the caller fall 2015

The

Relationships: A value that guides teaching and learningEssays by Dawn Isaacs, Vicki Swartz Roscoe,Barbara Ostos, and Dan Griffiths

The magazine for alumni, parents, and friends of Catlin Gabel School

Fall 2015

Caller

1 The Caller | Fall 2015

Catlin Gabel is an independent, non-sectarian, progressive coeducational day school serving 760 students from preschool through 12th grade. Its roots go back to the Portland Academy, founded in 1859. The school occupies 63 acres on Barnes Road, five miles west of downtown Portland. Our mission: to support inspired learning leading to responsible action through dedicated teaching, caring relationships, a challenging curriculum, and community service.

FALL 2015TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 Special Section - Relationships: A Value that Guides Teaching and Learning Essays by Division Heads Dawn Isaacs, Vicki Swartz Roscoe, Barbara Ostos, and Dan Griffiths

11 Bonding at 10,000 Feet

13 Many Factors at Play

15 The Class of 2015

17 Class Notes

23 News

25 Alumni and Homecoming Weekend 2015

27 Planning for the Future of Catlin Gabel School

28 A Conversation with Jasmine Love, Director of Equity

29 From the Archives

Tim BazemoreHead of School

Miranda Wellman ’91Director of Advancement

Marcella FauciDirector of Communications

Ken DuBoisDirector of Public Relations and Publications/Editor [email protected]

Jennifer ReynoldsDesign

Catlin Gabel School8825 SW Barnes RoadPortland, OR 97225(503) 297-1894www.catlin.edu

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2The Caller | Fall 2015

Relationships: Our Distinctive StrengthBy Tim Bazemore, Head of SchoolLast June I met with the senior class and asked them to share with me their perspective on what makes a Catlin Gabel education distinctive or memorable. The immediate and most common response was the relationship they have with their teachers. A week later, the faculty and staff gathered to begin conversations about strategic planning. I asked them a similar question: “What are our distinctive strengths?” The most common responses related to Catlin Gabel being a caring place, where students are comfortable with adults and relationships are key.

These answers should surprise no one, from our oldest alum-ni to children in the Beehive. While school includes many moments of quiet study and is increasingly self-directed, learning is fundamentally a social activity. The relationships students establish with their teachers shape learning and en-gagement in profound ways, and inform the teacher’s meth-ods as well. The relationships students form with peers give them comparative points of view that are essential to arriving at personal understanding.

An ambitious school like Catlin Gabel fosters a web of rela-tionships. At the center is the classroom relationship between teacher and student, created by daily interaction, and the successes and setbacks each student experiences. Surrounding and supporting that is the relationship teachers have with each other, as they work together to give each child’s learning experience cohesion and meaning. A respectful and construc-tive relationship between teachers and parents tells the child that school is safe and valuable. A collaborative relationship between divisions and departments and faculty and staff gives students a sense of being in “one school,” where we all pursue shared goals.

In addition to these personal relationships, Catlin Gabel has established a wide range of institutional relationships that add value to the education we provide and create distinctive opportunities for students. Service relationships with Albina Head Start and the Oregon Food Bank teach our students empathy, communication skills, and cultural competence. Competitive relationships challenge our teams in athletics, ro-botics, and mock trial. Nascent relationships with the Kairos PDX charter school and the Latino Network inspire creative thinking about who we are in the Portland community.

Many of our off-campus programs are designed to foster relationships among students from Portland area high schools. Startup Camp 3.0, for example, creates peer relationships, as students collaborate and compete to launch new products and form relationships with adult mentors. Our PLACE urban studies program attracts students from many schools, and

will become even more inclusive when we open our PLACE Center in January. In this new learning space, we will partner with community organizations in Northeast Portland to foster youth empowerment and leadership skills.

Our professional relationships also are important, and help us to continually improve and adapt as a school. The Col-lege Board and the Northwest and National Associations of Independent Schools, for example, give us access to emerging ideas that benefit our students and teachers. The Indepen-dent Schools Data Exchange and other organizations help us to make data-informed decisions about both operational and strategic issues.

In my career, I have placed a high priority on forming re-lationships with other educators in all kinds of settings and from all walks of life. Much of what I have had the oppor-tunity to help create, from an international boys’ schools coalition to a noncognitive skills assessment tool, has been the result of connecting to others passionate about student learn-ing. In many cases, I have felt the same sense of gratitude for professional colleagues that I know our students feel for their teachers. When we open ourselves to the wisdom and guidance of others we respect, students, and heads of school, become learners.

In the pages that follow, you can read what our division heads observe about school relationships. You also can read the student perspective, in the form of their notes to teachers. As these writers have done, I encourage you to reflect on those memorable people who saw your potential and taught you the power of relationships.

Tim presents ideas, reflections, and observations in his regular blog on the Catlin Gabel website. Follow the blog, and subscribe, at www.catlin.edu.

The Caller | www.catlin.edu3

Begin with Knowing Yourselfby Dawn Isaacs, Beginning School Head

To contribute and find success in the world, we know our children will need to be able to listen to others, appreciate different perspectives, and work together to solve problems. A primary goal of the Beginning School is to help students become a community of learners. It is big work—and a lifelong journey—to be able to successfully learn, work, and play as part of a larger group. In the Beginning School Beehive, teachers begin by forming strong relationships with the children and families; as these bonds are formed, they foster friendships and thought partners between the children.

The work starts well before the preschoolers arrive on campus. Our preschool teachers visit each child’s home to begin to build a relationship with the entire family. Family members work together to create family books the children look at in class and use to get to know the families of their classmates. Kindergarten teachers meet with parents, and begin to form partnerships between the family and school during September “Tell Us” conferences. The connections formed between teachers and families are essential to cultivating and supporting relationships between the children of the Beehive.

Success in relationships begins with knowing yourself well. Teachers work to help children become more self-aware and able to recognize their emotions and reactions. Visit a classroom and you might overhear children remarking on the level of their “engine” as they come in from recess: “My engine is really high right now because I was running around so much! I need to slow it down for story.” This self-awareness leads to an ability to regulate thoughts and emotions. Throughout the day we weave in habits of mindfulness, and often you’ll see our students doing a couple of “volcano breaths” to help get their energy levels to the just-right levels.

Children who are self-aware and able to self-regulate are better equipped to form relationships with others. Our teachers are keen observers of children and honor the variety of personalities found in a classroom. Through purposeful groupings and partnerships, teachers work to foster relationships between the children. Even a small moment of the day, such as deciding where children will sit for lunch, is an intentional decision by a teacher to help cultivate a friendship or provide a child with a new perspective.

We also build relationships through songs, traditions, and rituals. Most Fridays during the school year, families and children gather in the Beginning School Well to sing and experience the joy of each other’s company. Morning and Closing meetings provide times throughout the day for the community of students to come together, share news, celebrate successes, and solve problems.

Sometimes children need explicit lessons on how to solve problems as they arise. Through storytelling, picture books, role play, and group discussions, students develop a tool box of skills to use when managing relationships with others.

Beehive students capitalize on their relationships to learn with and from each other. Kindergarteners form study groups created by students all interested in the same topic. During their Explorations time they gather as a study group to learn together. Preschoolers, acting out a story in the playhouse, add complexity and nuance to their stories through the contributions of their classmates.

The benefits of the strong relationships formed in the Beehive are vast and varied—from lifelong friendships, to the ability to negotiate a conflict with a peer, to knowing how to work with a group to accomplish a goal. We value the work of building relationships so highly, and give it such prominence in our curriculum, because we know it will endure and benefit the denizens of the Beehive long after they have left the Beginning School.

Relationships: A value that guides teaching and learning


Dawn Isaacs, new Head of the Beginning School, with students in the Beehive

5 The Caller | www.catlin.edu

It’s All About Relationships by Vicki Swartz Roscoe, Lower School Head and Assistant Head of SchoolThink back to your days in school. Who was your favorite teacher? Why? How did she or he positively impact your life? We all have a story about a certain teacher somewhere in the course of our lives. I’ve posed these questions with many groups of people, and there is one absolute commonality amongst their heartfelt stories: it was about the relationship they had with this particular teacher. These authentic stories are deeply embedded in the relationships between students and teachers.

Mrs. Burkhart was one of those teachers for me. As a fourth grader she took me out of the deadly Basal reader and let me read Old Yeller and Gentle Ben. One day I accidentally called fractions “frictions” and after that we had an ongoing private joke about it, with knowing winks. She was the first teacher I remember teaching science, and I was fascinated—we studied our fingernail scrapings under a microscope (appropriate grossness for this age level) and grew smelly molds on dampened bread. I loved the stories she told about the antics of her own daughter, Susie. This was nearly a half century ago and I still remember some of these stories from her life.

Teaching is about relationship building. And the quality of these relationships has everything to do with cognitive/academic, social, emotional, physical, and moral growth.

I challenge anyone, even the most skillful of observers, to watch interactions in a Catlin Gabel classroom and see if they can pluck out the layers of teaching from the layers of relationship. From my standpoint, it is impossible to do as they are so fully and elegantly intertwined. And our teachers know this, smuggling relationship into their teaching.

Relationships take time and once you have them, you reap the benefits over time. Many of our teachers (modern language, art, science, music, PE/health, wood shop, computer science), coaches (sports, robotics, chtess) and C&C advisory teachers “loop” with the same students for several years. Lisa, librarian of the Beginning and Lower Schools, works with students for up to seven years and absolutely loves the benefits of these relationships that deepen over time. Enrique moved to the Upper School where he is teaching Spanish to students whom he taught for five years in the Lower School. He has been blown away with the power of this experience. Talk about getting to know students well! I believe this notion of “looping” is one of the best-kept secrets in education.



This relationship building isn’t just with the students. Once healthy bonds are established between the teacher, student, and parents, there is no limit to the learning that can take place. Parents are their children’s first and most significant teachers. Without parental support, our effectiveness is limited. Students are smart and pick up on nuances of mistrust or disapproval on the part of their parents towards a teacher or school program, and this quite literally undermines that student’s learning with that teacher. In order to make a positive difference with students, establishing relationships with parents/guardians is also a critical part of our work.

As teachers, we plant many seeds but never know for sure how they’ll grow long-term. I recently received an e-mail from a fourth grader I taught 25 years ago as an exchange teacher in England:

Shelly Brazier here. I was the shy timid one back then. I remember the yellow car you had and the registration on it...Do you? You teaching me that year was the best year I ever had at school. I still have a note that you wrote to me before you left…You had such a great memorable impact in my school life.

Nothing has more meaning to a teacher than getting a note like this. If you haven’t already, I urge you to let your favorite teacher know the difference she or he made in your life.


Human Connections that Ground Learning

By Barbara Ostos, Middle School Head

Every summer the entire Middle School, both students and teachers, shares a reading experience that connects us in the fall. Lynn Silbernagel, our Middle School librarian, has led this initiative, and she intentionally chooses books written by a local author, and arranges for that author to visit our campus and meet the students in the fall. For summer 2015, Lynn asked us to choose one of three books written by Deborah Hopkinson. I chose to read Hopkinson’s Into the Firestorm.

Into the Firestorm is a story about an incredibly independent, self-reliant, curious, and empathetic boy who makes his way across the country to his dream destination of San Francisco, only to arrive a few days before the great earthquake and fire of 1906. In the course of this exciting story, he helps others, shows courage, and finally finds a home for himself.

As he meets a new friend who eventually becomes his foster parent, his friend remarks, “A city is always more

than its buildings. Buildings, of course, have their own characters. But I find that the true heart of a city is its people, always so fascinating and different. That’s what I love about San Francisco, don’t you?”

Upon reading this, I figuratively and literally stopped reading. It struck me as the perfect description of Catlin Gabel School. Though our 63-acre campus is awe-inspiring and one of the richest tapestries for learning in Portland, the true heart of our school is the people, who are indeed fascinating and different. And when I meet new people or run into alumni or past parents, none ask about the latest building or changes to the physical campus. They all inquire about the people they love, the mentors who transformed them during their time at Catlin Gabel.

“Is Tom Tucker still there? The chair my son made still sits in the middle of our living room. How is Dale Rawls? He was my advisor. I heard Pongi is teaching math now. Please tell her you saw me.”



It is this deep sense of human connections that grounds the learning students and teachers do each day. Teachers are authentically curious about students and their interests. Students know and appreciate the authenticity of this interest and use it to leverage their learning. Teachers regularly differentiate lessons and assessments to allow students to show their best work or focus on areas of real interest for them within the context of a unit. Students always rise to the challenge to make meaning of the learning and to discover alongside their adult mentors. The power of their relationships, based in respect and curiosity, fuel everything we do as a middle school.

Year after year, our new teachers candidly report that interacting and hearing from current teachers about their projects and passions is one of the main reasons they accepted their positions. It is this interconnectness of fascinating and different people that creates the magic that happens daily in the Middle School and at Catlin Gabel School as a whole school.

That’s what I love about Catlin Gabel School, don’t you?


The Role of the Teacher as Advisorby Dan Griffiths, Upper School Head

At the start of this school year the Upper and Middle School faculty spent two days working on our deep listening skills. The goal of this professional development training was to equip all of us who work with adolescents at Catlin Gabel with a set of tools to help our students feel truly heard, respected, and cared for.

What surprised the visiting trainers was that this is already very much a part of our culture at Catlin Gabel. To prepare for the training, they read through back editions of this magazine, and they were struck by a consistent theme in the student-written essays: In almost every piece, students made the point that close relationships with their teachers were the hallmark of a Catlin Gabel education.

In fact, caring relationships are a central component of our mission, and generations of Catlin Gabel students have benefited from the support and encouragement they have received from their teachers and advisors.

The role of the teacher as advisor evolves as a child progresses through adolescence. By the time students reach the Upper School, we expect them to develop an increasing ability to advocate for themselves and use us as sounding boards rather than problem solvers. We are able to connect well with our students due to our small classes and advisory groups (known as C&C for reasons blurred by history, but most likely an abbreviation of any combination of counseling, community, conversation, and conference). Most teachers serve multiple roles at the school (teacher, advisor, club leader, trip leader, coach), so students have a chance to get to know and trust them in a variety of contexts.

Adolescence is a time characterized by rapid cycling between emotional highs and lows, and our role is to

try to smooth the path through these formative years without negating the value of negative experiences (to paraphrase Kipling, meeting with Triumph and Disaster and treating those two impostors just the same). As advisors and mentors it is important for us to avoid the instinct to fix any and all potential problems through directives or intervention, even though this is often our instinct as experienced adults (and, in many cases, as parents ourselves). It is essential that we help students navigate through difficult times through careful listening and asking good questions to help them process information. Emotional resilience can only develop when you are allowed to work



out personal strategies for overcoming the various challenges life throws at you, and this growth will not occur if we continually intervene. Anyone who has lived or worked with teenagers knows that they are not often receptive to being told what to do, so it is important for us to accept that they will make mistakes (we will often see these mistakes coming long before they do) and be willing to pick them up, dust them off, and let them know we are here to help them work through any ramifications.

During a faculty meeting a few years ago, our erstwhile colleague Paul Dickinson shared a key observation from more than 40 years as an Upper School advisor. He said he asked himself a simple question at regular intervals throughout the year: If I asked my advisees if they thought I really knew them, what would they say? If the answer was no, he knew he had work to do.

This simple check-in is a great reminder to us all: When they make a connection with at least one adult in school, students thrive.


Bonding at 10,000 FeetThe Catlin Gabel Outdoor Education Program oversaw training and logistics for a 12-person ascent of Mt. Jefferson (10,495 feet) in June 2015, but it was the tenacity and teamwork of the climbers that got them to the top and safely back to camp. This photograph by Program Director Peter Green captures Miriam Caron ’18 (left) and Mia Hamacher ’18 (right) in the final stages of their descent.

Mia“Our rope team was the fastest by far. We had split from the main group at the base of a boulder field near the top of the glacier, in daylight after summiting. Now, trekking towards base camp, the sun had left an orange glow to guide us down the Whitewater Glacier towards the tree line and our waiting tents. Following Miriam down the glacier, I basked in the glo-ry of my triumph, looking back every few steps to take in the greatness of Mt. Jefferson and the moon rising behind us.”

Miriam“As we raced sundown to descend our final glacier on Mt. Jefferson, I lost my footing and landed on the now soft ice, tugging hard at Mia’s rope. The watercolor sunset silhouetted all the mountains I hope to climb during my time in the Pacific Northwest. Despite my exhaustion from the day of mountaineering, I was truly feeling accomplished and in awe at the scene before me.”


Athletic pursuits at Catlin Gabel are encouraged as part of the whole child approach to education, and students embrace the opportunity: 82% of Middle School students and 69% of Upper School students participate on Catlin Gabel teams. They like to compete, and they play to win. And during the 2014-15 school year CGS teams racked up more wins than they have in years.

There were some happy surprises. In the first year with Catlin Gabel swim teams, the boys won the state championship, and the girls’ team went all the way to finals. Other successes were years in the making, such as the boys’ baseball streak, and the first girls’ tennis state championship since 2004. Boy’s track and field, on their way to the state title, set a record in the relay.

Many Factors at PlayFour reasons why Catlin Gabel athletes enjoy winning seasons all year round

The Caller | Fall 2015 14

3. Building relationshipsA Catlin Gabel education is based on strong relationships, and the athletic program is no exception. “It’s not just about moving people through,” Sandy says. “It’s about what goes on along the journey, and making sure that everybody’s involved.” That relationship-building can start years before a student joins a team. Middle School students who show an interest, for example, are invited to attend Upper School warm-ups and games.

4. Teaching character firstThe positive attitude of Catlin Gabel athletes, even when fac-ing a loss, is a key reason for their overall success, says Sandy. She credits the coaching staff for teaching that point consis-tently across all sports. “Going for a win at all costs isn’t worth it,” she says. “Teach character first, no matter what.”

1. Teaching resiliency and promoting self-esteemAthletes are coached to be resilient in the face of defeat, and to rechallenge themselves for the work ahead. They are also coached to believe in their abilities, and to bring that confidence into every game. “We’re teaching kids that you shouldn’t be afraid to win,” Sandy says. “You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for the win and get after it.”

2. Developing the “whole child”The time commitment required to pursue team sports has to be balanced with other obligations, so the coachingstaff works with athletes to create the balance they need to succeed in all areas. Coaches talk with a student’s advisors to better understand what’s going well for that student, and where they may need extra support.

Many factors contributed to the students’ success in sports, says Athletic Director Sandy Luu, but instilling the school’s values was a major factor. She cites four main reasons for the athletic program’s success:

Wins are great, says Sandy, but the main objective of her program is preparing students for life beyond Catlin Gabel by teaching them teamwork, cooperation, and how to handle both victory and defeat. “Our focus is to help the kids go through it while we’re there to pick them up,” she says. “We help them walk through these lessons now so that they can become better people later.”


May 14, 2015 In this portrait from graduation day, the Class of 2015 assembles to show the bond they have as a group—a connection they will carry through life. But even in this moment of solidarity, their individuality comes through.

As with previous Catlin Gabel graduates, the class of 2015 has been preparing for graduation for many years—in some cases, ever since their first days in the Beehive. At every stage, they were encouraged to think independently, question, collaborate, and take pride in the ways they are different from others. They were empowered to follow their interests in any direction they chose. Now they will begin to follow those interests across the country and around the world.

In their Upper School years, the Class of 2015 displayed exceptional qualities that, collectively, were

Class of 2015

unlike any previous Catlin Gabel class. Individually they participated in archaeological digs, national fencing tournaments, TedTalks, and physics research. In groups, they patented inventions, formulated urban planning proposals, performed in rock bands, and published poetry anthologies. They provoked and inspired their teachers and classmates with their thoughts, words, and actions. And they became part of the history of this school and joined generations of alumni.

We celebrate the class of 2015 as seekers of knowledge and experience, and because they embody the school’s mission, as articulated by co-founder Priscilla Gabel almost 70 years ago: "A true education involves more than formal development of the mind alone,” she wrote, “it must develop the whole nature of a young human being to the utmost of his [or her] individual capacity."

Photo credit: Joseph Grimes


Class of 2015

Photo credit: Joseph Grimes

American UniversityBarnard College Beloit College (x2)Boston UniversityBryn Mawr CollegeChapman UniversityClaremont McKenna CollegeThe College of WoosterColorado CollegeCornell University (x2)Dartmouth CollegeHarvey Mudd CollegeLafayette CollegeLewis & Clark College (x2)Linfield CollegeMarquette UniversityMarymount Manhattan CollegeMcGill UniversityMills CollegeMount Holyoke CollegeNew York UniversityNortheastern University (x5)Oberlin CollegeOccidental College (x4) Oregon State University

Pitzer College (x2)Princeton University (x2)Reed CollegeSeattle University (x2)Skidmore CollegeScripps College (x2)Stanford University (x4)Swarthmore College Tufts UniversityUniversity of British ColumbiaUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, Santa CruzUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of DenverUniversity of Oregon (x3)University of Puget SoundUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Washington (x2)Washington University in St. Louis Whitman College (x4)Worcester Polytechnic Institute (x3)Gap Year (x3)

College ChoicesThe Class of 2015 chose 34 schools in 23 states


Class Notes are now available in the Alumni Families section of the Catlin Gabel website (www.catlin.edu). The page is password-protected; the link will be shared with alumni via social media and the alumni e-newsletter.

Some of the notes printed here appeared previously in the online edition; new notes are interspersed.

Liaisons are listed for each class. Please send your class notes for the next issue of The Caller to your class liaison or [email protected].

1949Tualatin Hills Park & Rec-reation District board voted unanimously to change the name of Hideaway Park to Babette Horenstein Memorial Park to honor Babette Baruh Horenstein, a longtime parks district board member.

1958After years of hunting through Dutch junk shops and En-glish country houses seeking Chinese porcelain, Julia Blodgett Curtis, a Virginia collector and art scholar, and her husband have an over-abundance of Chinese art. They put 95 examples of 17th century Chinese porcelain in Christie’s March 2015 auction. Frey Diack Stearns wrote that she has a new grandson as of Thanksgiving, 2014. She reported news from Stockholm that Britt Hellquist Croner also has a new grandson born in March, 2015.

1962In June, 1958, the merged Cat-lin-Hillside and Gabel Country

The Class of ’62 in 1958. 1st row (sitting): Bob Joss, Kurt Wallen, Jordy Cornwall, John Knapp, Wick Rowland, Rick Steele, David Marsh, Andy Kerr, Tom Barton. 2nd row: Manvel Schauffler, Larry Nodel, Jon Nichols, Phil Buehner, Bill Buck, Andy Menefee, Tom Feldenheimer, John Larrabee, Steve Forman, George Peters, Tony Corbett, Kerry Longaker, Frank Oulman. 3rd row: Gill Saunders, Judy Chase, Jean MacRae, Mary McGilvra, Sara Blodgett, Sherry Stebinger, Vicki English, Nancy Henderson, Roberta Nohlgren, Dorreen Camplin, Carol Shiomi, Stoddard Malarkey

The Class of ’62 in 2015. Sitting: Gill, Judy. 1st row: Tom, Mary, Roberta, Dorreen, Cookie, Jean. 2nd row: Steve, Wick, Frank, Jordy, Bill, Jon, Kerry

Class Notes

Day Schools held the first Catlin Gabel 8th grade graduation. In August, 2015, 57 years later, half of them reunited. Jean MacRae writes, “Earlier this year a few of us had decided that it was high time we tried to round up as many of our classmates as possi-ble for an irregular reunion.…

[W]e managed to track down most of the 33 members of that 1958 eighth grade and on 8 August, fifteen of us and a few partners had a wonderful afternoon and evening together at the home of Gill Saunders and her husband, David Whitman, in Manning, west of Portland. Those classmates who attended were Bill Buck, Tom Barton, Dorreen Camplin, Judy Chase, George “Jordy” Cornwall, Steve Forman, Kerry Longaker, Jean MacRae, Mary McGilvra, Roberta Nohlgren, Jon Nichols, Frank Oulman, Wick Rowland, Ellen “Gill” Saunders, and Carol “Cookie” Shiomi. Vicki English and Nancy Henderson were unfortunately unable to attend at the last minute; Sara Blodgett, Tom Feldenheimer, Kurt Wallen, and Skip Patten were not free for the chosen date. Of the remaining classmates, very sadly eight have died: Phil Buehner, Tony Corbett, Bob Joss, Andy Kerr, David Marsh, Larry Nodel, George Peters, and Rick Steele, and four we were unable to contact despite our best efforts: John Knapp, John Larrabee, Sherry Stebinger Mason, and Andy Menefee.

Those of us who did attend had a wonderful time. Fuelled by great food and drink, there was much reminiscing about

our separate experiences at Gabel and Hillside and then our final, joint eighth grade year together at Culpepper Terrace, sharing stories of merged school traditions, studies, and sports under the guidance of Schauff (Manvel Schauffler) and Stoddy (Stoddard Malarkey), camping and ski trips, Gilbert and Sullivan, and parties and dances. It also was so good to be able to catch up with what we

had done since. We’ve followed a number of exciting, widely varied interests and careers, lived and worked in various parts of the country and globe, and produced families of varying sizes and generations. Many of us are still working, at least part-time, but also enjoying travel and other activities. And, perhaps most importantly, we’re once again nearly all back in touch with one another.”


1963Jim Tompkins has been made Chair of Acting for The Film and Television Department of The National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan.

1964Liaison: David Markewitz, [email protected] Beebe, the founder of Ecotrust, a Portland-based conservation group, has won the $100,000 Lufkin Prize for Environmental Leadership. Beebe founded Ecotrust 23 years ago. Beebe also co-founded Conservation International and spent two decades at The Nature Conservancy.

1965Martha Hart Schulte spearheaded a 50th anniversary class party, held at the home of Nancy Wessinger Kline, that included Walter McMonies, Marley Brown, Sam Nee, Hank Dick, Debby Patten Gerrish, Dede Hamachek DeJager, and Carol Martin Jonasson.

1966Terry Collins published Vast Horizons, an American Family Odyssey, a short historical novel based on the true story of some of his ancestors, who came west on the Oregon Trail and were involved in what was known as “The Lost Wagon Train of 1853.”

1969Toastmasters honored Erik Bergman with his Advanced Leader Silver award, another step on his path to earning a second Distinguished Toastmaster award.

1971Liaison: Muffie LaTourette Scanlon, [email protected] Van Sant ’71 is executive producer of “New World,” a new HBO drama. Van Sant will also direct the pilot for the series, which is a period piece set in Salem, Massachusetts, during the witch trials.

1973Liaisons: Ted Kaye & Debbie Ehrman Kaye, [email protected] Whinston is now the full time Clinical Lead for the largest county mental health organization in Washington, and retains a small clinical practice. Page Knudsen Cowles was “completely thrilled” to learn that the image on the Wine Country Oregon license plate is based on a photo of her family’s vineyard. At the invitation of the government of Fiji, Ted Kaye spent a week there in May serving as the technical advisor to the Fijian national flag selection committee. Kate Chavigny writes that Sweet Briar College, where she teaches American history, will not be closing its doors, as was announced earlier this year. “We are working to make sure that enrolled students have the courses and the instruction they need, and look forward to supporting the rebuilding of the college in every way that we can."

1974Gwen Farnham has joined the board of the non-profit environmental protection group Friends of the Columbia Gorge.

1975Liaison: Len Carr, [email protected]

Margaret Park Bridges has published a new Sherlock Holmes novel with a twist, My Dear Watson.

1976Liaison: Hester Buell Carr, [email protected] Semler is President and CEO of Lucid Energy, which creates clean, reliable, low-cost energy from turbines in gravity-fed water pipelines and effluent streams from high-water use industries.

1977The American Bar Association has published a book by Dean Alterman titled How to Build a Real Estate Law Practice, calling it “wise advice and guidance drawn from a veteran real estate lawyer’s years of practice.”

1978Liaison: Bill Polits, [email protected]

1979Liaison: Jim Bilbao, [email protected]

1980Lee McIntyre published the book, Respecting Truth: Willful Ignorance in the Internet Age. Lee is a research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University.

1981Liaison: Julie Sutherland McMurchie, [email protected]

1982Liaison: Mary Rondthaler, [email protected]

1983The Women’s Foundation of Oregon celebrated board member Traci Jernigan Rossi, her mother Kay Toran, and her daughter Ally, recognizing them as “three generations of extraordinary Women’s Foundation of Oregon members.”

1984Liaison: Dina Meier, [email protected] Patrick Lloyd surveyed the Class of ’84, and has the following to share: “Members of our class will go running, walking, surfing, golfing, or hiking more than ten times this year. In addition, one among us will visit more than ten countries and several others will visit almost ats many. Watch out world!”

1985Liaison: Bryan Ward, [email protected] Class of ’85 held a reunion party at the Peculiarium in Portland.

1986Liaison: Erin Crawley Fairbairn-Stammer, [email protected] Conklin ’55 shares that his daughter, Christina Conklin, was a finalist for the Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship. Her research proposal was titled “Ocean as Mirror: Creative Responses to Sea Level Rise in Holland, Bangladesh, and the United Kingdom.”

1987Liaison: Megan Sullivan Shipley, [email protected] Sullivan says life is


Hannah Ragsdale Young ’96’s daughter Theo Murphey Young

excellent in New Hampshire. She earned her 200-hour Rasamaya Yoga certification this July. Megan Sullivan Shipley and Tom Shipley share: “It’s hard to believe that [we are] the parents of a 10-year-old! Fiona celebrated her double digits in March and her brother Alex is due to turn eight….It was fun to see some of our Catlin Gabel classmates at the Camp Nor’wester bus last summer. Jenny Wilson Prendergast, Jim Shulevitz, and Kayley Weinstein Cook all sent their own campers." Taiger “Tim” Murphy acquired his architect license in 2012. Since then, he has been working in San Francisco as an architectural specifications writer, and began the process of starting his own design practice.

1988Liaisons: Maren Walta & John Walsdorf, [email protected], [email protected] Crawley plays keyboards and provides backing vocals for the Portland alternative rock band Everclear (2003-09; 2011-present).

1989Liaison: Robyn RhodesRogers, [email protected]

1990Liaison: Heather Gaudry Blackburn, [email protected]

1991Liaison: Sarah Moore,[email protected]

1992Liaisons: Jamie Bell,

[email protected] & Ashley Tibbs, [email protected] Jone Miller has been touring her one-woman shows, “Threads" and "A Story of Os,” to international fringe festivals, as well as performing both shows in Portland. Amanda Boekelheide collaborated with a small company, Liminal, for ten years, and taught theater at Catlin Gabel for four years before moving to New York City in 2003. She earned an MFA in Acting from Columbia University in 2006, and taught English through the arts in Ghana in 2007. In 2009, through the Indonesian Arts and Cultural Scholarship, she studied classical Indonesian dance, language, and batik fabric processing. Her current performance work ranges from Shakespeare to writing an adaptation of Medea. Serra Toney is the store manager at Powell’s Books in Cedar Hills, and writes that she is “having a fantastic time hosting our author events and enjoying 32,500 square feet of book heaven.” She has hosted hundreds of prominent authors, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, David Sedaris, and Anne Lamott. “I’m reminded of the wonderful authors we had the privilege of seeing and hearing in the Cabell Center,” she says. Serra and her husband are enjoying their work-in-progress bungalow in Northeast Portland. Langley Downing Allbritton returned to Portland from Singapore and started Pittock Public Relations, which offers public relations consulting support and services.

1993Liaison: Jen McDonald, [email protected]. Damin Spritzer has

Class Notes

been named Assistant Professor of Organ at the University of Oklahoma. She will continue as Artist-in-Residence for the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Mathews in Dallas, Texas, where she has lived for the last 15 years with her husband James Francey and their three children (Soren, age 10, Rowan, age 8, and Morgan, age 3). For the past year she has been Adjunct Instructor at the University of North Texas, and in the fall of 2014 was appointed Visiting Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma. Damin recently released her second CD of the music of R.L. Becker, and has upcoming recitals in Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Her international recital debut was last summer in France at the Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d’Orléans. Nkenge Harmon Johnson began her new job as President and CEO of the Urban League of Portland in early May, and was honored with the school’s Distinguished Younger Alumni Award in October.

1995Liaison: Lisa Kleinman, [email protected]

1996Liaison: Hannah Ragsdale Young, [email protected] Young reports that she and her husband had a baby girl, Theo Murphey Young, on April 10, 2015. Hannah writes that her daughter is healthy and strong, and “loves hiking in the mountains, dipping her toes in lakes, and exploring her natural environment.”

1997Liaison: Sarah Coates Huggins, [email protected]

1998Liaison: Will Decherd, [email protected] Neace completed Air Command and Staff College and received his second master’s degree. This summer he will take command of an Air Force Reserve Communications


his wife Melissa welcomed their second child, William, on May 20, 2015. Carl Boehm and Parker Sapp started a non-profit organization called Earn The Day, a mentorship program in which adults work with kids to create and achieve personal goals.

2002Liaison: Kelsey Rotwein, [email protected] Wayne married Abraham Sutfin in Dundee, Oregon. Her band, John Heart Jackie, will be releasing a new album entitled Episodes. Erica Silva and her husband welcomed their son, Ernest Everett Campbell V (Henry), on January 22, 2015. They are all doing well, and Henry is doted on by his aunt, Suzi Silva ’06.

2003Liaison: Lauren Collins, [email protected]

2004Liaison: Hannah Aultman, [email protected] Coit Luckenbill and her husband Jamie Luckenbill

Erica Silva ’02’s son Ernest Everett Campbell V (Henry)

second year of a neonatology fellowship at Tufts. She recently reunited in Portland with friends Courtney Mersereau, now a financial advisor at Springwater Wealth Management, and Judith Lieberman, who is putting her MBA to use at Nike. Curran Filer moved to Seattle last November to return to the Pacific Northwest via a job at Expedia.

2000Liaison: Natasha Stoudt, [email protected] and Ali Jepson Dohrmann are enjoying life with their new baby girl, Montgomery. Janel Wright would like to announce the birth of her daughter, Alexandra Elisabeth Weber, born March 26, 2015.

2001Liaison: Tyler Francis, [email protected] Hart writes that she has so far “resisted the temptation to drop out of medical school and open a kosher BBQ restaurant called Adam’s Rib.” Tyler Francis and

Janel Wright ’00’s daughter Alexandra Elisabeth Weber

welcomed their son, Owen Coit Luckenbill, on November 24, 2014. The family is healthy and happy, and continues to reside in Denver. Jonathon Parker began his residency in neurological surgery at Stanford in June. Danielle Marck is back in the Portland area for a year, and started in the Physician Assistant program in June at Pacific University. Hannah Aultman has covered orthopedics at night at Oregon Health Sciences University, fielding numerous middle-of-the-night phone calls from Alexis Moren ’01, the current trauma surgery chief resident. Between patching up gunshot wounds (Alexis) and reducing dislocated hips (Hannah), they hung out in the ICU and reminisced about old times at Catlin Gabel.

2005Liaison: Taylor Kaplan, [email protected] Tomita moved to New York City to start Studio Paradise, a branding agency. He ran into Alec Bromka on the street. Rollyn Stafford is currently working as a stand-in for a new sitcom set in

Squadron. Libby Kottkamp still lives in Astoria, enjoying small town life, where her husband, two sons, a puppy, a cat, and eight chickens fill her house. Libby likes to have fires at the beach with friends, and is worried about the size of the bicycle and “things-that-float” collections in her basement. Will Decherd finished his ninth year as a science teacher at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School in South Hadley. Massachusetts. He continues to love it, and is highly involved in school governance. His daughter Zariah is an “unstoppable force of mess-making delight,” he says, and will soon be two years old. Serin, his wife, recently accepted a tenure track position at Mount Holyoke College, so they will be in western Massachusetts for the foreseeable future. Lyla Andrews Bashan welcomed her second daughter in January, Lyla Leigh. Along with husband Michael and daughter Ramona, she is happy to be back in Washington, D.C. for a bit, where she is taking a year off from her job as a diplomat to stay home with Leigh.

1999Liaison: Nasim Gorji, [email protected] Coates has begun his first academic year of teaching physics at the California Maritime Academy, a small residential campus of the California State University system on the San Francisco Bay. Alfie Falk has joined the staff of IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, New York, to study carbon nanoelectronics. Nasim Gorji is in her

Valerie Coit Luckenbill ’04’s son Owen


Rollyn Stafford ’05 (left) and Matt Young ’05 on Black Butte Mountain

Portland called “Significant Mother.” He climbed Black Butte Mountain with Matt Young in May, 2015. Josey Bartlett lives in New York City. Julia Steinberger is working as a policy advisor for a congressman in Washington D.C., and is about to complete a master’s degree in public administration at George Washington University. She recently met up with Taylor Kaplan and Madison Kaplan ’04 while they were in the Capital. Olivia Miller is living in Salt Lake City and working on her Ph.D., which involves studying the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. After six years in public relations, Ted Lane is attending the University of Texas in Austin to get his MBA. Galen Wetterling started medical school in August at Des Moines University.

2006Liaison: Casey Michel, [email protected] Chang completed her master’s in oceanography in May at the University of Connecticut. Will Gruner moved back to

Class Notes

Portland from Cleveland and is in the midst of a mid-20s crisis that he addresses by learning to surf and kiteboard. Renata Stauder is a Ph.D. student in comparative literature at UCLA and works on classical Arabic and Persian poetry and prose. A short collection of her critical translations of the Persian poets Daqiqi, Farrokhi Sistani, and Sa’di (11th, 12th and 13th centuries, respectively) will be published in the next year. Megan Amram has finished her work with “Parks & Recreation” and is now a writer/producer for the new season of “Silicon Valley.” Katie Northcott is attending London School of Economics as a Rotary Scholar studying population and development. Casey Michel recently completed a master’s degree from Columbia University in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies, with a master’s thesis that examines public relations machinations from the regimes in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. He will be working as a writer in New York, and using a new “Oregon-shaped cutting board—courtesy

Sam Woodard—as often as possible.” Corina Gabbert is finishing her doctorate in physical therapy in Utah, and will soon begin her practice in Hood River.

2007Liaisons: Ben Dair, [email protected], Rob Kaye, [email protected] Tao and Laura Hayes Liu are proud to introduce their son Henry Parker Liu, born March 3, 2015.

2008Liaison: Tomas Garcia, [email protected] Pfohman graduated in 2012 from West Point as one of the top eight cadet commanding officers of the 4,000-student brigade. She has served one tour in Afghanistan, and currently works at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, as an Intelligence Officer attached to an artillery battalion.

2009Liaison: Caitlin Utter, [email protected] R. Skinner graduated from Lawrence University with a BA in government and a bachelor of music in classical voice performance studies. After studying at the Tuck Business Bridge Program this summer, he moved to the Washington, D.C. area to work as a business analyst in Accenture’s federal services management consulting practice. Marshall Allender graduated from the University of St. Andrews in 2013 with a dual bachelor’s degree in world history and international relations. He

graduated from the London School of Economics in 2014 with a Master of Science degree in political science. He currently resides in London and works for the Woolmark Corporation as a researcher and data analyst. Christopher R. Skinner continues his journey exploring professional life as a management consultant in Washington, D.C.

2010Liaison: Ingrid Van Valkenburg, [email protected]

2011Liaison: Sarah Lowenstein, [email protected] Greenebaum spent the summer at a nonprofit called Sustainable Harvest. Rebecca Garner creates sculpture and stained glass art pieces, finding inspiration in commonplace organic items as seen through a microscope. The process reveals “the invisible beauty of biological science,” she says. Alex Foster, now an Emory University basketball player, was selected as the University Athletic Association Conference’s Player of the Year, the first Emory player to be awarded that distinction in 25 years.

2012Liaison: Kate Rubenstein, [email protected] Morris was an intern for Def Jam Records and Island Records, and has been traveling around the country documenting musicians, dancers, and other artists through film and photography. She had her first art show in Los Angeles, and a photo essay by Anaka was published in Rolling Stone recently.


IN MEMORIAM

Howard Jefferson BellFather-in-law of Chris Bell of the Catlin Gabel staff; grandfather of Michael Bell ‘89, Jamie Bell ‘92, and Jeffrey Schmunk ‘91; step-grandfather of Barton Hege ‘77, Steven Hege ‘78, Karen Hege ‘80, and Kristin Hege ‘80

Bruce W. Brown, Ph.D.Father of David Brown ’74

Mary Milne BuchananAunt of Victoria Milne ’79

Forrest E. Bump, M.D.Uncle of Dan Bump ’70

William Coit, M.D. Father of Valerie Coit Luckenbill ’04

Frances Louise FahlandMother of Ann Fahland ’79

Cynthia Purcell Fleig ’49

Don FrisbeeStepfather of Tom Cramer ’78 and Betsy Cramer; stepgrandfather to Will Gruner ’06 and Harry Gruner ’10

Jean Glazer Mother of Peter Glazer ’70, Michele Glazer ’73, and David Glazer ’74

Michael Gold Father of Elena Gold ’94

Carol HaberMother of Martha, Gordon, and Eric; grandmother of Rachel ’04 and Joey ’04; mother-in-law of Meryl Rosenfeld ’74

Heather Holden ’78Merriman Holland Holtz, Jr. Brother-in-law of Ann Grieve Holtz ’53

Gretchen Miller Kafoury Aunt of Karen Brattain ’93 and Ross Brattain ’94

Jane Rosenfeld Kendall ’33 Preschool teacher at Gabel Country Day School

Donald M. Kerr ’64 Husband of Cameron Miller Kerr ’66; brother of Andrew P. Kerr ’62 and Elena Kerr ‘65

Georgianne Schmuckel KimberleyWife of Ogden Kimberley ’72; sister-in-law of James (Jock) ’62, Prudence Kimberley Ragsdale ’64, Deborah Kimberley Greear ’65, Alexa Kimberley-Bryant ’66, and Stephen Kimberley ’69

Francesca M. Lolich Mother of Patricia Lolich-Beyer, former Catlin Gabel faculty member; grandmother of Kristian Lolich-Beyer ’95

Barbara Lou McAllister Language Skills Therapy tutor

Constance McGonigle ’56

Therese “Terri” Mersereau Former wife of Robert Francis Arenz ’42; stepmother of Susan Mersereau ’64 and John Mersereau ’69; grandmother of Courtney Mersereau ’99

Mauriceen “Ceen” MishlerGrandmother of Sara Mishler ‘89

Dorothy Johnson Moorhouse ’54

Martha Patterson Morse ’36 (Cady School)Sister of Ruth Patterson Hart, aunt of Martha Hart Schulte ’65, Sara Hart Retecki ’67, and Allan Hart ’68 (deceased)

Robert James (Bob) Murphy Stepfather of Grant Ritchie ’84 and Mya McKimens ’88

Ann Hutchinson Neidecker ’45

Marjorie Newhouse ’52

Melba Arlene (Haugen) Roth Mother of Eric Roth ’78

Jeannette Othus SaucyMother of Brian Saucy ’73

Jack E. Slingerland Mathematics teacher; husband of mathematics teacher Penny Slingerland

Mary Ellen StevensMother of Steve Stevens ’85

Mary Ellen Vranizan Mother of Charles “Charlie” Vranizan ’91

Richard J. (Dick) WhittemoreBrother of Kathy Whittemore Johnson ’68; brother-in-law of Laurie Farmer Whittemore ’70

Samuel Southwell Whittemore, Jr. Husband of Molly Ireland ’50; brother-in-law of Martha Ireland ’54Suzanne Seley Wilson ‘49

Gabrielle Marie ZimmerSister of Jeff Zimmer ’65

2013Marina Dimitrov co-authored a study published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface while working in Stanford’s Bio-Inspired Research & Design (BIRD) Lab. By understanding how whooper swans keep their heads steady during flapping flight, she writes, Stanford engineers have created the prototype for a camera suspension system that could allow drones to produce crisper video images.

ONLINEAccess the Alumni section of our website at www.catlin.edu• Read current Class Notes, updated throughout the year• Access the Alumni Newsletter for previews of upcoming alumni events and celebrations• Follow the success of fellow alumni in the Alumni Spotlight• Coming in spring 2016: The Alumni Online Portal, a gated microsite providing you with contact information for thousands of your fellow Catlin Gabel alumni

ON CAMPUSBookmark the Alumni events section of our website, and watch for emails announcing alumni events throughout the year

BY PHONE OR EMAILTo share news or ask questions, reach out at any time to Sprinavasa Brown ’02, Alumni Program Director: [email protected] or (503) 297-1894 ext. 424.

Catlin Gabel Alumni Association Board MembersOwen Gabbert ’02, PresidentEmily Carr Bellos ’02, Vice PresidentMolly Kitchel Honore ’02, SecretaryLen Carr ’75Meg Patten Eaton ’58Debbie Ehrman Kaye ’73Michael Malone ’95Irfan Tahir ’87Ingrid Van Valkenburg ’10Vishal Vanka ’16, CGSA Vice PresidentKatie Wisdom Weinstein '86Sprinavasa Brown ’02, Alumni Program Director, ex- officio

Sprinavasa Brown ’02, Alumni Program Director

Alumni Connection

We love to hear from you! Stay connected to your classmates and the Catlin Gabel community.


Distinguished Alumni HonoredAt the annual Catlin Gabel Celebration of Leadership & Service, held October 10, 2015, four alumni were recog-nized with the school’s highest honors. J. Mary Taylor ’48 was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Achieve-ment Award, recognizing her groundbreaking work as a research scientist and educator. Mary received her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in the early 1960s, and became one of the few women to attain the rank of Professor of Biology in a large North American University, The University of British Columbia. Her university experience and research on small mammals led to her appointment as the first woman Executive Director of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. She also served as the first woman President of the American Society of Mammalogists. Nkenge Harmon Johnson ’93 was honored with the Distinguished Younger Alumni Award. Nkenge earned her BS from Florida A&M University, an MBA from Trinity University, and a JD from Howard University School of Law. She has served as a strategic staff member in communications, campaigns, and legislative matters for U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada), U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), and the Demo-cratic Congressional Campaign Committee. From 2010 to 2013 she served as President Obama’s Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative focused on the Americas and China. Nkenge currently serves as President and CEO of the Urban League of Portland. Robin Schauffler ’68 received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award. Follow-ing in the footsteps of her father, longtime Catlin Gabel teacher and School Head Manvel Schauffler, Robin pur-sued a career in education. From 1982 to 1997 she taught History and Global Studies at Catlin Gabel Middle School, ran the Middle School Outdoor Program, and twice served as Head of Middle School. In the years that followed, she taught English as a second language at Portland Communi-ty College and Spanish at St. Mary’s Academy. Since 2003 she has taught Upper School English at Oregon Episcopal School. Paul Dickinson was honored with the Joey Day Pope ’54 Volunteer Award. Paul came to Catlin Gabel to teach science in 1969, and retired 46 years later, at the end of the 2014-15 school year. He estimates that he spent close to 73,000 hours inside the Catlin Gabel Science building. His volunteer work for Catlin Gabel was important and influential as well. For decades he taught the ornithology course, uncompensated, on top of his full teaching load, and took groups of ornithology students to Malheur Na-tional Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon 44 times.

News

Paul helped with officiating at track meets, and consistently supported students at sporting events, musical performanc-es, and theatrical productions.

Junior Wins Top Honors at the International Olympiad in InformaticsAt the 27th International Olympiad in Informatics, acomputer programming competition held this year in Kazakhstan July 26 through August 2, Daniel Chiu ’17 earned the gold medal, and the distinction of being ranked eighteenth in the world. Daniel competed as part of the four-member USA Team, which won a total of three gold medals and a silver. Daniel’s team placed fourth in terms of overall score among the 83 countries represented, and tied with Russia, China, and South Korea in total number of medals earned. He was selected for the USA Team after a multi-stage process that included four USA Computing Olympiad contests. The top 24 students from the four con-tests attended a training camp where they took additional selection tests to determine the final four team members. At the competition in Kazakhstan, Daniel solved three of the six tasks to win the gold medal

History Teacher Receives Fulbright AwardUpper School history teacher Dr. Patrick Walsh has been awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teach-

Distinguished Alumni Awards honorees (left to right) Paul Dickinson, Robin Schauffler ’68, Nkenge Harmon Johnson ’93, and J. Mary Taylor ’48 with Head of School Tim Bazemore


National Geographic Fellow Jesse Lowes in the Galapagos Islands. Photo credit: National Geographic Society

ing grant to Finland by the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Patrick is one of approximately 49 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad through the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program in 2015-16. The Fulbright Program is the primary international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, and admin-istered by the Institute of International Education. The program is designed to increase mutual understanding be-tween the people of the United States and other countries. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demon-strated leadership potential.

Student Robotics Team Wins First Place in International CompetitionThe Catlin Gabel robotics InventTeam won first prize in the International CleanTech Competition, held in May 2015 in Philadelphia. Among hundreds of competitors from around the world, InventTeam earned first place by addressing the theme of the competition–developing new technology to help “feed the world”–with the Water Trotter, a device that purifies water while transporting it, thus solving two crucial problems in developing countries. The group set themselves the goal of using as many local materials as possible to reduce shipping costs to remote areas, and to make the device as inexpensive

as possible. The first place honor comes with a $10,000 award, which the team will use to finish construction of the Water Trotter and have it tested in Gojo, Ethiopia, in spring 2016. With guidance from Engineering Program Director Dale Yocum, the winning team in Philadelphia was Claudia Bueermann '16, Alexandra Crew '16, and Katie McClanan '18.

Science Educator Named National Geographic FellowJesse Lowes, a 7th grade science teacher at Catlin Gabel, was selected as one of the 2015 Lindblad Expeditions-Na-tional Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellows, an honor that included a September 2015 voyage to the Galapagos Islands on the National Geographic ship Endeavor. Jesse was selected from an applicant pool of 2,700 educators world-wide, and was one of only 35 educators from the United States and Canada to receive the honor. In preparation for the journey, he visited National Geographic Society headquar-ters in Washington, D.C., where he participated in hands-on workshops with naturalists. To ensure the trip was relevant to his teaching, he invited his students at Catlin Gabel to pose questions that he would attempt to answer on his trip, and kept them informed throughout the journey with daily blog posts at https://wondereverywhere.wordpress.com/.


2015 Alumni and Homecoming Weekend

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1. Eagles fans enjoy the homecoming game

2. Pine Cone Guild Luncheon: (left to right) Luise Langerman Lane ’54; Carolyn Sewall Muir '52, Chita Berni Becker ’55, Laura Butchart Haney ’55, (seated) Patty Swindells Riedel ’55

3. Class of 1970: (back left to right) Anita Roberts, Laurian Mossman Brown; (front left to right) Debby Schauffler, Anno Radow Ballard

4. Class of 1975

5. Class of 1995

6. Class of 2005

School spirit at the homecoming game7/8.


Planning for the Future of Catlin Gabel SchoolWhat will it look like to be a well-educated, responsible world citizen in 2020 and beyond? And what does that require of Catlin Gabel School as it fulfills its mission to provide inspired learning leading to responsible action?

Those questions drive the Catlin Gabel Strategic Plan, a dynamic, yearlong process focused on reaffirming our commitment to the principles of progressive education while defining the key priorities we will pursue in the years ahead.

Follow the process by accessing regular updates on the Catlin Gabel Strategic Planning webpage: www.catlin.edu/strategicplanning.

In keeping with our school's history and culture, all members of the community are encouraged to add their voices. Share your thoughts with Head of School Tim Bazemore directly by emailing [email protected].

The more we share a vision for education and agree on the direction of the school, the more successful our students will be.”

– Tim Bazemore, Head of School

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At what stage should children be introduced to multicultural programming?The students need a very seamless transition from division to division, and that’s why I think it’s very important to begin to have these conversations in preschool and continue through twelfth grade. We begin with a developmentally appropriate focus on differences and identity and then begin to explore privilege and systemic inequities as we rise into the older grades. I would love to teach classes at some point on cultureand identity for all of our students.

How does self-identity change as children develop?When you’re in preschool and kindergarten students are trying to figure out, “Who am I as I relate to my family” and “who am I as an individual?” They’re not going to be grap-pling with huge racial issues–but they might notice, this child looks different from me or that adult looks different from my parent or guardian, and they’re going to just say it, and it’s wonderful, it’s refreshing, and we should be able to answer those questions. As they grow they begin to notice differences and hear about people being treated differently and we also begin to explain the history in this country.

As we move through all the stages of development the message should be that difference is good, not fragmenting but something we all share, we all have something unique and different about us. We all have different family structures, we come from different neighborhoods, and it’s all good.

In Lower School they start noticing more, “Who am I in relation to my friends?” And in the Middle School, that’s when students become these social justice kids, and start

“Every single child is a child of diversity”

A conversation with Jasmine Love, Catlin Gabel’s new Director of Equity and Outreach

questioning society, asking things like “What do you mean, they can’t get clean water in Niger?” And they want to do something to make a difference. By Upper School they are ready to change the world and finding their own unique identities–and this is the place they become our teachers, because the youth always lead us in these discussions. They’re more fearless.

I believe every single child is a child of diversity, meaning nobody is ever just looking through one lens. We all have privileges and we all have something that takes power away in this society. We have to move away from simplistic notions of diversity and understand the nuances. It’s a skill but one our students are going to need in the future.

What are some of your favorite techniques for promoting cultural awareness?My main tool is having conversations across the lines that normally divide a community. One of the things that I think is going to be important at Catlin Gabel is to have a shared language around words like equity, culture, race, affinity, inclusion, identity, etcetera. I enjoy bringing people together for conversations but I am a teacher at heart, so I love student-directed activities–films, discussions, using theater and improv, creating culture and identity modules, collag-es, any kind of art. So it is less about techniques and more about safety for these inclusive teachable moments.

An experienced educator and inclusivity practitioner, Jasmine Love has devoted her career to fostering communities in which all children can pursue educational excellence. After many years in a leadership position at Chadwick School in Los Angeles, she joined the Catlin Gabel community in the summer of 2015.

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Read the extended interview, and learn more about Jasmine, at www.catlin.edu.


The rich history of the school is kept alive in the Catlin Gabel Archives, a vast collection that documents the educational, social, and athletic life of the school from its very beginnings. Photographs from the collection provide a window into the past, as do publications, artwork, and artifacts from every era. See more of the collection at www.catlin.edu.

From the Archives

Do you recognize a friend—or yourself—in these archival images? We’d love to hear from you. Contact Caller editor Ken DuBois at [email protected].

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