the team.<br />
Sarah Thomas Merritt and husband<br />
Chance welcomed a baby girl, Peyton<br />
Mary Elizabeth, on July 18, 2017.<br />
48<br />
Andrew Sterling recently moved<br />
to Nashville to pursue his MBA at<br />
Vanderbilt University.<br />
09<br />
At an Astros game in June 2016,<br />
James Burke threw out the first pitch<br />
representing the Epilepsy Foundation<br />
of Texas.<br />
Charlie Strauss joined HFF as a<br />
real estate analyst on the investment<br />
advisory team.<br />
Stephanie Styles will appear as a<br />
regular on the sitcom "Three Rivers."<br />
Stephanie returned to campus last fall<br />
to serve as an Alumni Leadership Day<br />
Arts and Entertainment panelist. When<br />
asked to give career advice, the actress<br />
impressed upon <strong>EHS</strong> seniors the
importance of being genuine and the<br />
power of a good reputation.<br />
On February 3, <strong>2018</strong>, Katherine Egner<br />
married Trevor Brown '11 (pictured<br />
below). The couple wed in Benitez<br />
Chapel on the Episcopal High School<br />
campus.<br />
14<br />
Devon Cash (pictured right) recently<br />
returned to campus to kick off the<br />
Paddles Up portion of the <strong>EHS</strong> Auction<br />
in support of our financial aid program.<br />
After he graduates from Stanford<br />
University in May <strong>2018</strong>, Devon will move<br />
to New York City and begin his job with<br />
Goldman Sachs.<br />
11<br />
On February 16, <strong>2018</strong>, Travis Ryan<br />
(pictured below) completed pilot<br />
training with the U.S. Air Force. He will<br />
be moving to Dover, Delaware, to fly the<br />
C‐17 Globemaster III.<br />
13<br />
In May 2017, Claremont‐Mudd‐Scripps<br />
lacrosse midfielder Cara Cancelmo<br />
earned a place on the All‐SCIAC First<br />
Team. She was also named to the<br />
IWLCA All‐West Region First Team.<br />
In May 2017, Olivia Landry graduated<br />
from the University of Texas at Austin<br />
with a Bachelor of Arts in English and<br />
a minor in dance. She is now enrolled<br />
as a student at the University of Texas<br />
School of Law.<br />
The University of Missouri honors 39<br />
seniors every year for their academic<br />
achievement, leadership, and service<br />
to the school and the community. Out<br />
of thousands of nominees, Falyn Page<br />
(pictured below) has been selected for<br />
the <strong>2018</strong> Class of Mizzou '39.<br />
15<br />
Hayley Donnelly, a lacrosse player at<br />
Southwestern University, was named to<br />
the All‐IWLS Second Team.<br />
17<br />
In June 2017, Trei Cruz was drafted in<br />
the 35th round by the Houston Astros.<br />
Walker Little was named Co‐Freshman<br />
Offensive Player of the Year in the<br />
Pac 12. He was the first freshman at<br />
Stanford to start on the offensive line in<br />
over 18 years. He was also selected for<br />
ESPN's All‐America Freshman Team.<br />
In September 2017, Jordan Pytosh, a<br />
freshman at Northwestern University,<br />
had his editorial published in The Daily<br />
Northwestern. Jordan will continue to<br />
be a contributing writer for the student<br />
paper.<br />
Jackson Henry was published in the<br />
February <strong>2018</strong> issue of the Journal of<br />
Applied Physics.<br />
On April 7, <strong>2018</strong>, Kendall Plank and the<br />
Texas A&M University Women's Polo<br />
Team rode away with the title at the<br />
National Intercollegiate Championship<br />
Finals, held at the Santa Barbara Polo<br />
Club in Carpinteria, California. The<br />
team won 14‐5 over former champs<br />
University of Virginia, garnering their<br />
third national title after a 23‐year dry<br />
spell. Kendall was also named a <strong>2018</strong><br />
NIC Women's All‐Star player.<br />
Maggie Rippeto, who plays lacrosse<br />
at Rhodes University in Tennessee,<br />
was named to the SAA All‐Conference<br />
Second Team.<br />
49
LIFE LESSONS<br />
ALONG THE<br />
AMAZON<br />
by Johnny Motley<br />
In the glaring blast of the equatorial sun, I waited<br />
outside an obscure outpost of the Brazilian Bureau of<br />
Indian Affairs for my name to be called by the office's<br />
director. I had been in the Amazon for months—evinced<br />
by my emaciated frame, heavy beard, and darkly‐tanned<br />
skin. A week‐long voyage in a hammock slung up in a cargo<br />
ship—a journey through majestic corridors of towering forest,<br />
mysterious waters populated with pink river dolphins, and<br />
stretches of river so wide that they appeared as actual seas—<br />
had taken me from the Amazonian city of Manaus to the last<br />
non‐indigenous settlement in Brazil, a military base known<br />
as São Gabriel da Cachoeira. Indigenous people consider<br />
this region, straddling the tri‐border of Brazil, Colombia, and<br />
Venezuela, the heart of the Amazon Rainforest.<br />
Those waiting with me outside the outpost reflected the<br />
dazzling ethnic diversity of this region. Among others, I<br />
identified Yanomami, known as the "fierce people" and<br />
isolated to the mountains near Venezuela; Tukano, the<br />
most populous and dominant tribe in the Upper Amazon;<br />
Nadahup, pygmy hunter‐gatherers who were considered the<br />
"Grandfathers of the Forest;" and Quilomberos, descendants<br />
of fugitive enslaved Africans who had established colonies<br />
in the Amazon during the colonial era. Those waiting with<br />
me had likely traveled from their reservations to renew<br />
government documents, and they stared at me with silent<br />
curiosity. As I mentally prepared my pitch to gain permission<br />
to visit the protected indigenous communities further up the<br />
river, I was summoned by the director's secretary.<br />
He was Tukano, but his paunch and doughy face betrayed<br />
the fact that he had lived outside of the traditional villages for<br />
many years. He eyeballed me with suspicion. "So, you're the<br />
gringo who wants to visit the communities?" he asked as he<br />
fished for a proposal I had submitted to his office days earlier.<br />
The proposal spoke to my religious studies course at Harvard<br />
University and my desire to observe traditional rituals among<br />
the Upper Amazon's indigenous groups.<br />
I affirmed that I was the foreigner in question, and he cut me<br />
off before I could finish. "You can forget about these plans. I<br />
won't authorize you even a single day in the protected villages.<br />
What's more, if I find out that you go there anyway, I will send<br />
the military police after you."<br />
Despondent,<br />
I sat with a local friend later that evening on the bank of the<br />
Amazon. He was a Tukano, and we had become fast friends<br />
on the boat ride to São Gabriel da Cachoeira.<br />
He chuckled as he leveled with me. "He wanted a bribe,<br />
brother." Then reassuringly, "Listen, my mother is his cousin,<br />
and I will go to the Indian Bureau tomorrow morning to talk<br />
to him. Vai dar certo—it will all work out." He grinned and<br />
added, "In fact, you'll get along famously with the indigenous<br />
folks on the reservations—you speak the same funny, broken<br />
Portuguese that they do."<br />
The following day, the surly director summoned me back to<br />
his office. When I arrived, he shoved an official document<br />
in my hands: "I'll authorize you one week in the Tukano<br />
reservation. Don't even think about staying a day more. I've<br />
radioed their Captain and they are expecting you."<br />
I trekked to the port in São Gabriel where cargo ships<br />
unloaded their wares and tribes bought supplies to take back<br />
to their reservations. By a stroke of luck, I met a man who<br />
was from the village where I was headed. He agreed to ferry<br />
me on his tiny motorized canoe if I purchased the gasoline.<br />
About an hour after departing São Gabriel, we diverged from<br />
the main trunk of the tea‐colored Amazon and skirted up<br />
a small, serpentine tributary, so narrow that sunlight could<br />
barely reach us through the thick canopy above. We plied<br />
several miles up the tributary until we reached a small, almost<br />
imperceptible clearing on its bank. As we got closer, I realized<br />
there were earthen steps leading up to the forest above. My<br />
guide announced proudly that we had arrived in Comunidade<br />
São Jorge.<br />
50
The Last Word<br />
At the top of the steep river bank, a large clearing in the<br />
forest appeared, containing dozens of thatched‐roofed huts<br />
arranged roughly in a circular formation. The Captain of Sao<br />
Jorge, a solemn Tukano man aged about 50, greeted me<br />
with several elders. He accepted the gifts I had brought of<br />
foodstuffs and tools from São Gabriel and directed me to<br />
a communal meeting building, known as a maloca, where I<br />
was to sling up my hammock. As I walked to the maloca, a<br />
herd of wide‐eyed children followed me, and they shrieked<br />
and scrambled to hide whenever I turned to look at them. I<br />
had been advised to bring a bag of chocolates for the kids,<br />
and as soon as the first treats were distributed, they were<br />
glued to me like my own shadow for the rest of my sojourn<br />
in São Jorge (one even woke me up on a daily basis to get<br />
the first bonbon of the day). An elderly woman, the mother<br />
of the Captain, approached me. "Be welcome here in our<br />
community. We embrace outsiders, as long as they have<br />
something to teach the children."<br />
That week, I rose every day at 5:00 a.m. to join the<br />
community for Mass. Salesian missionaries had established<br />
a presence in the Alto Rio Negro several decades prior, and<br />
although traditional Tukano beliefs and rituals still existed in<br />
Comunidade São Jorge, they were ostensibly Catholic. About<br />
midmorning, I would join the Captain and the other adults<br />
for a breakfast of tapioca‐starch cakes and fish and then<br />
sit in on their daily deliberations, in which they discussed<br />
communal issues in Tukano and patiently translated for me<br />
into Portuguese.<br />
A particularly vocal participant in the morning meetings<br />
was the village medicine man, Seu José. Jose lived in a<br />
hut with his family outside the village, deeper into the forest<br />
and relatively cut off from the other families. His hut was<br />
the simplest of all, merely a thatched roof upheld with poles<br />
and without walls. He had a small garden of chili peppers,<br />
tubers, and medicinal herbs, but the totality of his family's<br />
possessions could have fit into a backpack. José was in his<br />
40s, and he had a twinkling, mischievous smile that bloomed<br />
from beneath a pile of deep wrinkles and scars. The creases<br />
and scars testified to a hard life—he and his kin had been<br />
persecuted by the Colombian guerrilla, and he had lost many<br />
friends and relatives in conflicts. He had fled Colombia for<br />
Brazil, and although he had learned Tukano and Portuguese,<br />
his native language and ethnicity were distinct from the others<br />
in São Jorge. José loved to tell jokes and stories, and we<br />
quickly recognized each other as kindred spirits.<br />
A week after I departed São Jorge, José's youngest child, a<br />
toddler, died tragically when he tipped over a boiling pot of<br />
water onto himself. The child might have survived, but they<br />
were unable to get him to the hospital in São Gabriel quickly<br />
enough. These heart‐wrenching events motivated me to<br />
return to São Jorge a year later with funds for the community<br />
to purchase a motorboat, an acquisition that would allow<br />
them to reach São Gabriel in about half the time in the event<br />
of another emergency.<br />
The young men in the village about my own age took me<br />
hunting for monkeys and to see sacred sites further up the<br />
river. They had a deep knowledge of Tukano mythology<br />
and shamanic practices, and we had fascinating religious<br />
discussions. They explained that Tukano mythology held that<br />
the Great Creator had in fact sent a son to teach their distant<br />
ancestors. What's more, they believed that this mythological<br />
Son of the Great Creator had, in fact, been Christ incarnated<br />
as an indigenous Amazonian.<br />
The young Tukano were curious about my own land, and<br />
they marveled at the pictures of the snow and the ocean<br />
that I showed them. They expressed their desires to learn<br />
about the wider world, but also their concerns that in the<br />
wake of increasing development in the Upper Amazon their<br />
indigenous traditions and languages would not survive for<br />
their children. They told me of the romances, dramas, and<br />
courtships that were unfolding within São Jorge, as well<br />
as crushes and longings for certain young ladies in other<br />
indigenous villages.<br />
What amazed me most during my days in São Jorge was<br />
the amount of common ground that I discovered with its<br />
residents. Many of them, especially the older generation, had<br />
no conception of a city or even life outside of the Amazon.<br />
Some had never seen a person of European ancestry, and<br />
light skin and blonde hair shocked them as much as man<br />
with a third eyeball might shock us. Despite our differences,<br />
we laughed together and managed to cultivate deep and<br />
meaningful conversations in Portuguese, a second language<br />
for both them and me. I realized that our deepest concerns<br />
and dreams were essentially identical: the well‐being of family,<br />
the desire to live responsibly and honorably, and yearnings<br />
for meaning, love, and beauty. They demonstrated to me,<br />
in a similar manner, that Brazilians I had met in favelas and<br />
rustic fishing villages did, that profound richness of life can<br />
be achieved with very few—indeed almost zero—material<br />
possessions.<br />
Most importantly, what I affirmed in São Jorge is that the<br />
human heart is the same across cultures, languages, and<br />
ethnicities. Whether one is born deep in the Amazon or in a<br />
modern, industrialized city, we all seek the same goals, ask<br />
the same questions, and are all created in God's image.<br />
Johnny Motley joined <strong>EHS</strong> this year to teach in the<br />
Department of Religion and assist with coaching the wrestling<br />
team. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies<br />
and a Master in Theology from Harvard. Motley is fluent in<br />
Spanish and Portuguese and has traveled extensively in<br />
Brazil. In his spare time, Motley is working on a proposal to<br />
record the stories and history of the Nadahup, one of the<br />
last remaining hunter‐gatherer tribes in the Amazon. Motley<br />
and his collaborator, a photographer for National Geographic,<br />
hope to produce a photo essay on the Nadahup over the<br />
summer recess.<br />
51
52<br />
Photo by Ashleigh Teel.
2017 ‐ <strong>2018</strong><br />
BOARD OF TRUSTEES<br />
Chairman<br />
The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle<br />
Executive Chair<br />
Randa Duncan Williams<br />
Henrietta K. Alexander, Matthew K. Baird, Shelley Torian Barineau, J. Craig Chandler, W. Craig Childers, Gregory S. Curran,<br />
Rod Cutsinger, Julie G. Donaldson, William A. Edens Sr., J. Todd Frazier '88, Susan C. Garwood † , Gregory R. Geib,<br />
The Rev. James M. L. Grace '94, Melinda Budinger Hildebrand, George V. Kane III, George O. McDaniel III, Jeffrey J. McParland,<br />
Dis Netland, Townes G. Pressler Jr., Joe Pyne, A. Haag Sherman, Ned Smith, Trey Snider, Duncan K. Underwood '89<br />
Life Trustees<br />
John F. Austin III, Edward C. Becker, The Rt. Rev. Maurice M. Benitez † , W. Craig Childers, Lacy Crain, The Rev. Laurens A. Hall,<br />
Victor A. Kormeier Jr., Frederick R. McCord † , Laurence B. Neuhaus, The Rt. Rev. Claude E. Payne, Joel I. Shannon, Lynda<br />
Knapp Underwood, The Rt. Rev. Don A. Wimberly<br />
Executive Committee<br />
The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, Julie G. Donaldson, William F. Galtney Jr., Melinda Budinger Hildebrand, Victor A. Kormeier Jr.,<br />
George O. McDaniel III, Jeffrey J. McParland, Dis Netland, Ned Smith, Lynda Knapp Underwood, Randa Duncan Williams,<br />
Thomas M. Wright<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
Head of School<br />
Ned Smith<br />
Assistant Head of<br />
School and Principal<br />
Nancy Laufe Eisenberg<br />
Director of Finance<br />
and Operations<br />
Evelyn Cambria<br />
Dean of Faculty<br />
Nguyet Xuan Pham<br />
Director of Advancement<br />
Peggy Haney<br />
Dean of Spiritual Life<br />
The Rev. Beth Holden<br />
Dean of Arts<br />
Jay Berckley<br />
Director of Athletics<br />
Jason Grove<br />
PILLARS MAGAZINE TEAM<br />
Director of Communications<br />
Claire Fletcher<br />
Graphic Design<br />
Ashleigh Teel<br />
Contributors<br />
Chris Bailey Photography, Jason Grove, Kendall Buckalew<br />
McCord '03, Johnny Motley, Emma Tsai, Sharon Willcutts,<br />
Margaret Young<br />
Photography<br />
Claire Fletcher, Mauro Gomez, Ashleigh Teel<br />
53
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