ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
Summer 2021 Student & Alumni News M A G A Z I N E
BU I L D I N G R E S I L I E N CE A Year of G row th
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
“St. Anne’s is a place where love performs everyday miracles in the lives of children, where respect for others is the touchstone, where a sense of community prevails, where learning is prized as a virtue, where character is nourished by word and deed, where challenges are opportunities for growth, where the past is cherished and the future is enhanced by thoughtful foresight.” - Dave Vander Meulen, Archivist and Former Middle School Teacher
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
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INTERIM HEAD OF SCHOOL LETTER What a remarkable year this has been! Hear from our Interim Head of School, Lori Frank, as she reflects on this past year and our 70th anniversary.
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A YEAR TO REMEMBER Read how the St. Anne’s Future of Education (SAFE) Committee undertook the monumental task of reopening St. Anne’s to in-person learning in the fall.
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RISE AND SHINE Presenting our Student Section of the new St. Anne’s Magazine, highlighting the outstanding work of our students.
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WELCOME CLASS OF 2021 We are thrilled and honored to welcome the latest class of St. Anne’s graduates to our Alumni Association. Don’t forget to open the page to take a walk down memory lane with our pictorial timeline of this year’s school activities.
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ALUMNI SECTION Hear from our alumni who have showcased resiliency this past year and catch up on the latest news from your classmates.
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FAREWELL Honor this year’s departing faculty: Marcia Brennan, Dave Vander Meulen, and Marcia Voss whose dedication, passion, and service to this special school will be deeply missed.
Editors
Copy Editors
Contributing Photographers
Julia Brown Director of Alumni and Special Projects
Lori Frank Interim Head of School
Lucy Murphy Director of Communications
Karen Iker Registrar and Administrative Assistant
Julia Brown Jessica Cardenas John Dicker Cyrus McCrimmon Lucy Murphy St. Anne’s Photo Archive
Warren Saslow Former Middle School Teacher
Design/Layout 3 Story Design PAGE 3
ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
Standing by our
M ISS I O N LORI FRANK, INTERIM HEAD OF SCHOOL
For St. Anne’s, this year marked 70 years as a school, and what a remarkable year it was! After many challenging and uncertain months, it feels as if we are beginning to see the light at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic tunnel, and life is getting back to normal. What we accomplished this year as a community cannot go unrecognized, and while the pandemic may have put a hold on some projects, we are excited to announce that we are finally launching the long-awaited St. Anne’s Magazine! This historic year would not have been possible without our faculty and staff, so this first edition is dedicated to them. Our teachers worked tirelessly to provide the best education possible for our students during an extraordinary time, and behind the scenes, our staff was making sure that both the teachers and the students had everything they needed. Of course, we must also recognize our parents, who sacrificed a great deal on behalf of their children and the school this year, and our alumni and alumni parents, who have continued to support and stand by our mission. In this edition, you will see just what it took for St. Anne’s to succeed this year. There is no doubt that, in due time, we will all look back in awe at the accomplishments of the 2020-2021 school year. We lived through a pandemic, and just as expected, St. Anne’s continued to educate minds, enrich hearts, and expand horizons.
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
With Change Comes
G R OW T H
LIZ WALKER, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
As Board President and a former St. Anne’s parent, I have the opportunity to look at St. Anne’s and see the inner workings of the school from a different perspective. The 2020-2021 school year left me amazed by what St. Anne’s and its community accomplished in the midst of a pandemic. Covid marked a historic time, not only for our families, but also for our school’s history. As we look back on 70 years, I can’t help but think that this chapter will reflect innovative approaches to teaching and learning; a community of parents, caregivers, and teachers who adjusted daily to let kids be kids; and the resilience of our students. They rose to the occasion, challenged their own comfort zones, and fell in love with learning together. Of course, it often seems that with monumental moments in history like the Covid-19 pandemic, change is inevitable. In the coming months, our world will feel more normal, but there is no doubt that the world will be a different place. Inevitably with change, there comes a time of transition. Right now, St. Anne’s is in a transition period which will undoubtedly help strengthen our mission, vision, and values. It is sometimes hard to see transitions positively, but we all know that change is necessary for growth.
While we were disappointed to hear about the departure of our Head of School, Bill Clough, we also recognize his contributions to St. Anne’s and express our gratitude for his impact on our community. Facing a change in leadership is never easy, but the Board of Trustees and I are thrilled that Lori Frank has graciously accepted the appointment of Interim Head of School for the 2021-2022 school year. With 34 years of experience at St. Anne’s, Lori's knowledge of our community and her dedication to our mission will lead us into our next chapter as a school. Looking toward the future, the Board has appointed a search committee, and we have begun the search process for a Head of School for the 2022-2023 school year. We plan to continue to communicate regularly with all community members throughout the process, and we encourage you to get involved. Your feedback, knowledge, and support are important to us, so stay tuned for more ways to contribute. As we mark 70 years and close the 2020-2021 chapter, our community can reflect on the lessons this year taught us. We are a resilient and thoughtful community, and at the end of the day, just as our Founding Sisters believed 70 years ago, we want what’s best for our children. This year was no exception, and as we look toward the next 70 years, I can’t imagine it any other way.
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
A Year to
REMEM B ER KATHERINE HUAMANÍ, LOWER SCHOOL HEAD
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
One of my favorite stories to tell about planning for this unusual year comes all the way from Japan. In early July 2020, as the St. Anne's Future of Education (SAFE) Committee was in the thick of planning with guidance either constantly changing or non-existent, we came across a story about an amusement park outside of Tokyo that was asking its visitors to “please scream in your hearts” on rides so as to reduce the spread of Covid. While I am one of those terrified “non-screamers” on rollercoasters, I have never been on a silent ride. When we heard this puzzling recommendation, we immediately understood it as the perfect representation of the seemingly impossible task ahead of us. In the summer of 2020, we were tasked with re-opening school under the most unexpected circumstances, unrealistic expectations, and unpredictable probabilities. My specific duty was to convince a group of people to give up their summers in pursuit of the perfect plan of return that educators across the country sought like the holy grail. To top it all off, we would need to “scream in our hearts” riding the ups and downs of the pandemic all the way to August as we had students, families, and teachers counting on us to re-open school safely. When it came time to select a team to plan for the greatest educational challenge that any educator has faced this century (no exaggeration), another one of my favorite teachings came to mind: “Anyone can cook but only the fearless can be great.” You might chuckle knowing that this quotation comes from Pixar’s Ratatouille; however, what this effort required was an incredible sense of adventure, purpose, and, yes, fearlessness. It demanded a commitment to our guiding principles (safety, community, and excellence), with a readiness to navigate many unknowns and responsibility to make hard decisions. The days were long and the weeks were longer. The changing landscape, constant pivoting, and hanging on to every news development became breakfast, lunch, and dinner routines. Then the school year started. There will likely never be a first day of school for any of us – adults or students – quite like August 26, 2020. It is seared in our collective memories for all the right reasons. That first day of school saw the majority of our students return to a completely transformed campus. The joy of seeing their friends and teachers overtook each and every one of our children after such a very long summer away. Rumor has it that not a single preschooler cried on their first day, which alone is an accomplishment. It did not take long for students new and returning to adjust to safety protocols and settle into the familiarity of St. Anne’s.
With nearly a year of distance from the start of our planning, I invited our distinguished members of the SAFE Committee to share in their own words why they said yes to undertaking this monumental task. Here is what they said: Kendall Early ’05: In terms of what motivated me, I knew (as all of us did) the transition to on-campus learning would be a tremendous feat, and I wanted to help in any way I could. I also felt having a mix of administrators and teachers would be important, so I wanted to try to bring our teachers’ perspectives into the conversation. It took a significant amount of time, effort, and energy to make it happen, but our incredible St. Anne’s community came together, once again, to make our plans a reality! Lori Frank: I joined the team because I wanted to support the effort to help us open safely and in person. If you had told me that we would sustain in-person learning all year, I would not have believed it. We did, though, and it has been worth all the work that it took to do it! Margaret Grant Mitchell ’90: I wanted to be part of planning something new and thinking through what was possible for our students. I loved the challenge of thinking about how to strategically plan for the unknown and adapt to changing factors. An added bonus was working closely with the rest of the SAFE Committee team — we became very close! Lucy Kelly Murphy ’02: Being a part of the SAFE Committee gave me a greater sense of purpose in my job. I knew that there would be some major hurdles, but I kept pulling from our mission to keep me motivated. At the end of the day, we all knew that being on campus is what is best for kids and we pulled together last summer to make that happen. We were all empowered by our history, knowing that not too long ago the Sisters navigated even more challenging times with fewer resources. Ann Marsh Rutledge: The students and staff motivated me to join the SAFE Committee. I always had our people first at heart. I wanted to help build a plan that would allow our community to get back together in-person so we could all start to heal together. Lots of things were hard because things kept changing and were out of our control. It was a lot more work than I anticipated, but it was worth it for our families and faculty. Jennifer Worthing: I care deeply for St. Anne’s and the community and wanted to do everything possible to bring everyone back to school in person safely. All of the details we had to work together to figure out while following the CDC guidelines took a lot of time and energy, but it all paid off when we were able to be in person for most of the school year. In the end, I learned that amazing things can be accomplished when a team of motivated people works together to achieve the same goals.
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“Crossing the hundredth day allowed us to humbly recognize our successes and build the resilience to take on any challenges beyond.”
What resonates most with me across all of these reflections is the selflessness of the motivations. The SAFE Committee came together for St. Anne’s. Our faculty came together for our students. Our students came together for each other. Our entire community came together each and every day in support of that singular goal: the hope of having one more day together. It has truly taken the relentless efforts of every single member of our community to start, stay, and end the 2020-2021 school year in person. Every single day truly counted and was cherished. Many younger grades have a tradition of acknowledging the passage of time by keeping track of the days we have had in school using tally sticks and oversized calendars. Pre-pandemic, this was just another great exercise in building numeracy skills. This year, however, it held greater significance. By the time we hit the hundredth day sometime in February, there was a collective sigh of both relief and disbelief. We made it. It was like that moment after the rollercoaster has finished the slow climb to the top, torn down from
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unbelievable heights, and propelled its passengers through loops, scoops, and swoops. Yes, there were times when we felt our stomachs turn, but oh the joys we felt at those thrilling peaks – from special days like Founders’ Day and May Day to the everyday sources of happiness like lunch in the Rose Garden and class in the Sunken Garden; they are simply unforgettable. Crossing the hundredth day allowed us to humbly recognize our successes and build the resilience to take on any challenges beyond.
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
Katherine Huamaní is on to new adventures! During Katherine Huamaní’s three years at St. Anne’s, she has done much to advance the Lower School and St. Anne’s. This past summer, she led the effort to create our return-to-school plan, an especially challenging assignment that Katherine and her team handled with great aplomb, and one that has given every child reason to smile. But Katherine’s work is especially identifiable in Lower School curricular developments, teacher development, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) efforts, and in the many meaningful relationships she has formed with colleagues, students, and parents. We are a more efficient and deliberate Lower School because of her efforts. As a member of the Covid Task Force and administrative team, she has been a voice of reason, a champion for our Lower School faculty and students, and a good friend. We will miss her. While we are sad to see Katherine go, we are also happy for her as she pursues her interest in international education as Early Childhood Principal at the Cayman International School. Katherine has a bright future ahead, and we know she will bring the spirit of St. Anne’s and Colorado with her.
Welcoming our New Lower School Interim Head: Jennifer Worthing! We are pleased to welcome Jennifer Worthing in a new role where she will serve as the Interim Head of the Lower School for the 2021-2022 school year. Since 2012, Jennifer has served as St. Anne’s Director of Instructional Technology. Prior to this, she taught kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th grades in her native Tennessee, where she also earned her master’s degree and doctorate in educational leadership. In addition, she is a certified K-12 Principal in the state of Colorado. We are grateful and excited for Jennifer for agreeing to serve the school further. She is ready for a great start to the 2021-2022 school year. As she articulated in her letter of interest, “The Lower School Head position interests me because I love St. Anne’s and want to continue to carry out its mission while giving back to the community and offering a nurturing experience for the students, teachers, and parents.” Jennifer is married to Glen Worthing, Director of Technology, and the proud parent of twin girls.
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Parenting in a Pandemic CRISTEN CALAMARI, 2020-2021 PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT
2020 is a year that will be remembered forever. Just like my parents’ generation remembers President Kennedy’s assassination and the Vietnam War, or my generation’s memories of the Challenger explosion and 9/11, our children will grow up to tell their grandchildren about the Covid-19 pandemic. When our campus shut down in March of last year, we were all scared and uncertain. But St. Anne’s quickly regrouped and within weeks launched St. Anne’s Distance Learning (SADL) so our children would not fall behind even as the world seemed to grind to a halt. This new form of learning was not without its challenges – we all suddenly became “homeschool” parents who needed a mastery of every single subject in each child’s grade overnight. We needed the ability to do complex IT troubleshooting, to provide school lunches for multiple kids at multiple times, and the most challenging for me, to somehow become a school therapist too. But there were also many moments and milestones I already appreciate only a year later: watching my youngest son master a Rube Goldberg science assignment in my kitchen after a dozen failed attempts; my 8th-grade daughter strategizing with teammates via Facetime about how to overtake other European countries in the highly-tactical, newly-virtual WWII simulation; my then 6th-grade son leading us confidently through his first parent-teacher conference with a PowerPoint presentation. These snapshots really capture the highlights of a totally new way of learning at home! There were some misses, but far more successes. My kids worked collaboratively on “Nailed It” remote cooking competitions. After months of planning and preparation, the biennial Benefit co-chairs totally reinvented the in-person fundraiser to an online fundraiser with great success. And I was moved to tears by the teachers who showed up to personally deliver graduation speeches at the home of every single 8th grader. Finally, after what felt like the longest summer break of all time, we were elated that St. Anne’s was able to welcome back our boys IN PERSON! The SAFE Committee worked tirelessly all summer to mitigate risk, develop new safety protocols, and reimagine learning on our campus. In the fall, the Covid Task Force began implementing these initiatives and managing Covid logistics on a daily basis. We masked the kids up, taught them to keep their distance, and sent them back to St. Anne’s with confidence. I cannot wait until enough time passes for my children to look back and reflect on this school year too. While they will certainly remember their fears and the obstacles, I also know that they will remember many of the changes fondly too: the combining of English and Social Studies to create Humanities – allowing for a deeper, broader understanding of history and the role of the written word to encapsulate it; the reimagining of recess and PE – how something as simple as a pool noodle can creatively allow you to play tag
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“We needed the ability to do complex IT troubleshooting, to provide school lunches for multiple kids at multiple times, and (my personal favorite) to somehow become a school therapist too.”
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
without spreading germs; deeper friendships with kids they otherwise might not get to spend that much time with; and most significantly, St. Anne’s fostered the responsibility to serve your community, even when doing so requires you to forgo your own freedoms and desires. As members of the Parents’ Association community, we have had to adapt all year as well. Phone calls, emails and Zooms replaced chatting at pickup, drinking coffee together at the Holiday Sing-a-long, and gathering together in the Sunken Garden for May Day. We tried to make everyone feel included and connected, even as we were forced to be apart. Our community wrote notes of appreciation to faculty and staff, showed up and honked to support justice, equity, diversity and inclusion on our campus and in the world, and donated generously to support our firm belief that St. Anne’s Episcopal School can rise to meet any challenge or obstacle with grace and perseverance. This year is the 70th anniversary of our beloved school that was founded as an inclusive oasis for sick children in unsettling times. I believe that Mother Irene would be tremendously proud that seven decades later it remains a place filled with dedicated and compassionate teachers instilling knowledge, empathy, and integrity in each of its students.
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
A Parade of Mask-wearing
C HI LDR E N
BILL CLOUGH, FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL – FROM A BLOG POST ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
Each morning, I welcome a parade of mask-wearing children channeling their inner cat, dog, panda bear, tiger, mermaid, unicorn, princess, and action hero. Colors and geometric patterns add to the tapestry of wild imagination previously reserved for Halloween. In the summer, we worried about whether or not our community would embrace the mask. How can we possibly expect our youngest students to keep their masks on all day, we wondered? And what about the masks? Will they be effective? Will they tear our community apart?
Masks are paradoxical. At St. Anne’s, they create enough distance to allow us to be together. By being together, we make connections. By making connections, we belong. By belonging, we contribute. By contributing, we build. By building, we grow. None of this happens today without proper distance.
It turns out that mask-wearing has been the least of our worries since school started. The kids have not just embraced wearing masks, they have owned it. Part wardrobe, part accoutrement, the mask—practical and stylish—is here, and, who knows, maybe to stay.
I don’t believe our students are overly concerned with paradox. I do believe they care about each other and the greater community and that’s why they wear their masks. And because they are kids, they are finding ways to make the best of things.
The mask is also creating new social norms. Do we compliment a mask? How often do we wash them? What do our masks say about us? Can we hide behind a mask? Do we cover our mouths while yawning? How do we share a smile? Where and when is it OK not to wear a mask?
It turns out that masks are cool. Who doesn’t long to be a wild animal or action hero, especially during a pandemic? We can resent the mask for myriad reasons or we can embrace it for what it also is: a small piece of cloth that brings people together and fuels the imagination.
Masks have always played an important role in human expression. In many communities, masks were, and still are, used to portray ancestors, animals, and mythical heroes in order to connect the spirit world with the living world. They also play an important role in celebrating important events.
Here’s to kids who love bright colors, wild animals, and action heroes! Here’s to parents and teachers who do as well, and here’s to the masks that bring us together!
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STUDENT SECTION
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
RI S E & S HI N E Where I am From by Dalyn Truong ’23: 6C I am from the house in the middle of the neighborhood and the flowers upfront. From the small garden, rocks, and trampoline. I am from the snaps of branches and wind blows. I am from the many hello kitty purses and pink shades. From bubble baths and shampoo mohawks. I am from feeding the squirrel and running away from big dogs. I am from Buddha temples and praying. From red envelopes, dragon dancers, and loud drums. I am from playing the violin and piano. From rice, fish, and soup.
In 2019, St. Anne’s began the process of revamping our quarterly school and alumni newsletters. Our goal was to roll the five publications into one magazine. With a strong online and social media (@stannesdenver) presence that tells its own story, we wanted to give our community a “look-back” on the entire year with thoughtful stories, articles, and accomplishments. One aspect of our new magazine was a Student Section. In January 2020, the Alumni Department and Communications Office hosted a Middle School contest to name/design the student section. We received over 50 submissions! You can see from the title of this section that RISE & SHINE (named by Emilia Calamari ’20) won — paying tribute to our long-standing all-school chapel tradition where students energetically sing this fun song at the start and end of the school year. The cover artwork by Shay Porter ’21 won for cover design, which features a look into campus from the alcove in the Sunken Garden. Last spring, the pandemic put a hold on launching our magazine, and despite this year’s challenges, we could not miss the opportunity to reflect on this historic year. For 70 years, we have been educating minds, enriching hearts, and expanding horizons, and for almost 90 years we have been caring for children, sometimes amidst the most extraordinary circumstances (see 70 Years Strong, p. 58). RISE & SHINE highlights the outstanding work of our students. More importantly, it highlights how school didn’t stop during the Covid-19 crisis — a reminder about the resiliency of our students, teachers, and parents. Congratulations to Emilia Calamari ’20 and Shay Porter ’21 for their creativity and winning submissions!
I am from pouring the same amount of juice for my siblings. Sister secrets. Laughs, smirks, and cries. I am from sleepovers with friends, face-timing grandparents, and chasing my brother with a stick. Reading, to yucky green juice to my yellow duck stuffed animal. This is where I am from.
Artwork on left: Shay Porter ’21
Grace Middlekauff ’22, Abstract Painting
Keenan Love ’23, Animal Painting PAGE 15
ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
RISE & SHINE 2nd Grade Inventor Project Students studied biographies as part of an integrated nonfiction reading unit in second grade. Then each student chose one “overcomer” to complete a biography report on Seesaw. By exploring project-based learning, we reflected on the obstacles the overcomer faced in his or her life, and students designed and built something to help the “overcomer” they studied.
Stevie White
Jasmine Seeber ’21, Seascape Painting
Alistair Olson
Stevie White ’27 Created a mobile home for LeBron James to live in so he didn’t have to experience homelessness when he was little. The mobile home ensured that he could always drive to his games and practices. Keagan Boyd ’22
Alistair Olson ’27 Created a backpack for Leonardo da Vinci with extra arms so that he could have some help holding his tools when completing all of his great works of art.
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March Madness in Spanish Class In March, Ms. Bakken's and Mr. Krause's Spanish students joined tens of thousands of students across the country to complete their bracket for the Latin music variation of March Madness. After listening to, learning about, and singing along to 16 songs, students voted for their predictions of best songs. The competition was intense, and students were passionate about their favorites. Students chose their favorite to represent in a SmashDoodle.
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
STUDENT SECTION
My Good Friend Music by Aziza Diallo ’21
Middle School Math Students used trigonometry to calculate the height of the flagpole. They measured the angle of elevation to the top of the flagpole.
Lily Thu ’26
3rd Grade Poetry Unit While studying poetry, third graders sought to see the world with poets' eyes. They explored how line breaks can change the sound of a poem, worked to use comparisons to clarify feelings and ideas, and wrote poems from different points of view. Each student chose one poem to publish in the class poetry book.
Singing in the shower to your favorite song and crying, Because you relate too much to the lyrics, Or it hits way too close for comfort Isn’t anyone’s best idea of being happy right? But, that’s my happiness Music is something I could not live without. Some like different genres, But, I Explore and constantly test Different genres out; Hip hop, Indie, Pop, Rap/R&B, Soul Because I believe that music is my diversity Bass drops as time stops, and I can feel the vibration through my headphones From the sound waves in my ears to the tips of my fingers, all the way to my toes Sound surround But, deep down, In the depths of my happiness, like a wilting flower in a field of yellow daisies, There hides a mask full of sadness and fear Grief, the one thing that takes darkness out of the light DeathSucking the life out of me, so painful, so sharp, so unexpected But, truly I believe that music can heal the soul It seems so childish, the smile on my face So pure, crystal clear, butIn the endless light, there is darkness YetWhat is humanity’s definition of music? Is it the energy all around me, the swirls of color, Floating through the vibrant air As I think to myself, Lyrics, and music, Are the things that don’t leave Music has been the one thing that has been with me Consistent, kind, Music, my old friendThe sound, vibrations, and even the verses, Have never left me, So, I believe that music is my superpower Even in the darkest days, and the happiest nights Smooth blues, sherbert oranges, bright yellows, and dark, heavy greens Make my emotions oh-so bright Like someone turned on the Sun This, I believe that music has the power to heal the soul So, it’s almost Like the music turned it on even brighter, full blast of sunlight Music to me, Is like The chivalry of a knight The kindness of a queen The strength of a dragon The healing of the Fountain of Youth, And the eternal sweetness of a fairy’s song So strong, artistic, Emotional, yet composed, Expressive, yet unreadable Then I say, Welcome back, Music My old friend.
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Success in transitioning with
T EC H NO LOGY JENNIFER WORTHING, DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GLEN WORTHING, DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
The education of children around the world has been greatly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. With the enforcement of strict social distancing measures and the sudden switch to distance learning in many countries, there have been rapid, widespread, and potentially permanent changes to traditional modes of teaching and learning. This came as a sudden shock in the spring of 2020 when we were forced to make quick decisions and train teachers to implement new technology tools to quickly pivot to SADL (St. Anne’s Distance Learning). As the 2019-2020 school year came to an end, our next challenge was to think about how we could learn and grow to improve distance learning as well as prepare for in-person learning within a cohort model. We embarked on the journey to evaluate the technology tools the teachers implemented in the spring and to explore new tools to make the experience even better for our students in the fall. We needed to figure out how to integrate the in-person and the remote students into a hybrid classroom where all could be seen and heard clearly. After much research, we decided to continue using Zoom as our remote teaching platform and to purchase Swivl devices to help remote students better interact from home with their classmates and teachers. Putting a device into every student’s hands preloaded with the software/apps needed to provide a successful learning experience was next on our minds. St. Anne’s quickly worked out a plan to get an iPad into the hands of all K-2 students and a laptop into the hands of all 3-8 students. This transition has proven to be a benefit in assuring that all students have access to a device. Headphones with a microphone were also purchased.
“Covid-19 has forced us all to not only think differently, but to act differently. In doing so, we have discovered new and perhaps more effective and efficient ways of teaching and learning.”
Since all students would have their own device, the indoor WiFi access points were replaced with high-density access points, and the fiber optic internet bandwidth was doubled to improve the reliability of the internet. In addition, outdoor WiFi units were installed to outfit the outdoor classroom spaces so teachers could connect to their at-home learners and students could do their assignments on a device outdoors. Being online comes with challenges on all fronts. Although we have built a robust infrastructure at St. Anne’s, not all of our families, both faculty and students, have the same capabilities at home. As such, we transitioned a full-time employee at St. Anne’s dedicated to the success of the at-home learner. This proved to be key in the success of the teacher being able to focus on teaching while having someone else focus on technology support for students and parents. Working closely with the Business Office and Plant Operations Department at St. Anne’s, we were not only able to acquire the incredible tools listed above, but we were also able to obtain additional tools and systems that allowed us to navigate the new challenges brought our way. We purchased tools such as Seesaw and Nearpod, flat panel displays, classroom document cameras, voice amplifiers for teachers, a new dismissal system, and Magnus Health for daily health checks. Covid-19 has forced us all to not only think differently, but to act differently. In doing so, we have discovered new and perhaps more effective and efficient ways of teaching and learning. Teachers have implemented technologies that allow them to deliver their content across a digital platform. They have adjusted their teaching methodologies and instructional strategies, acknowledging that delivering content in a digital world cannot be done as if students are seated in front of you in a classroom. Students have had to assume higher levels of responsibility and accountability for their learning. As we prepare for the 2021-2022 school year, we will continue on our journey to evaluate, implement, and improve technology at St. Anne’s to further enhance the learning experience.
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“Radical empathy… means putting in the work to educate oneself and to listen with a humble heart to understand another’s experience from their perspective, not as we imagine we would feel. Radical empathy is not about you and what you think you would do in a situation you have never been in and perhaps never will. It is the kindred connection from a place of deep knowing that opens your spirit to the pain of another as they perceive it.” -Isabel Wilkerson
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
Our Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI)
C O M M I T M E NT
KENDALL EARLY ’05 AND KELSEY SMITH ’01, CO-DIRECTORS OF COMMUNITY AND INCLUSION
“...being an anti-racist requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination.” - Dr. Kendi
This school year has been unlike any other. As we look back on the past twelve months, our community has worked to strengthen itself around our mission, core values, and beliefs while continuing to recognize that there is always more we can do regarding JEDI actions and awareness. As we pursue this work and learning, we hope to do so with open hearts and minds, following in the footsteps of our Founding Sisters. As a community, we committed ourselves to JEDI work through reading and engaging in various JEDI trainings throughout the year. The words from these spaces have resonated with us deeply. Books such as How to Be an Anti-Racist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, as well as our fall workshop, “Addressing Social Justice Issues in our Practice as Educators” by Dr. Sarah-Soonling Blackburn, have shaped our approach to JEDI work. These teachings have guided us as we reflect and also as we look ahead. It takes ongoing practice and reflection to confront our biases. As such, we’ve spent this past year leaning into principles such as “balance muck and momentum,” “make space and take space,” and “know this is unfinished business,” set by Dr. Blackburn. With these words of wisdom in our hearts and minds, we’ve been motivated by an individual sense of responsibility and a collective community mindset to learn, grow, and move forward. We found numerous opportunities to do just that through intentional spaces via the Colorado Diversity Network (CDN) and various workshops and conferences within and outside the Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS) community. These focused on topics such as creating gender-inclusive environments; allowed us to re-examine our individual and institutional biases and prejudices in the classroom; and provided us with an opportunity to meet a wide variety of people from all walks of life looking for employment at independent schools through the annual Diversity Hiring Fair. With the hopes of continuing to build upon our school’s JEDI foundation and the work already happening in other classrooms, we established a 5th-grade JEDI class and continued to develop our pre-existing 6th-grade JEDI class, both of which guide students in exploration of their identity, biases, privileges, and the power they have to help enact significant change in our society. Research continues to provide evidence about how important it is to have these conversations, which benefits our students’ characters and future economic potential in a multicultural world.
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St. Anne’s has expanded our affinity group offerings for faculty and staff, parents, and students. We have now established an affinity group for alumni of color and a JEDI alliance group for all alumni. These have and will provide opportunities for our school to reconnect with alumni, build community through sharing our JEDI ideas and life experiences, and hear thoughts on future initiatives. Our education, which was predicated both on academic excellence and strong character, has opened numerous doors for us to thrive as adults and approach the aspirational goals we express in our Portrait of a Graduate. Our lived experiences are factors that become our “why” for the importance of JEDI work to fully accomplish our mission of “educating minds, enriching hearts, and expanding horizons.” “Not one of us was here when this house was built. Our immediate ancestors may have had nothing to do with it, but here we are, the current occupants of a property with stress cracks and bowed walls and fissures built into the foundation. We are the heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it. We did not erect the uneven pillars or joists, but they are ours to deal with now. And any further deterioration is, in fact, on our hands.” - Isabel Wilkerson
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
Our lived experiences as students at St. Anne’s and adults in our current world are factors that become our “why” for believing in the importance of JEDI work to fully accomplish our mission of “educating minds, enriching hearts, and expanding horizons.”
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
The Blessing of Lessons
L E A R NED
MARGARET GRANT MITCHELL ’90, MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD
As the world begins to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, everyone is asking, “What have we learned?” A once-in-a-hundred-years experience is an opportunity to reflect. Recognizing what we have learned and how we have grown gives this difficult, grief-filled year meaning. Schools are designed around learning and growth, but we can also get stuck in our ways and resist change. Covid and all the subsequent changes we’ve had to make to continue to serve children has forced us to change, learn new skills, and find new ways to teach and be a community. We have learned three key lessons this year: we can learn new ways of teaching and learning; we can support each other and ask for help; and we need grace.
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
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We can learn new ways of teaching and learning: Last March, the faculty spent a day in a crash course on Zoom, Seesaw, Loom, Nearpod, and other online platforms. We were laying the foundation for a quick pivot to online learning for the spring — which we did. When it became clear that this pandemic wasn’t going to be over in two or three months, we had to find a way to teach in person but in new ways yet again. It’s one thing to learn how to run a Zoom class or create lessons to be submitted on Seesaw. However, it’s another thing entirely to reinvent how Art, Music, Science, and Technology are taught “on a cart.” But last summer and all this year, our teachers have done just that. These veteran, expert teachers have reimagined their curricula in the age of Covid. Every day you will see Mr. Gifford or Mr. Sigler or Ms. Bishop pushing their carts full of materials for classes. You will hear them say to each other, “Could we do it this way?” or “What if we tried this?” They have managed to teach students in person and online simultaneously in ways they certainly had never been asked to do before.
We can support each other and ask for help: The last year and a half has thrown us all challenges we could not have anticipated way back in 2019. Students, teachers, and parents have all experienced a level of stress, strain, grief, and exhaustion that we hadn’t known before as a whole society. From less social time and worries about how to interact with others safely to the feeling we are all stretched so thin, we have all had moments when we have hit our limit. That’s meant we’ve had to be more vulnerable perhaps than ever before simply because we couldn’t hide it or because we needed help. For some, asking for help, expressing that need, is uncomfortable. We like to be strong and self-sufficient. Most in our community are so good at supporting and helping others, and it can be difficult to be on the receiving end. This year, most of us have had no choice but to admit our limits and ask for what we need. That is not easy, and it’s usually a bit messy, but it is what real community is, and at St. Anne’s we value community even more because of the support we all have received.
We need grace: Our year’s theme of Grace Today provided us with a reminder that we all need to offer and receive grace in these times — and all the time. Learning new things and asking for help wouldn’t be possible without grace. Grace is hard to put into words, but you know it when you receive it — you can feel it. It’s the recognition by another person that what is going on is hard. It’s someone saying, “I know you are doing the best you can in unprecedented circumstances.” It’s shifting our mentality from measuring worth based on achievement to worth based on our very existence as humans living together and the miracle that is life every day. Grace is necessary for growth, and we’ve had to grow a lot this year. Without grace, without the space and love to try new things and learn from our past, we are afraid to try and can get caught in a perfectionist cycle. Without grace, friendships can’t be repaired when there’s hurt. Without grace, our community would fracture under judgment. We have needed to extend and receive so much grace this year, even when it feels like we have nothing left to give. Grace keeps us whole, individually and collectively.
The stability of 70 years of tradition at St. Anne’s has withstood the challenges of Covid, and in the process, we have learned we can grow and change while still holding true to our values and our mission. PAGE 25
ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
Welcome Class of
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Open page to see the Year in Review
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CANNED FOOD DRIVE
2020-21 Year in Review
HALLOWEEN
NOVEMBER
CLASSES IN FULL FORCE
SCHOOL GOES TO HALF DAY DURING COVID PEAK
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS GO VIRTUAL VIRTUAL GRANDPARENTS’ DAY
PLAYGROUNDS OPEN PRAYER FLAGS HUNG
DECEMBER
SCHOOL IN SESSION
50 DAYS IN SCHOOL
OCTOBER
AUGUST
OPENING DAY
SEPTEMBER
OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
100 DREAMS COLLECTIVE ART PROJECT TO HONOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR
VIRTUAL TALENT SHOW
4TH GRADE INVENTION CONVENTION
APRIL
FOUNDERS’ DAY TRIPS TO SAITH BEGIN
JUNE
MAY
MARCH
FIELD DAY
F EBRUARY
8TH GRADE TUBING
VALENTINE’S DAY
JANUARY
MITTEN DRIVE
GRADUATION
MAY DAY
ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
CO M I N G H OM E BY LEXIE RUH RHODES ’90
It wasn’t something that hit us all at once, like a lightning strike or clouds parting. It was more of an obvious path that slowly unfurled before our eyes. In the early days of the lockdown, each morning my husband would bring two or three boxes outside to our picnic table from the massive pile my parents had dropped off in our garage a year earlier. And as Andrew Cuomo would begin his daily briefings, my daughter Laurel and I would set about unearthing the memories hidden in those boxes. It became our morning routine. An early box contained my 1984-85 Sundial yearbook. I sent a quick photo of our two headshots to Nicole (Wafer) Lucas ’90, who, after leaving Colorado in 5th grade, I had reconnected with in LA. I was her witness at her wedding, and she in turn hosted our baby shower. A couple of weeks later, I found the 5th grade book “Peaches” authored by Mimi (Soutiriou) Raygorodetsky ’90. She and I reconnected, and I sent her back the book to NYC where I had seen her last. There were photos from St. Anne’s in the Hills and our trip to D.C., and probably about one thousand clay soap dishes and figurines from Mr. Sigler’s kiln.
We had just made the difficult decision to pass on fall enrollment at a local Santa Barbara school that I had fallen in love with because it reminded me of St. Anne’s. With the world on hold and schools closed, it made sense to take a beat on any decisions. The dream of my daughter having that experience was thrown onto the heap of expectations that 2020 was quickly piling up. As we continued through the fall of our pandemic year, the effort and price we were exerting to create the childhood my husband and I wanted for our daughter in California, became glaringly obvious. The Golden State is glorious, and we were lucky to have family there, but after a decade in L.A. and Santa Barbara, we were both missing the community we had left in Denver. And as I looked upon all the memories I had unpacked from a wonderful childhood at St. Anne’s, the decision became clear. We were attempting to replicate a community in California that we already had in Colorado. We put our house on the market and applied for our daughter to attend St. Anne’s.
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We moved back to Denver in April and Laurel will begin kindergarten in the fall. What St. Anne’s gave me was a love of learning and a curiosity about the world that carried me through high school, university, and on to my master's, and set me out into the world to live and travel throughout six of the seven continents. The joy and peace of mind that I get from knowing my daughter will be walking around that familiar campus and inspired by so many of my former teachers and classmates is priceless. But more importantly, Laurel will now have her own wonderful St. Anne’s experience and memories, and I am so very excited for her.
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
ALUMNI PROFILE
“What St. Anne’s gave me was a love of learning and a curiosity about the world…”
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“Mr. Early enters every situation with the goal of making a positive impact on the lives of others.” – 8th grader “Mr. Gifford always encourages me to go out of my comfort zone and pushes me every day.” – 8th grader
“I appreciate Mr. Krause because he teaches from the perspective of a student.” – 8th grader
“Mrs. Kitts, you are a great and kind teacher.” – 3rd grader
“Mrs. Cardenas, art was amazing.” – 1st grader
MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER With gratitude,Tuition Assistance
Innovation and Technology
Professional Development
Facilities and Grounds
T HAN K FORWARD Y O U , T EAC H ERS MOVING TOGETHER Innovation and Technology
Tuition Assistance
Professional“Mr. Development Facilities and Grounds Sigler, you are
the best teacher ever. You taught me well. ” – 3rd grader
“Miss Smith is open-minded; she is always willing to listen to suggestions of any kind.” – 2nd grader “Ms. Rado and Ms. Richards: your warmth, kindness, love, patience, resilience, continuous communication, thoughtfulness and dedication made an otherwise challenging year feel somewhat like normal, which in and of itself was a blessing.” – Kindergarten family PAGE 30
“Ms. Murray, thank you for making all of us feel special and for taking care of us.” – Preschooler
“Ms. Ford and Ms. Gartland, we are deeply grateful for your kindness, patience, ability to pivot, resiliency, dedication to continued learning and growth, and deeply personal desire to see these children flourish in such troubling times.” 2nd grade family
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
C LA S S N O T ES CLASS OF 1982
CLASS OF 1992
CLASS OF 1996
Elizabeth "Buffy" Fisher ’82
Hillary Locke Mujica ’92
Jen Judson ’96
As Buffy continues to work in the non-profit sector here in Denver, she has also decided to attend auctioneering school later this year to add to her career path! Besides being a part of St. Anne’s Alumni Board, Buffy enjoys spending lots of time outdoors and time with family, friends, and pets! Sean Keefe ’82
Hillary Locke Mujica is the owner/ designer of The French Fleur Denver. Her curated arrangements help spread floral cheer for everyday celebrations as well as for special events. Hillary’s passion for flowers and sophisticated approach to floral design make her “fleurs of the month” offerings highly coveted. “I really think of the person or the event before I start designing, along with what’s in season. Nothing I design is cookie cutter, so each bespoke arrangement truly speaks to the recipients,” says Hillary. “It brings me so much joy to work with flowers and create unique arrangements for my clients.” In addition to floral design, Hillary is also the editor of AvidLifestyle Magazine, a luxury lifestyle magazine that reaches Cherry Hills Village, Greenwood Village, and other select South Denver neighborhoods. “AvidLifestyle allows me to connect with the community and highlight what I love about Colorado. Plus, I learn something new with each issue which is inspiring.” To learn more, head to Instagram and check out @thefrenchfleurdenver and @avidlifestylemag. N ST. A NE’S
Sean Keefe ’82 will join the staff at Graland Country Day in August as a full-time, flex teacher in the middle school. He will also be assisting boys’ lacrosse and chaperoning the 6th-grade southwest trip (a s’more exploded in Sean's hand on this year’s trip, pictured here). “It’s great to be at Graland where the presence and legacy of John Comfort are alive and well!”
ALU M NI
Jen Judson ’96 and her husband welcomed their second son, Theodore “Teddy” James, in April 2020. She can’t believe they have already celebrated his first birthday! It has been a struggle the past year to work full-time jobs at home with two-under-two during the pandemic, but they have survived, and the boys are now in daycare and the pressure valve is slowly releasing. Jennifer is still the land warfare reporter for Defense News, but is also serving as vice president of the National Press Club this year and was just elected to the board of the Military Reporters and Editors Association.
St. Anne’s Alumni Association welcomes Class Notes submissions from alumni and alumni parents. There are three ways to submit information:
STANDARD MAIL: Attn: Julia Brown St. Anne’s Episcopal School 2701 S. York Street Denver, CO 80210 E-MAIL: jbrown@st-annes.org ONLINE: st-annes.org/alumni PAGE 31
ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 1996 Mike Turner ’96 When Mike Turner ’96 was airlifted out of Bolivia in 2008 in a military cargo plane, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be going back. He had spent the past year in Bolivia as a volunteer in the Peace Corps but had to leave when the Peace Corps officially pulled out of the country. Once back in the U.S., Mike decided to go to graduate school at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs which propelled him into a career in climate change and international development. He then moved to D.C., to work for a climate change think tank before moving back to Colorado and starting a consulting business. For the past seven years, he has been working for the Colorado Energy Office, currently as its Director of Building Innovation and Energy Finance. In 2015, Mike and two friends from the Peace Corps went back to visit their communities in Bolivia and came across startling facts. In Bolivia, only 10% of young indigenous women vs. 81% of men go on to a secondary education. A number of conversations later, he and those same friends started a nonprofit called the Chaco Fund. The Fund’s goal is to “unlock the potential of young Bolivian women by empowering leaders, promoting self-determination, and creating advocates for rural communities.” Their approach centers around women’s education, sending Bolivian women to higher education and providing for tuition, room and board, laptops, career development, and job opportunities. The ultimate goal is that these women will use their education to benefit their communities. And it’s been working. Currently, the Chaco Fund supports four scholars who will bring leadership qualities back to their communities in meaningful ways. For example, hydrology student Maribel hopes to one day guarantee the water supply of her home village. Eventually, Mike hopes to be able to expand the Fund to more scholars and additional communities.
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Willis Wood ’96 After spending two years at Gonzaga University in Washington, Willis Wood ’96 moved back to Denver and took a year off. He needed to regroup and reevaluate what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. After a little soul searching, Willis decided to apply to Loyola Marymount’s entrepreneur program within its business school and graduated a few years later with a degree in business administration and minor in entrepreneurship. Willis eventually moved back to Denver in 2007 after spending time in L.A. and started his own company, Trade Show Emporium, a trade show exhibit design and production company, which he sold last year. In 2013, Willis started another company, RiNo Sign Works, with business partner Brian Dudzinski. Their first client was The Source in the RiNo neighborhood. Brian recently moved to Salt Lake City and opened up their second shop. They currently employ 12 people and have worked with several St. Anne’s-related businesses, including Mythology Distillery and Footers Catering. Willis doesn’t think of his product as a sign but as a piece of artwork, creating signage that customers consider an extension of themselves and their craft. Their work covers everything from the design, creation, fabrication, installation and permitting of the signs. When he’s not working, you can find Willis with his wife Carolee and golden doodle, Jackson. Jackson and Willis are part of the Canine Airport Therapy Squad at DIA interacting with travelers to calm their nerves before flying. And Jackson even has his own Instagram account (@dood.its.action.jackson).
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 1997 Sam Bacon ’97
Georgia Kelly Rising ’97
Emily and Sam Bacon ’97 had their second daughter, Nina, in June of 2020, and she’s happy and healthy (despite not meeting many people this pandemic year). When they could sneak away, Sam and his oldest daughter, Harper, like to go skiing, as seen in the picture. Sam is partner at Welborn Sullivan in Denver specializing in complex commercial litigation and resolving contract disputes.
Georgia Kelly Rising ’97 knew from a young age that she wanted to work as a nurse for the underserved. At 17, she began to work as a nurse’s aide at Swedish Medical Center and continued through nursing school until she finally became a medical ICU nurse at Denver Health after graduating college. The bulk of her experience is in intensive care and emergency services. She was a travel nurse living in Seattle, Alaska, Hawaii, and Northern California and came back to Colorado in 2010, taking an assignment again at Denver Health within the critical care department. About five years ago, Georgia switched to working at a family health clinic as a charge nurse in the Westwood neighborhood of Denver. The historically Latino neighborhood is about 80% Hispanic and as of 2016, about a third of its population was below the poverty line. Once Covid hit, Denver Health, which owns the clinic, launched a “virtual hospital at home” service for all of its patients. Georgia works for the service once a week making calls to anywhere from three to 35 Covid patients several times a day. She not only helps them monitor their symptoms from home but also works with Project Angel Heart to deliver them meals. Denver Health started the virtual hospital program expecting a surge of Covid cases, but it is now a way for high-risk patients to get the care and access they need from home. Growing up at St. Anne’s, Georgia says, helped to shape some of her decisions today. Her oldest daughter just started preschool at St. Anne’s, and she has a younger daughter at home. We are grateful Georgia is back at St. Anne’s, now as a parent and as a hero to us all.
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CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 1999
Thomas Seibert ’99
Hilary Day ’99
When he stepped onto the medical school campus at the University of Colorado as a member of the Class of 2014, Tom Seibert ’99 didn’t expect to know anyone. He was a zoology major at Miami University and, originally, didn’t think about entering the medical field. That was also true of Brooke Thurman ’00, an anthropology major at Northwestern, and of Christie Osborne ’99, who double majored in chemistry and English literature at University of San Diego hoping to pursue a career in the music industry. Sarah Jenkins ’00 majored in neuroscience as an undergraduate but took a few years off before starting medical school. Coincidentally, these four St. Anne’s alums started medical school at exactly the same time, in exactly the same place. They were all part of the Class of 2014 at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Sarah and Brooke studied abroad together during college and then became medical school roommates; and now their husbands
Hello to all alumni from the Calton family (Hilary Day ’99)! Hilary and family are currently residing in Highlands Ranch, CO, and enjoying time together with kids and pups. Daughter, Brooke, is 13 and son, Liam, will be five this summer. They recently added two new puppies to the family, and they have gained quite the following on Instagram (@maximusandmorpheus). Hilary’s husband, Bill, is currently working hard as a VP for Comcast. She is a licensed cosmetologist but enjoys her time as a stay-at-home mom for the time being. Jessica Gibson Covella ’99 Jessica Gibson Covella ’99 currently works as an instructional coach in Denver Public Schools, and recently launched a small business called Expansive Tutoring LLC. Her team inspires expansion through a holistic approach supporting both academic, social/emotional growth and development for students. She has an incredible team at Expansive Tutors, and offers Summer Programs, Small Group Tutoring, and One-On-One private tutoring sessions. www.expansive-tutoring.com PAGE 34
are good friends. Christie and Tom both went to Mullen High School but hadn’t really kept in touch since graduating. Now all four are living in Denver and working in the medical field. After completing a residency with another St. Anne’s alum, Jen Hissett ’92, Tom spent time practicing wilderness medicine in Utah and now works in emergency medicine in Aurora. Sarah spent her residency at UPenn and is now a hospitalist and assistant professor at CU’s medical school. Christie spent her residency in pediatrics at the University of Colorado with Brooke’s husband, then did a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases, and is now finishing a second fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine (pediatric ICU). She also had a baby in March. And Brooke, who just had her second child, works for Kaiser at Skyridge Hospital as an obstetrician/ gynecologist. They all look back fondly on their time at St. Anne’s with positive memories from their teachers, many of whom are still here today.
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 1999
CLASS OF 2000 William Comfort ’99
As a physician, “I appreciate everything the community is doing to help hospitals,” says William Comfort ’99 who works as a doctor in the emergency room and ICU in Greeley and Fort Collins hospitals. After graduating from St. Anne’s, Will went on to Kent Denver, then majored in chemical engineering at CU Boulder before going to medical school at University of Colorado Denver. He spent his residency in Detroit before moving back to Colorado in 2014. He looks back on his teachers at St. Anne’s as some of the best he’s ever had and says he almost felt like a “celebrity on campus” because of his grandfather, John Comfort, Head of School from 1980 to 1994. John “ set a clear example that a person should use their ability to help the people around them. He helped so many kids during his career; I am very proud to be his grandson.” And Will is following in his grandfather’s footsteps in helping others as a doctor on the front lines. The northern Colorado hospitals where Will is working do have PPE stocked but he’s had to reuse his KN95 masks (unheard of a year ago) and the hospitals have had to double up patients in ICU rooms with patients being transferred from two states away. Fortunately, Will received the vaccine in December (pictured here). When he’s not working, Will enjoys skiing and snowboarding at his favorite resort, Winter Park. He is learning to SCUBA dive and is a big Broncos fan. Will also loves taking his dogs to visit all of the dog parks around Denver. Currently working on plans to pursue humanitarian work outside of the country, Will is hoping to join Doctors Without Borders in the near future. Will is one of St. Anne’s many heroes during the pandemic, and we thank him for all his work.
CLASS OF 2000 Hillary Hoffman ’00 Hillary Hoffman ’00 and husband welcomed their first child, Colden, in June 2020 and are feeling very fortunate to enjoy their first year with him, pandemic woes aside. Hillary continues her work in education as a Director with DSST Public Schools and feels so lucky to live in Denver close to family and friends, some of whom go back to her days at St. Anne’s!
Alexandra O’Neill ’00 At the presidential inauguration in January, Dr. Jill Biden wore an ocean-blue wool tweed coat over a dress by Colorado-born designer Alexandra O’Neill ’00, who created the Markarian label in 2017. The new first lady’s matching coat and dress set included a velvet collar and cuffs on the coat, and a chiffon bodice and scalloped skirt on the dress. The neckline of the dress was embellished with Swarovski pearls and crystals. The same crystals adorn the coat. The outfit was handcrafted in New York City. In an email, O’Neill wrote: “It is an incredible honor to dress Dr. Biden today. I am so humbled to be even a small part of American history.” O’Neill fell in love with fashion when her grandmother, Gigi, taught her to sew when she was 10 years old and growing up in rural Colorado. Kent Denver and St. Anne’s, both alma maters of Ali’s, teamed up in February to host a virtual interview with the designer, moderated by Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs at Kent, Priscilla Scobie.
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CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 2001 Jason Takahashi ’01 Did you know the first typewriter was originally made for a woman who was losing her eyesight? This is just one example that inspired St. Anne’s alum and Technology and Innovations teacher, Jason Takahashi ’01, to teach his students the value and potential of technology to provide unparalleled access to information and opportunity. After graduating from Skidmore College, Jason worked as a web and graphic designer – eventually becoming the visual and creative director for a national touring band called Papadosio. He then moved on to teaching tech across the Denver Public Schools district before joining St. Anne’s full-time in 2019. As we keep moving through this unprecedented school year, Jason is actively seeking ways to encourage students “to be open to what is possible with tools like 3D design and printing, as well as learning to program and code.” Given the rich history of St. Anne’s as an inclusive home for healing, Jason hopes “to inspire empathic engineering by weaving the spirit of our Founding Sisters with the help of these incredible tools.” As the son of a polio survivor and graduate of St. Anne’s, he feels “personally called to this mission and [is] really excited to see how current students connect with it as well.”
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 2006
CLASS OF 2007
CLASS OF 2010
Kathleen Dermody ’06
Sarah Frank ’07
Abby Godfrey ’10
Kathleen Dermody ’06 has lived in San Francisco for the past seven years, working at one of the fastest-growing consumer goods companies and leading their global online consumer marketing initiatives. In the fall of 2020, she completed her master’s degree in marketing from the Leavey School of Business at her alma mater, Santa Clara University.
Sarah Frank ’07 is a PhD candidate working on her dissertation at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She was awarded two teaching awards this year and received two grants for her research. Currently she is authoring a study on dating and intimacy during the Covid-19 pandemic and examining the legal grounds for menstruation taxes.
Abby Godfrey ’10 played lacrosse at Elon University and is now an Account Manager at Forward Financing, a Boston-based fin-tech start up.
Lexa Taylor ’06
CLASS OF 2008 William Godfrey ’08 After sailing on the Hobart Sailing Team, William Godfrey ’08 now lives in New York City and is a fixed income analyst at Rockefeller Capital Management.
CLASS OF 2009 Lexa Taylor ’06, DNP, PMHNP-BC, has completed both her master’s and doctorate programs at Vanderbilt University. She specializes in psychiatry and addictions treatment, and serves as both lead clinician and clinical director for a federally qualified healthcare center in Santa Barbara, CA. She enjoys doing anything outdoors with her partner, Brad, is very close to her family, and keeps in touch with many St. Anne’s classmates. She still credits Mr. Saslow for her love of correct grammar, and she is very proud to be Dr. Taylor after years of hard work. She is looking forward to publishing her doctoral work in the fall and is excited to have more friends and family visit once everyone is vaccinated!
Tucker Stolberg ’09
Tucker Stolberg ’99, moved in September 2020 to Los Angeles to join an investment firm, RLH Equity, which makes majority investments in founderowned companies in the services and technology space. He’s been particularly impressed with the team’s combination of business acumen and moral compass, or “Character Power” to use the name of a class he remembers taking at St. Anne’s. Lucky for Tucker, his girlfriend of five years agreed to move to L.A. too. It’s been fun to return to the city of his college alma mater, USC. So far been unsuccessful in his attempts to learn how to surf but hopes to have more positive update in the future!
Dan Lovato ’10 At St. Anne’s, there were a few spaces where Dan Lovato ’10 felt most in control, powerful, and safe – the music room with Ms. Gilbert; drama with Mrs. Casperson; and English with Mr. Amend. They caught the theater bug from Mrs. Casperson and ended up starring as the lead in almost every play. They were the only member of the tap-dancing club and a key member of the jazz band. These spaces meant a lot to Dan, who identifies as non-binary, queer, and mixed-race, and now uses the pronouns they/them. In their early years, that identity often made Dan a target. As a result, Dan said in an interview with VoyageLA, “Resilience was a trait I developed early and cultivated for most of my life.” Dan has channeled that resiliency into poetry and performance, used as forms of self-care. At the young age of 25, Dan has a successful career in writing, performing, and poetry — a trailblazer for those who may not see themselves on stage or on screen. They want to make sure that everyone knows their voice matters.
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R ES I L I E N C Y on the Front Lines BY KELLY CARPENTER BYRGE ’02
“My time in the early months of the pandemic was spent trying to stay afloat despite an overwhelming flood of information…”
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
ALUMNI PROFILE
The way that pandemics and epidemics have shaped generations and impacted societies has always fascinated me. In fact, it is one of the many things that attracted me to the field of Infectious Diseases. But never did I consider that I would someday find myself at the center of such a momentous time in history. My Internal Medicine residency was followed by a fellowship in Infectious Diseases, both at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. After finishing my training in the summer of 2019, I was hired to stay on as faculty in a role that stationed me at a medium-sized, private hospital in a neighboring county. As part of my new role, I would provide Infectious Diseases consultations for hospitalized patients as well as lead the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program which serves to monitor and optimize antibiotic use for the hospital. The initial few months of my first “real job” were accompanied by the expected nerves and desire to prove myself. However, just as I began to feel comfortable in my new role, I heard the murmurs of a novel virus causing a worrisome outbreak. The first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the state of Tennessee was diagnosed on March 5, 2020, in none other than the county where my hospital was located. What followed was a chaotic time with everyone turning to the Infectious Diseases “expert” (i.e., me) for advice regarding a disease that had, quite literally, just walked through the front door. My time in the early months of the pandemic was spent trying to stay afloat despite an overwhelming flood of information, while also creating ever changing treatment algorithms, and providing recommendations during daily huddles to discuss the specifics of care for those admitted to our hospital with Covid-19 infection (over 1,000 patients to date). I now also seemed to have been added to the speed-dial of all those friends and family members who had once given me quizzical looks when hearing that I had chosen a career as an Infectious Disease physician.
And if that was not enough excitement, I discovered that I was pregnant with my second child in May of 2020. As a wife and mother of a young toddler at home, I was already concerned about the implications should I develop infection, but now the stakes were even higher. Despite these anxieties and my growing belly, I tried to still provide the best possible bedside patient care. There are truly no words to describe the relief of welcoming a healthy baby girl and receiving my Covid-19 immunization in January 2021. As with so many others, there was no option to be anything but resilient over the past year. I feel pride in the way that my healthcare team persisted under such difficult circumstances. I hope that someday my daughter will also be proud when she learns about the historic Covid-19 pandemic and how she was right there on the front lines with me.
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 2011
CLASS OF 2012
CLASS OF 2013
Daniel Hennes ’11
James Giltner ’12
Camryn Magness ’13
Daniel Hennes ’11, founder of Engage, LLC partnered with Martin Luther King III and athletes from across the sports world to support the non-profit organization, Drum Major Institute (DMI). Donations raised through the campaign benefit DMI, founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1961. In honor of its 60th anniversary, Martin Luther King III is re-launching DMI which seeks to eradicate the triple evils of racism, poverty, and violence. DMI works to advance the legacy of Dr. King by fostering a culture of nonviolence and promoting peace, justice, and equity.
James Giltner ’12 is currently a fashion student at Institu Francais de la Mode (IFM) in Paris. With a collection called “Toxique, c’est chic”, which showcases the knitting techniques he perfected under Covid-19 lockdown at home, James is among aspiring designers stepping into the limelight in an unusual edition of Paris’ fashion week. Students about to graduate from IFM kicked off fashion week by showcasing their filmed catwalk show, billed as a tribute to the young “Covid generation” disrupted by the pandemic.
Engage is a web-based platform designed to digitize the process of booking anything from a speech to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The company was founded by blind USC long snapper Jake Olson and his manager, Daniel Hennes ’11. Daniel currently serves as CEO.
CLASS OF 2013 Charlotte and Emma Godfrey ’13
CLASS OF 2012 Joe Caplis ’12 and Tommy Boatman ’12
Charlotte Godfrey ’13 played both field hockey and lacrosse at Denison University and is headed to Boston to work in the communications sector. Emma Godfrey ‘13 played both field hockey and lacrosse at Dickinson College and is headed to Washington, D.C., to work on Capitol Hill.
Joe Caplis ’12 and Tommy Boatman ’12 at the White House, Rose Garden
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After a year of waiting to make her South by Southwest (SXSW) debut, Denver-based singer Camryn (Magness ’13) is not one to let pandemic precautions get her down. Early last March, she was getting ready to play at the popular Austin, Texas music festival when the entire event was canceled because of the encroaching coronavirus pandemic. Now the singer, who splits her time between Denver and Los Angeles, is making her belated SXSW appearance at the festival’s 2021 virtual edition. “Performing is my favorite part of being an artist,” said Camryn. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t get to do it in person at the moment because that always adds an extra element that is exciting and fun to be around, but I think we’re all pivoting in this new performance style.” Celia Osman ’13 Celia Osman ’13 graduated this May from the University of Michigan with a B.S.E. in industrial and operations engineering and honors in engineering global leadership. She will intern and complete her Capstone project with Target Corporation this summer before returning to Michigan to complete a fifth-year master’s degree in industrial and operations engineering.
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 2015 Graham Osman ’15
Sejal Porter ’15
Graham Osman ’15 is finishing his sophomore year at Arizona State University, majoring in finance and pitching for the Sun Devils’ baseball team. Go Devils! Dawson Storrs ’15 Dawson Storrs ’15 is at Pepperdine now. Should the pandemic continue to recede, he’ll be back on campus in the fall. So far, he’s done great at school, and much of that success can be traced to his St. Anne’s experience. Dr. Figlino was a big part of that experience and was a voice of wisdom before Dawson went off to Regis for high school.
Becoming an EMT was always something Sejal Porter ’15 wanted to do. With the arrival of the pandemic, she had even more reason to pursue it. Sejal started working 16-hour shifts, sometimes five days a week, on an ambulance serving all of the hospitals in northern Colorado, assisting a lot of Covid patients. On the front lines since last summer, Sejal truly “sees” Covid and is grateful to be able to
help. Before the pandemic, Sejal expected to be at NYU and spend a semester abroad in Tel Aviv. She graduated from Arapahoe High School in 2019 and traveled to Europe for six months on her own, skiing in the Alps and attending wine school in London. Unfortunately, after Sejal started NYU in January 2020, she was sent home seven weeks later because of the pandemic. That’s when she decided to become an EMT. She hoped to pursue EMT training at NYU on the 911 side. Studying abroad is still on her list too. We look forward to seeing what Sejal does next!
CLASS OF 2016 Keely Holt ’16 As high school seniors prepared to walk across their virtual graduation stages in June 2020, St. Anne’s knew its graduates were coping with as much grace, humility, courage, and empathy as possible. That was true of Keely Holt ’16, who decided to defer going to college at the University of Virginia for the 2020-2021 school year. After graduating within the top 10 of her class at Arapahoe High School, Keely was expecting to start UVA in person in the fall. Two weeks before school was supposed to start, however, she got an email saying all classes would be online. Knowing that a remote learning experience was not what she wanted for her first year of college, Keely decided to wait a year to start college in person. Once that decision was made, she started making plans. Keely interned for an architecture firm redesigning its website and helping with its social media presence in the fall. She moved to New Jersey for an internship at a nonprofit whose mission is to raise mental health awareness. She also worked in a supportive role at a marketing agency in New York City while nannying in the afternoons. Accepted to a gap semester program, she spent January to April in Spain. Although this past year was not typical for a recent high school graduate, or anyone for that matter, Keely learned a lot about herself. She is making the most of things, gaining valuable work experience in the process, and will continue to learn and grow on the East Coast during this unprecedented time.
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 2017 Saylor Benes ’17
Saylor Benes ’17 will be studying computer science at Cal Poly in the fall. Margaret Bird ’17 Margaret Bird ’17 will be in the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon in the fall. She plans to major in romance languages or another of the university’s language offerings. Steven Blattner ’17
Zoie Feasel ’17
Zoie Feasel ’17 is going to Abilene Christian University as a BFA musical theatre major in the honors college and on a pre-law track. She just finished a production of Addams Family at Valor Christian High School and had the opportunity to be a student leader for the dance program.
COMMITTED ATHLETES CLASS OF 2017 Brandon Bergner ’17 (Kent Denver), Brown University, Lacrosse Libby Ford ’17 (The Lawrenceville School), Washington & Lee University, Lacrosse
Frances Murphy ’17 Frances Murphy ’17 is attending University of Edinburgh Royal (Dick) College of Veterinary Medicine in the fall. She is working towards her five-year veterinary medicine degree. Her degree will be the equivalent of a DVM here, and she will be able to practice veterinary medicine in the U.S.
Rebecca Kerr ’17 (Colorado Academy), Denison University, Lacrosse
Karlee Osman ’17
This fall, Steven Blattner ’17 will be attending the Florida Institute of Technology, College of Aeronautics, majoring in aeronautical science with flight.
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Karlee Osman ’17 graduated in June from Colorado Academy and will attend the University of Arizona Eller School of Management in the fall. She’s played volleyball and basketball in high school and is part of the Community Leadership Team. She started a cookie company last spring and picked up fly fishing as a favored hobby.
Will McFadden ’17 (Regis Jesuit High School), Denison University, Lacrosse Braeden Wimer ’17 (Monarch High School), Hobart & William Smith, Lacrosse
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 2017 Parker Stava ’17 $22,000. That’s how much Parker Stava ’17 raised in only ONE week at Regis Jesuit High School for “Wish Week.” Wish Week is a week’s worth of daily fundraising events to serve the Make-A-Wish mission and help grant wishes to kids suffering from critical illnesses. As a member of the Make-A-Wish Youth Leadership Council in Colorado, Parker advocated for months to implement a “Wish Week” at Regis. Things stalled because of the pandemic, but in March of this year, he got the go-ahead to move forward, with only five weeks to plan and a $10,000 fundraising goal. He and a few other students got to work – they recruited sponsors, organized “themed” days throughout the week, complete with games and activities, created “wish kits” (merchandise and schwag to sell as part of the fundraiser), crafted opening and closing ceremonies, and shaped marketing through social media and community newsletters to raise awareness. By the end of the week, Parker and his team of eight people had surpassed their $10,000 goal with over 60 donors online and $5,500 from sponsors. Huge congratulations to Parker and team for this incredible success! In addition to the Leadership Council, Parker is also in the Spanish National Honors Society, Varsity Track, and was a Senior leader for Kairos. He has loved spending this year with his sister Catherine ’20 on their commute to school. He will be attending Northwestern in the fall.
Bryn Taplin ’17 When Bryn Taplin ’17 started handing out her lino-cut prints at school, she was just doing it for fun. They became so popular a friend suggested she start charging for them; eventually, Bryn created her own Etsy shop. Her first customer was in Oregon and she’s sold over a dozen prints, stickers and patches since opening (she’s even sold a Beatles poster to Mr. Amend – pictured here). Bryn is currently a senior at Colorado Academy, pursuing her interest in the arts. She loves graphic design, and digital is her favorite medium. Bryn draws inspiration from artist Eva Malley and looks back fondly on her art classes with Mr. Sigler at St. Anne’s. Before going to college at University of Vermont, Bryn plans to take a gap year in Banff as a ski guide for six months. She also hopes to travel around the U.S. and work as a freelance graphic designer. We can’t wait to see what’s next for Bryn! Other work posted on her Etsy shop: BrynTaplinArt
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 2017 MATRICULATION Rhea Baldwin ’17 Rebekah Barry ’17 Connell Barton ’17 Saylor Benes ’17 Margaret Bird ’17 Steven Blattner ’17 Sarah Brookhart ’17 Maya Cederlund ’17 Peter Coors ’17 Drew Corsi ’17 Gavin Craig ’17 Jack Darre ’17 Ella DelZotto ’17 Izzy Desjardins ’17 Robert Dicker ’17 Jack Domich ’17 Zoie Feasel ’17 Libby Ford ’17 Sarah Grace Golding ’17 Hannah Grove ’17 Blake Holst ’17 Max Kelly ’17 Rebecca Kerr ’17
Boston University Colorado State University Indiana University Bloomington California Polytechnic State University University of Oregon Florida Institute of Technology University of Arizona American University University of Notre Dame University of Colorado at Boulder University of Wisconsin at Madison Tulane University Tulane University Dickinson College University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Boulder Abilene Christian University Washington & Lee University of Oregon Rice University University of Texas at Austin William & Mary Denison University
CLASS OF 2018
CLASS OF 2019
Justice Ramsey-Valdez ’18
Abby Alem ’19
Justice Ramsey-Valdez ’18 is six months sober after using for six years. Justice has a stable job at a small diner where he cooks and is planning to go to the military as a technical engineer. Overall, Justice has been happy and healthy and misses St. Anne’s, especially teachers like Mr. Lemire, Mr. Amend, Mr. Vander Meulen, and Mr. Sigler.
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Elizabeth Lanava ’17 Mount Holyoke College Lilly Lichtenberger ’17 Villanova Rogelio Martinez ’17 University of Miami William McFadden ’17 Denison University Yelena Montesinos ’17 Ohio State University Abby Mullaney ’17 Chapman University Frances Murphy ’17 University of Edinburgh Royal (Dick) College of Veterinary Medicine Kyle Nowak ’17 University of Colorado at Boulder Karlee Osman ’17 University of Arizona Barrett Oxenreider ’17 Postgraduate year at The Lawrenceville School Ella Queenan ’17 University of Wisconsin at Madison Emilie Schaefer ’17 Lewis & Clark College Julia Schor ’17 Amherst College John Schweitzer ’17 Senior year Kent School Maddie Spiecker ’17 Chapman University Parker Stava ’17 Northwestern University Bryn Taplin ’17 Gap year then University of Vermont Devon Taplin ’17 University of California San Diego Joseph Wall ’17 Chapman University Braeden Wimer ’17 Hobart and William Smith Colleges
After feeling disconnected from school and her church community because of the pandemic, Abby Alem ’19 decided to enroll in a week-long advocacy institute with the ACLU. Although the institute was held online, Abby found a new sense of connection. “We learned about using our voices to stand up for others,” Alem says. “We studied current-day issues and how they affect our communities, and we talked about how to organize for change within our own communities.” In particular, Abby gained experience with Affinity Groups, gathering opportunities for people with a common identity. Abby wrote a letter to Colorado Academy’s Director of Inclusivity to ask if she could introduce the idea of an Affinity Group to CA. “I knew my experience was unique and part of who I am,” says Abby. The process of forming Affinity Groups is still in its early stages, but Abby says she is “excited to see where it will go.”
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 2019
CLASS OF 2021
Henry Murphy ’19
Maggie Coors ’21 and Annecy Damon ’21
Henry Murphy ’19 spent the second half of his sophomore year in high school at South at The Outdoor Academy, a semester school near Ashville, North Carolina. The school is outdoor-based for high achieving students. He spent three months in the wilderness taking classes, using a forge, and crafting with thirty students. Some highlights were a 110-mile canoe trip down the Tennessee River, a two-night solo camp, going to school in a bubble, and living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This photo was taken during an 11-day quarantine trek through the Blue Ridge Mountains where Henry’s pod hiked fifty miles. Henry, always the comedian, was joking when they took this photo as “proof of life” for his parents.
CLASS OF 2021 MATRICULATION Ward Abramowicz ’21 Michael Alem ’21 Berit Allen ’21 Kate Barton ’21 William Blount ’21 Gabriella Brower ’21 Sophia Capra ’21 Myles Conant ’21 Maggie Coors ’21 Annecy Damon ’21 Andrew Desjardins ’21 Ryan Di Tanna ’21 Aziza Diallo ’21 Kees Eckenhausen ’21 Devon Ellison ’21 Justin Fagelson ’21 Katherine Grinney ’21 Madeleine Hepworth ’21 Agnes Holena ’21 Henry Hughes ’21 Audrey Johnson ’21
Regis Jesuit High School Colorado Academy Regis Jesuit High School St. Mary’s Academy Kent Denver St. Mary’s Academy Regis Jesuit High School DSST - Byers Mercersburg Academy St. Mary’s Academy Littleton High School - IB Program Regis Jesuit High School Colorado Academy Regis Jesuit High School Conifer High School Colorado Academy Kent Denver Regis Jesuit High School Cherry Creek High School Regis Jesuit High School St. Mary’s Academy
A number of St. Anne’s 8th graders, led by Maggie Coors ’21 and Annecy Damon ’21, participated in the National Day of Silence, a student-led movement to protest bullying and harassment of LGBTQIA students. The Day of Silence brings awareness and illustrates to schools how intimidation, name-calling, and general bullying has a silencing effect. Participating students took a day-long vow of silence to support those in the LGBTQIA community.
Anna Johnson ’21 Antonia Lhevine ’21 Clyde Love ’21 Cabot Miner ’21 Julia Montoya ’21 Jackson Moroye ’21 Lucy Nadolink ’21 Ryan Nguyen ’21 Maddie Nuttall ’21 Thomas O’Keefe ’21 Shay Porter ’21 Andrew Schweitzer ’21 Jasmine Seeber ’21 Charles Sharp ’21 Ben Strong ’21 Andres Taboada-Cross ’21 Ellie Toland ’21 Will Toomey ’21 Wyatt Walker ’21 Jack Wilson ’21 Jordan Wright ’21
Colorado Academy South High School Colorado Academy Arapahoe High School Kent Denver Regis Jesuit High School Colorado Academy Colorado Academy Regis Jesuit High School Regis Jesuit High School Regis Jesuit High School Kent School St. Mary’s Academy Regis Jesuit High School Colorado Academy Mullen High School Colorado Academy St. Andrew’s Kent Denver Kent Denver Regis Jesuit High School
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The “in-between” of ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
M ENTA L HE A LT H BY MARY WALKER ’18
“Many have reached out to me, feeling compelled to share their stories along with mine, ultimately helping us get one step closer to ending the massive stigma that surrounds mental illnesses.”
I remember walking into the therapist’s office for the first time in 5th grade. I really had no idea where I was or why my mom was dragging me to talk to some lady to help me with my “fear of storms.” All I knew was that something was wrong with me. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder when I was ten years old. It sparked from my severe panic attacks from thunderstorms and tornadoes, then grew from there. I didn’t fully understand my anxiety and how everything connected. I didn't know why I got so nervous going up to talk to a new group of friends, or when the room would get too loud, or when I would have to go somewhere by myself. I always thought something was wrong with me — that it was just me experiencing this anxiety. I didn't have a full comprehension of my mental health until I reached high school. PAGE 46
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
ALUMNI PROFILE
The transition from St. Anne’s to Colorado Academy was extremely smooth, with the help of C-Team field hockey. I instantly clicked with the girls on my team, who later became some of my best friends. But after the season ended and the back-to-school jitters had settled, I was left uneasy with who I was. I found myself trying to be someone I was not, squeezing into this box of the “status quo” and terrified to do or act differently from anyone around me. This was my anxiety telling me that I could not be different; that I was weird if I wore a crazy outfit or acted a certain way at lunch. I spent every day worrying about what people thought of me. It was draining. I lost all motivation. This constant anxiety sent me into a depression towards the end of my freshman year. I knew I wasn’t okay. I knew I needed to reach out, but I didn’t really know how. When the topic of mental health comes up, we immediately rush to the conclusion of suicide prevention. I had the resources if I was suicidal, but that didn’t even cross my mind. On that scale, I was fine; but in reality, I wasn’t. It took a while to understand that it was okay for me not to be okay, but finally acknowledging that I wasn’t okay was the best thing I could have ever done. I eventually told my parents that I was struggling and started my journey to recovery. It was a long and excruciating and by no means perfect journey, but it was a step forward. By the spring of my sophomore year, everything was starting to look up. My depression and anxiety were manageable, but then I tested positive for Covid-19 in March of 2020. I lost all contact with my friends for three weeks at least, and I had my setbacks. Being alone with my thoughts wasn’t easy (I don’t think it is for anyone), but it helped me grow. I did the hard work during this isolation, leading me to understand who I truly was and that it was okay for me to be unique. Because I had started talking to others about my mental health, a few had reached out to me. I suddenly realized that I wasn’t alone in this journey. I decided to start an Instagram page (@a.little.love.and.smiles) to do something with my voice and my story. I shared a video of me playing my ukulele (something that kept me sane throughout quarantine) and captioned it with a bit about my struggles with my mental health, saying it’s okay not to be okay. The amount of love I received from my friends and family was unreal. Through quarantine, I have continued to grow my page, spreading awareness to these prevailing issues teenagers face, and shining light on the parts of mental health that aren’t talked about as
"It's okay not to be okay."
much. Many have reached out to me, feeling compelled to share their stories along with mine, ultimately helping us get one step closer to ending the massive stigma that surrounds mental illnesses. Remember, it’s okay not to be okay. One in four adults experiences a mental disorder. You are not alone. There are many professionals, both at school and outside, that are more than willing to help. It’s okay to reach out to someone you feel comfortable with to ask for help. We are strong. We are resilient.
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 2021 8th Grade Reflection by Ellie Toland ’21
“Instead of letting your hardships and failures discourage or exhaust you, let them inspire you.” – Michelle Obama My whole life flashed before my eyes. Before I knew it, changes were being made everywhere. I would never have predicted my family and I sewing our own masks, wearing our PJ’s from the waist down on Zoom, and playing around with my puppies 24/7. Being online last spring and not being able to see each other for a while made a big impact on my life. Quarantining was difficult since I am a social person, but we made the best of a bad situation. For example, Mr. Di Tanna, my math teacher, would pick fights with the Swivl camera and would have us all guess what might go wrong with the online technology that day. Even though everything was difficult, we always found ways to make each other laugh and smile. Taking a big step in life and going into high school with an exciting and invigorating perspective is what St. Anne’s has prepared us for. And now here we are - almost the end of the year, and we’ve been learning on campus since August! Surprisingly, if it were this time last year, I would have done anything to have more snow days, but now I would do anything to be at school. I even laugh at that. Being around my teachers, knowing they are doing their best to be positive and encourage students, makes it great to be at school. During lunch, the teachers come around with their “6-foot distance pole” to ensure this measurement is being enforced. We laugh and are scared at the same time for sitting too close! These are wonderful reminders that we are living in a pandemic. But we are living in the pandemic together. St. Anne’s has always been my safe place, a place where I can find balance. Reflecting on the past year and realizing how much I’ve accomplished and how fortunate I am, I realize that, even in the midst of a pandemic, St. Anne’s will always be there to inspire, encourage, and bring out the best in us all.
CURRENT FACULTY & STAFF Julia Brown Director of Alumni and Special Projects
Erin Cody Kindergarten Teacher
Julia Brown, and husband Rob welcomed their third daughter, Molly McCaslin Brown, on June 21, 2020. Their oldest, Finley, started kindergarten at St. Anne’s in the fall and is loving every minute of it!
Erin Cody (who also celebrated her 15th year at St. Anne’s) and Beth Laschober got engaged on December 5, 2020, on the shores of Turquoise Lake. They eagerly await a post-Covid celebration with family and friends! PAGE 48
Emily Forgett Annual Giving Manager After completing her second year at St. Anne’s, Emily Forgett is happier than ever to be a part of this amazing community. Her son Ryan just finished 1st grade and his twin sisters, Annie and Caroline, will be in kindergarten in the fall! They are all so excited and grateful to be at St. Anne’s.
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
CLASS NOTES CURRENT FACULTY & STAFF Caroline Duke Ashley ’02 Preschool Assistant
Wells Schaeffer Ashley born July 12, 2020 Michelle Kingston Kindergarten Assistant
Michelle and her wife have two new members in their family, Kevin and Doolittle, Biewer Terriers. Biewer Terriers were bred to dig vermin out of yards and despite the fact there are no vermin in the backyard, they keep digging it up just to make sure! Despite the destruction inside and outside, they have brought a lot of joy during the pandemic.
Maggie Kuk Grade 6 & 7 Humanities Teacher, Advisor
Imogen Josephine Thompson (Idgie) born Saturday, May 15, 2021, at 6lbs., 10oz. Emmy Luckose Music Teacher
Juliana Rosemary Luckose born April 24, 2021, to Emmy and Leo Luckose. Emily Maas Grade 4 Teacher
Alyssa Yates Kitts ’04 Grade 3 Teacher
Julia Charlton Maas born January 23, 2021
Lucy Kelly Murphy ’02 Director of Communications Laura Boroughf Grade 7 Humanities, Grade 7 Advisor
In 2020, Dr. Laura Boroughf and Lucy Kelly Murphy ’02, MA graduated from DU. In the spring of 2021, they were finally able to celebrate their accomplishments! Laura got a Doctorate in Gifted Education and Lucy got her master’s in communications and marketing. Kelsey Smith Spanish Teacher, Grade 6 Advisor, Co-Director of Community & Inclusion Kelsey Smith ’01 just completed 10 years teaching at St. Anne’s. She continues to love teaching Lower School Spanish, being a 6th grade advisor, and being Co-Director of Community and Inclusion with Kendall Early ’05. She and her partner, Thomas, did a road trip to California in July 2020 and stopped at the Grand Canyon on their trip back home. They also spent some time at an Earthship House in Taos during spring break 2021 with fellow St. Anne’s teacher Sameera Anwar.
Cotton Jess Kitts born May 30, 2020
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
MILESTONES LIVES WELL LIVED Robert Koehler
Carolyn Tierney Griesemer
Margaret "Peggy" A. Tighe
Robert Koehler of Denver and Crawford died on March 29, 2021 at home after battling the side effects of a bone marrow transplant from MDS for three years. Roxanne Freeman Koehler, wife and life partner, was constantly at his side during his fight. His daughter, Allison Koehler Gomer (St. Anne’s Class of 1995, husband Dan Gomer and his two grandchildren, Caleb and Kailia, will miss his Donald Duck impressions and his commitment to being a great Papa.
Carolyn Perry Kenna Tierney Griesemer, of Denver, CO, died of breast cancer on March 15, 2021, with her devoted husband Jim Griesemer and beloved sons Lewis Clark Tierney, III, Lee Mountcastle Kenna Tierney (St. Anne’s Class of 1986), and Christopher Scott Tierney by her side. Carol was born in 1947 in Charleston, West Virginia, attended The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA, for high school and then went on to Wellesley College with a major in art history. Following Carol’s graduation from Wellesley, Carol and L. Clark Tierney, Jr. married and moved to Philadelphia, PA. Their three sons, Lewis, Kenna and Chris were all born while they lived in Philadelphia. In 1977, the family moved to Denver with Clark’s promotion with Delta Airlines. In Denver, Carol continued her community leadership involvement, contributing to numerous organizations as President of the Junior League of Denver, as a founding member of the Colorado Institute for Hispanic Education and Economic Development and as President of the Friends Foundation of the Denver Public Library. She was particularly proud of her involvement during the renovation of the Denver Public Library and the development of the Mordecai Family Children’s Garden at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Carol and her husband, Jim Griesemer, met in the mid-2000s, after both lost their spouses to illness. They maintained homes in Denver and Florida where Carol, an avid golfer, could regularly be found on a course at one location or another. Carol had a gift for making and keeping friendships and had a wide circle of friends. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends across the country.
Margaret “Peggy” Tighe passed away on April 8, 2021, at age 84. In her final days her closest friends, husband, children, sisters, and many of her grandchildren were able to spend time with her and say goodbye. She was born on December 5, 1936, in Spangler, PA, to Marjorie “Marge” and Jack McLaughlin and moved to Denver when she was three. After attending elementary school at Blessed Sacrament, and high school at St. Mary’s Academy, Peggy earned her music education degree from Loretto Heights College in 1958. She taught and mentored many, many children in piano starting as a junior in college until she suffered a stroke 12 years ago. Peggy worked as an elementary music teacher for 27 years in public and private schools, including St. Anne’s. She is remembered for the amazing Christmas programs she would accomplish with her students including homemade instruments. Peggy and her husband, Al, spent many years volunteering in a variety of ways in church, school, and in the local community. Peggy left a legacy for her faith, love of music, and family with her children and grandchildren and all those willing to sit down and visit with her. Her children, grandchildren, and family loved to sing, and there are many fond memories of holidays spent together. In particular, Peggy made Christmas Eve and Holy Thursday very special.
Bob graduated from Denver University’s law school with his JD in 1971 after his return from the Peace Corps where he served in Columbia for two years. Fluency in Spanish served him well as he represented many clients whose first language was not English. After retirement from law practice, he and Roxanne moved to Crawford where they happily ranched their 120 acres, allowing “Cowboy Bob” to fulfill his love of the Old West by riding, grooming, and caring for his beloved horses and mules. He also served several years as a Crawford Library Board Trustee. For many years, Bob led the Board of St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Denver and was also a Board Member of St. Elizabeth’s School. He felt a deep commitment to education for all ages. When Bob’s illness presented him with life-changing challenges, he met this with his sharp sense of humor, his determination, and finally his readiness to say good-bye. Bob will be missed by numerous family members who loved him deeply and his many devoted and attentive friends.
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ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
MILESTONES NEW BABIES Kristen Carpenter Ambrosio ’01
Andrew Pritzlaff ’04
STAY IN TOUCH Stay Connected
Ava James Ambrosio born September 13, 2020 Megan Campbell Barley ’99
Andrew Pritzlaff ’04 and wife Sarah had their first child, James Anders Pritzlaff, on January 23, 2021. Margo Duke Simpson ’99
Moved? Changed your e-mail address? Update your personal information to stay informed on all things St. Anne’s (invitations to events, happenings on campus) at st-annes.org/alumni or e-mail Julia Brown, jbrown@st-annes.org.
Be Informed George Harlow Barley born December 31, 2020 Caroline Caccia Zanner ’02
Cooper Courtright Zanner born October 8, 2020 Hillary Hoffman ’00
Margo Duke Simpson ’99 and her husband, Will, had their third baby, Charles Shields Simpson at the end of May! They are also excited to join a new community at St. Anne’s as new parents. Their oldest children, Maddie and Jack, will start in the kindergarten and preschool, respectively, at St. Anne’s in the fall!
Visit st-annes.org/alumni for St. Anne’s alumni events, volunteer opportunities, campus updates, newsletters and more. Be sure to like the St. Anne’s Facebook page @stannesdenver and follow @st.annesdenver on Instagram.
Get Involved Connect with fellow alumni by attending one of our many events throughout the year or come back to campus to visit or volunteer. Interested in hosting an event in your city? Contact Julia Brown, jbrown@st-annes.org.
Colden Graham Gamble born June 3, 2020 to Hillary Hoffman ’00 and Tyler Gamble
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
MILESTONES FAREWELL
Marcia Brennan BY NANCY YORK, GRADE 1 TEACHER
When asking the children what they love most about Ms. Brennan the resounding answer was, “Ms. Brennan is really nice.”
Spending time with Marcia Brennan has taught me what a thoughtful and caring person she is. The definition of compassion personifies Ms. Brennan to a tee. If you ever get a chance to observe Marcia interacting with the first graders, you will see something magical. Marcia is such a wonderful listener. She looks for the good in every child and she works hard to connect with each student she comes in contact with. I have witnessed Marcia in stressful situations, and she remains calm, collected and no matter what the circumstances, she is ALWAYS nurturing to each child involved.
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Ms. Brennan did a great job recapping what she remembered most about being introduced to St. Anne’s: “I remember learning that there was a school hidden behind a hedge in a nearby neighborhood that I was raised in as a child. When I first came onto the grounds, I was in awe of the beautiful gardens and of the building that looked more like a home than that of a school. I remember seeing and meeting the Sisters. I was not accustomed to being around nuns so I would watch the Sisters and see their long habits flow around them, especially watching Mother Patricia, who was the Mother before Mother Irene. She was tall, slender, and stately. She would walk with her collie dog, Dundee, through the halls and I would watch her. I would watch the Sisters working in their gardens especially Sister Patience, in her long habit,
working so hard digging in the muddy earth with her shovel. The Sisters were kind, yet strict. They came from all different kinds of situations and backgrounds, farms, cities, poor and rich. I was hired to teach in the Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten because Sister Winifred was leaving St. Anne’s.” Marcia will be deeply missed. Personally, I have a loss in my heart because I enjoy the daily conversations and value the friendship we have. Her compassion with kids and her peers is admirable. Maya Angelou said, “I have learned that people will forget what I said. People will forget what I did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” You will not be forgotten, Marcia, because you made your peers, students, and parents feel special.
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
Memories of Marcia Brennan “When I interviewed for the first-grade position, Marcia was the first person to greet me in the lower school building. She was incredibly warm and encouraging — I felt like she was rooting for me from the start. I know that’s how every student we had felt every single day in her classroom. She radiates love.
“I have such a strong memory of Marcia and her quiet integrity as she exemplified St. Anne’s core beliefs to her students daily. After graduating from St. Anne’s, I would drive by the school over the years and frequently see her outside, reading to her students. In those moments, I was always buoyed to know that Marcia’s influence was ever-present at St. Anne’s. Her legacy of care and commitment seems almost unmatched in the history of the school.”
I also feel that Marcia is a direct link to the true spirit of St. Anne’s, as established by the founding sisters. She will have better examples and connections than I could ever recall — but I always love hearing the history of the school from her (which she was very much a part of!) I love her very much and miss working with her! (Though I hope to remain friends with her as long as I can!) My hope for the school is that Marcia comes back regularly and often!” KATE MCFEE, FORMER GRADE 1 TEACHER
SEAN KEEFE ’82
“Marcia loves kids, and they love her. Plain and simple. I dare not try to count how many first graders got a wonderful start to their elementary years under Marcia’s watchful eye, but it is a BIG number! I was always so impressed with her love not only of the kids, but also the school community. I know that SAES will forever have a very large place in her heart, and while I haven’t heard what her plans are for the coming years, I know that she will be doing whatever it is with her usual big smile, full heart, and love of life.” RAMSAY STABLER, FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL
“Marcia is a storyteller! She LOVES sharing stories with the students and is extremely passionate in this endeavor. Whether it be a favorite book she has shared for years with 1st graders, or her own personal recount of a trip abroad, she engages them in tale after tale and takes them on a journey. Her time and history at St. Anne’s make her a wealth of information when it comes to hearing stories of the Sisters. Her trips to the museum with the students engage them in a time not too long ago, but magically take them on a trip to the past.” STEPHEN BERTLES, FIRST GRADE TEACHER
“Marcia embodies the very best in an early elementary teacher. She believes passionately in the potential and value of every child, and she has been a daily source of warmth, care, and optimism for her countless students and colleagues. Marcia’s roots in St. Anne’s go back to her own childhood through her mother’s role in the early days of the school, and Marcia has helped the community cherish, remember, and hold true to its central vision and purpose. A moment talking with Marcia brings sunshine to every day.” ALAN SMILEY, FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL PAGE 53
ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
MILESTONES FAREWELL
Dave Vander Meulen BY MARGARET GRANT MITCHELL ‘90, MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD
“Mr. V was one of the best teachers I ever had and I want to thank him for his exemplary work as an educator.” – AMY HOYLE HARKER ’88
True to his love of literature, Mr. Vander Meulen describes his discovery of and love for St. Anne’s in rich metaphors of reading, faith, and gardening that reflect his own passions. Upon his arrival, the closed book of the St. Anne’s campus became open to him as he walked into the gardens and buildings that he had passed several times not knowing what lay inside the walls. Once opened, he felt himself to be a pilgrim who had been given a glimpse of the earthly paradise Shangri-La.
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He quickly found his spiritual home in this special school teaching alongside our Founding Sisters with whom he shared a love of literature and faith. He started as a 5th and 6th grade teacher, and the next year was asked to help grow the school’s metaphorical branches to serve 7th and 8th graders. As one of the very first middle school teachers here, Mr. Vander Meulen sowed deep roots in the middle school, from the English curriculum to the core values. He also cultivated his own roots by collaborating and learning from colleagues.
His passion for literature, writing, and the fine points of grammar equipped his students to excel in high school, college and beyond, frequently returning to tell him how profound an impact he had on them, even to the point of saving notes from his class as a valuable resource. As a life-long teacher, Mr. Vander Meulen’s deepest joy is knowing that he has made a difference in the lives of young people. His role as school archivist this year has been a fitting capstone for a career that has been rooted in his love for this school. Thank you, Mr. Vander Meulen, for embodying the essence of this school for so many years. We will miss you.
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
Memories of Dave Vander Meulen “Very few people have been more instrumental in the growth and evolution of St. Anne’s into the amazing place it is today than Dave Vander Meulen. He has been a central figure in the Middle School program since its very beginnings, and he has poured his heart and soul into the community for over 40 years. Long suspected to be Santa Claus in disguise and unquestionably the undisputed King of Grammar, Dave’s unwavering care for kids, passion for writing, and love of literature have positively impacted the lives of thousands. There simply is not a better man.” – ALAN SMILEY, FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL
“My very best to you! I know the above is not a complete sentence but conveys my message perfectly!)” L ANI SARGENT, FORMER SPANISH AND FRENCH TEACHER
“Congratulations to Dave on his retirement. I highly recommend it! I remember Dave, the quintessential English teacher, and having a dictionary handy when he would give his eloquent graduation speeches!” NANCY FRANKS, FORMER GRADE 4 TEACHER
“I’ve always said that Mr. V was as adept at coaching a fierce full-court press in basketball as he was at teaching us all to love the tenets of sentence diagramming. Mr. V was my basketball coach, track coach, soccer coach, and the most passionate teacher of literature that I have ever had. In addition, he was such an influence on my musical tastes — I will forever have him to thank for introducing me to the Grateful Dead catalog. Mostly, he was a caring teacher who treated us all with respect. I am forever in gratitude for his influence on my life.” SEAN KEEFE ’82
”There are wonderful institutions in our world, like St. Anne’s, and then there are institutions within those beloved places. Dave is one of those inside institutions, and he gave his heart and soul, not to mention about 3,245 grammar lessons, to the SAES community over the six decades that he served the school so well. One of my toughest duties as Head of School was the day that I had to let Dave know that his trusty companion, his tobacco pipe, was no longer welcome in the convent or anywhere on campus…a cruel “reward” for all of his great years! I know that Dave will enjoy his retirement; he has, without a shadow of a doubt, earned it!!!” RAMSAY STABLER, FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL
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ST. ANNE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
MILESTONES FAREWELL
Marcia Voss BY LORI FRANK, INTERIM HEAD OF SCHOOL
“St. Anne’s is an incredible community in large part because Marcia helped attract, welcome and support the people in its midst.” – ALAN SMILEY, FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL
To say that Marcia is a loyal employee would be an understatement. She spent 22 years at a bank before coming to St. Anne’s, where should we spend another 25 years. She fondly remembers interviewing for the registrar position and having an instant personal connection to both the school and to the former Admissions Director, Rose Kelly. She had the good fortune of working with Rose for over 14 years before stepping up to help me transition into that role. For the last 11 years, she has been my right hand in the Admissions Office, and I will be forever grateful for her guidance, her insights, and her patience with me.
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In our first weeks together, I told Marcia that I would be giving up my paper calendar and moving to Google Calendar. It was only the first of many technological challenges that I would throw at her. She’s had to master several new software platforms over the last decade, and she has approached every change willingly and with a sense of humor. Thank you, Marcia. Marcia is the first contact that prospective parents have with the school. She is the friendly voice on the phone and the welcoming face in the waiting room. She makes sure that interviews and visits are scheduled, graduation announcements and diplomas are ordered, records are filed, letters and transcripts are sent, and multiple other duties are performed. Marcia takes pride in fulfilling all of
those tasks and being the best co-worker that she could possibly be. I would have to agree. Marcia is also happy that she enrolled her grandson, Landon, at St. Anne’s. Watching him progress through the lower school and now into sixth grade has been a special joy for her. She feels lucky that she has been able to spend the last 25 years as a part of such a wonderful, caring community and that she has been able to witness firsthand the values and traditions of the Founding Sisters and how this school helps students to develop academically, spiritually and socially into caring adults. I would say that we are the lucky ones. Thank you for 25 years of dedication and hard work, Marcia. You will be missed!
ST. ANNE’S MAGAZINE | Summer 2021
Memories of Marcia Voss “Always positive and willing to help her colleagues when called upon, Marcia is a true example of a team player. Speaking of team players, Marceeeeea (her football pool name) and I are HUGE football fans. I enjoyed our chats about how we would “fix the Broncos’ problems” and comparing notes when making football pool picks. As you can imagine, those were lively and fun conversations! Marcia, I will miss your kind, calm demeanor and wonderful smile. Enjoy a well-deserved retirement!” ADIE EARLY, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
I remember well how calm, efficient, and upbeat the admissions office felt after only a week of Marcia’s presence on campus! She and Rose Kelly got along so well, and boy, did they have fun…maybe even too much fun, but because of their prodigious organizational skills, the world of St. Anne’s admissions hummed along like a well-oiled machine, even in the busiest of years. I also remember how much Marcia loves to travel, and I wish her well (on the motorcycle??) as she spreads her wings and takes advantage of all of her new free time! RAMSAY STABLER, FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL
”Marcia Garcia! Thanks for 25 years and all the great memories. It’s hard to imagine St. Anne’s without you! I’m still sad that my growth chart in your old office has been painted over. I will always remember hanging out with you while I waited for my mom to finish her day.” L UCY MURPHY, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
”I can clearly remember how kind and welcoming Marcia Voss was when I started working at St. Anne's in 2007. After a few years of working with Marcia and having many conversations about a shared love of Minnesota (Uff-Da! You Betcha! Dontcha know! — a little Minnesotan humor), Marcia said something to me that I will never forget. We were both talking about Rose Kelly at the time and sharing emotions and tears after our good friend passed, and Marcia said, "Just remember what Rose would say, Get Up, Dress Up and Show Up." I will never forget that, and I am forever grateful for the friendship that Marcia and I share. Happy retirement, and I'll see you soon!” GLEN WORTHING, DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
“Because of her role in the admissions office, too few had the chance to see as I did Marcia’s deep care for the St. Anne’s community and dedicated work to ensure its ongoing success. I was one of the blessed to know and work with her more closely. A community is only as strong as the people that comprise it. St. Anne’s is an incredible community in large part because Marcia helped attract, welcome and support the people in its midst. Her Minnesota- based wit, humor, and work ethic will be sorely missed.” ALAN SMILEY, FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL
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years strong “Deary, we’re going to start a school!” says Mother Noelle. ”With what?” asks Sister Irene “…FAITH.”
“Forget the curriculum. Are you producing good children? Are you producing children that we will be proud to send out into the world as men and women?” – Mother Irene
“I truly do believe the Sisters planted a sense of peace and tranquility in the soil, which even today helps create an atmosphere where learning and growth can occur.” – Alan Smiley, Former Head of School PAGE 58
A hidden oasis within the urban limits of Denver, St. Anne’s Episcopal School traces its roots to the Sisters of the Order of St. Anne, who arrived here in 1929. With a mission of caring for children in need, they provided education and solace for area children suffering from polio and other conditions. As modern medicine decreased the needs for these services, the Sisters’ love of children and education prompted them to form a school in 1950. Since then, St. Anne’s Episcopal School has grown into a beautiful campus providing an exemplary education and a nurturing community to students and families in the greater Denver area.
“The spirit of St. Anne’s has come from a basic love of children...(Our) spirit comes out of an attitude of wanting to share the best we know with children. To share with them the wonderful gifts we know about. It hasn’t been based on what’s good for them or what will make them successful, but on sharing treasures of literature and art and science and faith – a subtle difference but a crucial one.” – The Right Reverend William Wolfrum, former Episcopal Bishop of Colorado
“St. Anne’s is unique because it provides a matrix of love. There is a palpable awareness that this is an environment where people genuinely care about others.” – Dave Vander Meulen, Archivist and Former Middle School Teacher PAGE 59
2701 South York Street Denver, CO 80210 (303) 756-9481 www.st-annes.org