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Working as an industrial designer, Schuyler Livingston ‘04, utilizes his design skills and creativity to bring innovative products to life, including the creation of medical devices, furniture, clocks, toys, outdoor gear, mountain bikes, and more. 

Industrial design is the practice of creating and developing concepts and specifications for products that are intended for everyday use. It's a dynamic field that has undergone significant changes over the years. In the early days, industrial design was primarily focused on aesthetics and creating visually appealing products. Today, the field has evolved to prioritize user experience, functionality, and sustainability.

Schuyler’s passion for design began at a young age. One of his fondest memories at St. Anne’s was in Rick Sigler’s art class crafting a woodworking project with a classmate, Tucker Larson ‘04. “I remember we grabbed some blocks of wood and began engraving them with a dremel tool,” Schuyler recalls. “This evolved into a full on landscape with water features built from hot glue and wood engravings of fishermen and trees. As the classroom filled with the smell of burnt wood, Mr. Sigler wondered what the heck was happening at the far side of the room.” Today, Schuyler and Tucker’s woodworking project (pictured below) is still prominently featured in the middle school building right inside the main atrium doors. “I realized through this project that I had an affinity for designing and building,” Schuyler reflects. 

Throughout high school, Schuyler continued to fuel his passion for design and arts while also excelling in math and science. As college approached, engineering felt like the most obvious next step combining his skills in math, science, and art. However, Schuyler quickly realized that he longed for more creativity that was missing from the engineering world. Instead, he decided to enroll in the Industrial Design program at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU).

“I didn’t fully understand the field of industrial design until I was already a year into the program,” he admits “I just knew I enjoyed working with my hands, being creative, and finding solutions for real-life situations.” As it turns out, industrial design was a perfect fit for Schuyler, launching him into his career working for (with a team of fellow designers and engineers at) Link Product Development, a Denver-based design studio. Schuyler particularly enjoyed the furniture design projects at MSU and continues to pursue this passion in his free time. 

Working remotely while living in Seaside, California, Schuyler designs a wide range of consumer products. “The design process involves extensive research, ideation and sketching, mockup development, and prototyping, all culminating in the final production,” Schuyler explains. “To be successful in this field, you need to study people in everyday life and figure out how to solve the problems they encounter. It's about designing products that are not just aesthetically pleasing, but meaningful, serve a functional need, and meet the expectations of a target market.” 

Industrial designers need a combination of technical and soft skills. They need to be proficient in computer-aided design software, have excellent communication and collaboration skills, and be able to work in a fast-paced, constantly evolving environment.

Schuyler was able to teach himself many of these skills at a young age (which was complemented by his formal education at MSU). Now, all St. Anne’s students will be able to develop these skills in St. Anne’s new Innovation and Design Center. When Schuyler learned about the plans for constructing this new space, he was eager to hear more about a space he would have thrived in as a St. Anne’s student. 

These collaborative and creative workspaces provide students with access to tools, materials, and equipment for designing, prototyping, and building. They offer a supportive environment for students to experiment with new ideas and technologies, and to collaborate with others to develop innovative solutions. “I look forward to the construction of the Innovation and Design Center and would love to come back to campus to work with students once it’s complete!” Schuyler stated.

Overall, Schuyler's success as an industrial designer serves as a testament to the power of a strong foundation in creative freedom and hands-on learning, such as one that St. Anne’s hope to build upon with our new Innovation and Design Lab at St. Anne’s.

Check out Schuyler’s industrial design projects and woodworking creations on his website: You can check out his woodworking projects at www.schuylerlivingston.com!

Dear St. Anne’s Alumni, Alumni Parents, and Friends, 

I am so excited to introduce myself as the new Alumni and Special Events Manager at St. Anne’s! This fall, I joined the Development Team after teaching fifth-grade at St. Anne’s for the past six years. For those of you I don’t know yet, I was born and raised outside of Chicago, graduated from Middlebury College ‘14 where I studied psychology and played volleyball. After two years of assistant teaching in Chicago and Boston, I moved to Denver in 2016 and immediately felt at home teaching at St. Anne’s. In my spare time, I enjoy road trips, skiing, hiking, dog training, and spending time with my husband, Chris, and our bloodhound, Wilson. 

Over the past six years, this special school community has made such a positive impact on my life through my experiences as an educator and the life-long connections I have made with fellow faculty and staff members, parents, and students. As the new Alumni Manager, I am eager to get to know the St. Anne’s alumni network and reconnect with the familiar faces of alumni students and parents. My hope is to provide fun and engaging opportunities for each of you to stay connected with our school community and reconnect with former classmates and teachers. 

Whether you live near or far, there are so many ways to stay connected and up to date with St. Anne’s including: alumni events, The St. Anne’s Magazine, alumni newsletters and blog posts, alumni spotlights, and social media. 

Your experience as a St. Anne’s alumni community member matters greatly to me and I am always open to new ideas or feedback to continue growing our alumni network. Please reach out to me with any questions, feedback, ideas, life updates, or even to introduce yourself to me! If you live locally, I am always open to meeting for coffee to share ideas about this special alumni community. 

With gratitude, 

Amy Hart 

[email protected]

 

Lauren Kenney Berv’s (2002) best friend was her grandmother Laurene Kenney. She had four children, a few great grandchildren, and a lot of people who cared for and loved her. But when Lauren’s grandmother moved into assisted living, it became a part-time job for Lauren to care for her and help her create a brand-new way of life. She moved from living with one of her children to eating with strangers. Lauren wanted to help her grandmother preserve her core sense of self and find purpose in this new life. As a result, Lauren went through her grandmother’s clothes to create a more functional wardrobe, had her wedding ring resized, did some personalized shopping, and problem-solved around what to keep, what to put in storage, and what to give away. She helped schedule appointments, provide for transportation, and managed her grandmother’s personal calendar. Lauren also helped organize her new living space and even queued up movies and TV shows to watch, all to bring the comforts of home to her assisted living facility and make the transition easier.

As a result of this experience, Lauren is now starting her own business – a personalized concierge service for seniors called Brighter Daily Living. Her overall intent is to support thriving relationships, help seniors make connections, and live their best lives. Lauren was inspired to start the business not only from her experience with her grandmother but also from being a new parent during Covid and feeling isolated and alone. She feels those in assisted living facilities can feel like they’re in solitary confinement and wants to make things better for them.

Lauren’s grandmother passed away about six years ago; but her daughter Stella will be two years old in June. Lauren is currently studying to be a Certified Senior Advisor to help with end-of-life care and the journey of aging. Although she misses her grandmother every day, she celebrates the good life she lived and the friendship they shared to the end.

Elizabeth (Buffy) Fisher ’82 was the first student to go through St. Anne’s from preschool through 8th grade; she was also one of our first May Queens. When her parents considered where to send their only child, they wanted something within walking distance of their home. And during her time here, St. Anne’s became a second home for Buffy. She is still an active member of our community today as an alumni board member, having served for at least ten years.  We’d also like to congratulate Buffy as our newly appointed Alumni Board President.

 

After St. Anne’s, Buffy went on to Kent Denver and then to the University of Denver. She currently works for The Empowerment Program, a nonprofit organization based in Denver, whose mission is to “holistically help individuals build healthier lives from the inside out.” Buffy is also working to become a benefit auctioneer. And she sees her parents often, who still live just a short walking distance from school. 

Caroline Coors ’20 is a sophomore at the Cate School in California. Last summer, she interned at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in Denver, working with kids of all ages who have Down Syndrome. At the end of the summer, she wanted to create an unstructured program for those same individuals to help with socialization. After working in partnership with the Foundation and its CEO, Caroline developed a six-week program that will launch this summer to engage a group of self-advocates and teen volunteers from local Denver high schools. They will have five different outings once a week throughout the summer, an education session, and an end-of-season party. Her goal is to encourage lasting relationships and create an environment where teens can learn about Down Syndrome. Caroline saw how Covid negatively impacted teens and those with Down Syndrome in particular and wanted to do something about it.  Inspired by her aunt who is a social worker, Caroline’s ultimate goal is to start her own Occupational Therapy practice for children with special needs. If any St. Anne’s alums in high school are interested in participating in Caroline’s summer program, send an email to [email protected].

Kathie de Russy looks back on her time at St. Anne’s fondly. She still loves each and every one of her students, the faculty, and the grounds. She remembers the Sisters filling jars with their crabapple jelly during the summer and also wine, which a parent tried to sell (it was called “The Cloisters” but never took off). She remembers the delicious smell of her initial third-grade classroom, since it sat right above the kitchen during the early years.  Her favorite traditions were May Day, Founders’ Day, and the first day of school. She also loved being able to get to know Mother Irene, who taught her a multitude of life lessons she’ll never forget.

 

Kathie joined St. Anne’s alongside Marcia Brennan and Dave Vander Meulen in 1976, starting out as an art and P.E. teacher before moving into the third grade with Laura Underwood and then Kim Grant. Following third grade, she moved to teaching Lower School Science for a number of years. Her tenure encompassed five heads of school (Mitch Walker, Richard Wood, John Comfort, Ramsay Stabler, and Alan Smiley). She eventually moved into the library as an assistant and led our extended day program.

 

When she wasn’t teaching, Kathie worked at Cherry Creek State Park, Aurora, CO, as a paramedic park ranger. She also taught first aid and CPR classes in all the state parks. After teaching for 34 years at St. Anne’s, Kathie left to complete her required years toward retirement as a park ranger. She also became a docent at Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Aurora, CO.

 

Currently, Kathie lives on Ft. Monroe in Virginia, tutoring online while sitting at a desk used by Sister Geraldine, the bookkeeper for the Sisters. Her family had a strong military presence; her grandfather was Commander of the Islands for years, stationed at Fort De Russy in Hawai'i. Her father, a career Air Force officer, was stationed all over the world.  Kathie’s Corps of Engineers ancestor, BGEN Rene de Russy, guided the construction of Fort Monroe, Virginia, in 1819. Kathie is now a volunteer at the Casemate Museum on Fort Monroe and is passionate about photography. She says she wouldn’t trade her years at St. Anne’s for anything. 

Even as a double major in Spanish and statistics and a certificate in film from Duke University, Devin Cross ’05 always knew he wanted to be a writer. Trivia-minded, Devin is currently on a multi-year streak of completing the New York Times crossword puzzle every day. And he and his wife Aubree used to love going to The Irish Snug on Colfax to participate in a weekly trivia night. When the pandemic hit, they decided to host their own online trivia events because they couldn’t go in person. For their first trivia -turned-Zoom game, 120 people showed up. About three to four weeks in, a friend in New York City asked Devin to host a trivia night for her company to assist with team building. And that’s how Social Quiztancing started. He and Aubree formed an LLC in June of 2020 and since then, they’ve worked with companies such as Facebook, Google, and the New York Times to host online trivia games, uniting work forces who can’t be together in person. Devin credits his love of learning to St. Anne’s and is putting that to good use – he creates all of the trivia questions himself and is hosting 3-4 games a week. Here’s a sample question: In a standard-Q-&-A-trivia round for dog lovers where each correct answer contains a dog breed, an abridged example might be: Q: Which ship is associated with Charles Darwin? A: The HMS Beagle.

 

When he’s not “Quiztancing”, you’ll find him reading, sometimes at BookBar on Tennyson Street, his preferred local bookstore. A few of his favorite authors include Colson Whitehead, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Adam Haslett. He recently applied to graduate school for an MFA in creative writing, working towards his goal of becoming a literary fiction writer (he’s already written a few novels). But he still hopes to maintain the Social Quiztancing business. Thank you, Devin (and Aubree) for hosting an alumni quiz night last week. We can't wait to see what Devin does next!

Alums Allie Eliot '09 and Bill Whitacker '98 have been working closely together for months in the Denver Lieutenant Governor's office - Bill was recently hired as Deputy Chief of Staff and Allie is the Press and Community Engagement Coordinator. They bonded over their shared love of St. Anne's. Bill is also married to St. Anne's classmate Sarah McCune '98 (they met in 3rd grade). Check out the articles Ali and Bill wrote for our St. Anne's Magazine through the link in our bio. This community stays strongly connected years after graduating!
When he first added a large chunk of a charred aspen wood disc into a mason jar of rye whiskey in the fall of 2010, it was just an experiment. But when Owen Locke ’95 tried the whiskey months later, it tasted really good. Welcome Locke + Co. Aspen Aged Rye Whiskey, launched in 2016 with his best friend Rick Talley. Owen is a sixth generation Coloradan and his four times great grandparents (Luis F Bartels) owned Denver’s first liquor store downtown. Rick and Owen have known each other since high school in Littleton and reconnected when they were both at graduate school at the University of Denver. Since launching Locke + Co., Owen has perfected the whiskey’s taste. It spends two years in oak barrels and then eight months with a piece of hand cut/hand charred aspen wood disc. The wood comes from family property in Fairplay. After sustainably cutting down an aspen tree, Rick and Owen let the wood “season” for 12 months, then sand off the bark before they hand char each piece. And that’s where the magic happens. Charring the aspen wood caramelizes the sugars in the whiskey and helps to bring out its best flavors while making it super smooth. Owen hopes to continue growing the company, releasing single barrel unfiltered rye whiskey, selling in new markets outside of Colorado, opening their own facility for production, and collaborating on special releases. A truly Coloradan born and bred whiskey.
When she’s not working as a mechanical engineer for Siemens Energy in Fort Collins, Emily Lane ’07 is swimming, usually in the early morning hours. She finds it therapeutic and meditative. From a young age, Emily took an interest in the sport and swam competitively at Smith College. She discovered the world of open water swimming after two of her college teammates completed solo Channel crossings the summer before her freshman year. Since then, Emily has swum a 10K in the Hudson River in Manhattan (it’s a lot cleaner than you think), completed the 11-mile Portland Bridge Swim in the Willamette River, swum in several competitions in Fort Collins, and most recently, swam the English Channel as part of a seven-person relay. She and team started at 6:30pm in the evening and finished just shy of 12 hours later. She’s used to swimming in the dark and in cold water; for the English Channel, it was about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. She was only allowed to wear a standard swimsuit (nothing beyond the shoulders or knees). And there were jellyfish. But she loved every minute of it. Eventually, Emily would love to complete the “Triple Crown” of open water swims: Manhattan Island (28 miles); Catalina Channel (20 miles) and the English Channel (21 miles) all as a solo swimmer. Her next adventure? She has tentative plans to swim the length of Lake Tahoe this summer. Best of luck to you, Emily!