LIVES OF PURPOSE AND PASSION
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Class of 2019 Alumni Involved in First Year of College
We highlight how these three young alumni are involved in campus life during their first year of college.
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Joosung Kim, Cornell University
When
Joosung Kim '19 stepped on stage in the Louisa Performing Arts Center during the school's Revue, you were ready to be wowed. The flash of his smile and vocal abilities matched his strength in the classroom and moves on the soccer field. After moving to college, Joosung noticed that Cornell University had a vibrant a cappella community. In fact, Cornell has 14 different a cappella groups. The audition process is extremely competitive. Joosung auditioned and managed to get into his top choice a cappella group, The Chordials. Music is taken very seriously by this group, and over the years the Chordials have released 10 albums. They rehearse three times a week for seven hours a week. The Chordials performed 15 songs in their set at the fall concert. In addition to singing, Joosung is playing intramural soccer. His passion for music is leading him to consider majoring in music. During first semester his course load even included Opera and the Psychology of Music.
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Payton Malone,
Emory University's Oxford College
Payton Malone '19 started at Emory University's Oxford College this fall. The Oxford College, 30 miles outside of the Atlanta campus, focuses its attention on liberal arts undergraduate courses for first- and second-year students. Oxford College enables students to be active right away with community service groups, interest clubs, and social clubs. Payton is serving on the Executive Boards for the Jewish Student Union, Oxford Yoga Society, and Photography Club. She is also a member of the general body for Climate Reality and Volunteer Oxford. With Volunteer Oxford in October, she traveled to Harlan, Kentucky, for an alternative fall break. While doing service, her team learned about the coal industry and its impact on the local economy. Of course, Payton has a full and diverse course load, including Chemistry (structures and properties of atoms), Learning to Lead, OxStudies, Introduction to Logic, Introduction to Microeconomics, and Discovery Seminar on Art History for Fakes, Forgeries, and Finances of Museums. With all of these classes, she has decided to major in Psychology on a pre-dental track and possibly minor in Art History. She is even working as a lifeguard. If Payton packed this much purposeful involvement into first semester, we can't wait to see what she accomplishes throughout college and beyond.
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Luke William
s,
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute
Luke Williams '19
is studying computer engineering at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Troy, New York. He knew he would dive into STEM classes as he loves mathematics, physics, and anything intellectually challenging. The school also requires all engineering students to advance through a humanities track, which will position him to earn a minor in Economics. Outside of his rigorous course load, Luke teamed up with a group of students for HackRPI, a 24-hour hackathon which helps attendees develop their skills, explore new technologies, and turn their curiosities and visions into opportunities. The theme of the hackathon was "Why not change the world?" and included special tracks in Natural Disaster and Mitigation, Artificial Intelligence, and Accessibility in Education. The goal was to tackle current problems in tech facing our world today. Luke is also active with RPI's esports team for the Counterstrike Global Offensive. And to no surprise, this former Kodiak athlete and thespian is also playing club soccer and plans to be on stage in RPI's spring production of Fiddler on the Roof.
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Hannah Taylor '17 hopes to study art abroad in Italy
Hannah Taylor '17 attends Grinnell College in Iowa. Her love of volleyball, art and psychology sparked during her time at CSS, where she played on the team and took Advanced Art and Advanced Placement Psychology.
During Thanksgiving break, Hannah shared an update. In her own words: I am about to wrap up the first semester of my third year at Grinnell College. I'm double majoring in studio art and psychology. We had an exciting volleyball season this fall. We won the conference tournament and competed in the NCAA tournament. I'm so thankful for the amazing support we got from the Grinnell community and beyond. Mrs. Jen Hedden (one of Hannah's CSS teachers who is now retired) made time in her trip to see not one but two games! My parents and a friend from high school also followed the tournament by watching the live-streams. Volleyball has now ended, so I have more time on my hands! I love spending time in our art building and am working as the sculpture studio monitor. I hold weekly hours in the wood and metal shop, where I get to help people with their projects. Last week I taught people how to weld. I'm actually on the plane to Chicago to get my study abroad Visa for next semester. If all goes well, I will be in Florence, Italy, studying art!
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Alumna Emma Walker '18 Served as El Pomar Intern
Emma Walker '18 (front row, far left) was selected for the El Pomar Foundation Internship program this past summer. Here is what she had to say about the experience:
During my time as the Grants and Finance Intern at El Pomar Foundation, I most closely worked on the competitive grants application process as well as specialized funds. In addition to individual intern responsibilities, we convened weekly to participate in workshops aimed to further our professional development. Through my experience, I not only advanced my knowledge of Foundation and nonprofit work, but I also progressed my written and oral communication skills. I have taken the skills, memories, and curiosities I gained from this summer with me as I returned to The University of Denver for my sophomore year.
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Alumni teach hands-on math lesson with giant sundial they created
Driving cross-country from California to Florida, alumnus Max Fagin '06 took a break at The Colorado Springs School to make sure the giant sundial outside of the El Pomar Academic Center is still accurate. He, along with classmate Tyler Boschert '07 and others, began the project in 2006 during an Experience-Centered Seminar on archeoastronomy.
Boschert, a patent attorney in Denver, joined Fagin on Thursday to help with calculations. They also saw it as an opportunity to engage with current students and used the sundial to teach hands-on advanced math to Upper School students in FST (Functions, Statistics, and Trigonometry) class.
"It's a great lesson for trigonometry," said Fagin, who works for Made In Space, a company that specializes in state-of-the-art space manufacturing technology.
Students made inclinometers with protractors, string and paper clamps as weights. The goal was to measure the height from the ground to the sundial's gnomon, the top part that casts the shadow and resembles a Kodiak claw.
"When you build an inclinometer, it gives you the ability to measure not just angles but also over very, very long distances that you couldn't extend a ruler or tape measure across," Fagin said. "Trigonometry allows you to compute all sorts of information about triangles from a few pieces of information, which is really, really useful."
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Alumna Tiffany Williamson Kelly reflects on why her daughter attends CSS
For alumna Tiffany Williamson Kelly, The Colorado Springs School provided more than an education.
"It was like a second home. I loved all of my teachers. I loved being in small classes. I was known really well," said Kelly '98, a student from 6th through 12th grade. "It speaks volumes that my daughter goes here now."
Her daughter, Eva, is a 1st grader who joined the school in prekindergarten after she and her family moved from Philadelphia. Eva sometimes asks her mother if she did the same activities at CSS that she does now.
"It makes me happy because my mom told me a bunch of fun stuff I could do - like paint pictures and things I could do in 6th grade," Eva said while giggling during recess.
Kelly, who is director of alumni and family relations at Colorado College, is drawn to the smaller class settings at The Colorado Springs School because they allow for one-on-one instruction, among other benefits.
"One of the valuable pieces of CSS is it's small enough that more than her two (classroom) teachers will know who she is," she said. "Your child will be known, not just recognized."
This is part of an ongoing series focusing on CSS alumni whose children attend the school.
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Head of School Aaron Schubach Leaving CSS in June 2020
In November 2019, Aaron Schubach shared his decision with The Colorado Springs School community that the 2019-2020 school year would be his final year as Head of School. Aaron will continue his educational career as the next Head of School at
Santa Fe Prep
, beginning July 1, 2020.
Since 2014, Aaron has doubled-down on a student-centered environment by offering social and emotional learning tools such as Yale's Ruler program and mindfulness in order to better position students for rigorous and relevant academics. He has honored the school's experiential roots in both seminar-style programs and project-based learning. The introduction of digital portfolios with reflections on learning experiences and cutting-edge K-12 Computer Science curriculum is at the forefront of educational practices. Aaron has worked in partnership to build an engaged community with a strong dedicated faculty and staff. Finally, CSS is ranked as one of the top private schools in Colorado, and we foster a strong commitment to our core identity as a college-preparatory school.
The Colorado Springs School's Board of Trustees has formed a search committee, chaired by Pio Hocate and Heather Kelly. They will lead a transparent and open-minded process for selecting the next Head of School. In managing the process, the search committee will actively engage a broad group of constituents within our community, including parents, students, faculty, alumni, past parents, and community residents. There will also be an advisory committee formed to provide additional input to the Search Committee. The Board has partnered with
Educational Directions (EduDx)
, one of the leading head search firms in the country that has successfully conducted more than 350 head searches. Please stay tuned for updates on the search and opportunities for community involvement.
A special thank you to
Ian Pelto '12
, DeLovell Earls '10, Tyler Boschert '07, Liz Kosar '06, Nikki Warner '05, Chris Cadigan '01, Jay Lee '99, CJ Grace '86, and Margaret Gilbert '70 for sharing alumni perspectives during a Head of School listening session with the Jerry Larson from the search firm.
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Retired teacher Sam Johnson inducted into CSS Hall of Fame
Retired Science Teacher
Sam
Johnson was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame on September 20, 2019, during the Founders' Day ceremony. Mr.
Johnson, who retired in 2016, championed hands-on learning during his 25-year career at CSS. On campus he was affectionately known as the "moth man," and his popularized moth song has been sung many times by Upper School students on Mountain Caravan. He also gifted the school its alma mater during the 50th-anniversary celebration in 2012. Congratulations, Mr.
Johnson!
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Reflecting on Sam Johnson's CSS career
Two decades after graduating from The Colorado Springs School,
Shannon O'Keefe '98 remembers the impact her Upper School Science Teacher Sam Johnson had on her.
"We'd go on these Experience-Centered Seminars, and he would see a roadcut, somewhere a road had been cut into a hillside. We'd pull over and 15 of us would pile out of a van on the side of some random road in Utah or Arizona and examine the rock in this roadcut. We were doing geology," said O'Keefe, an emergency physician in Salt Lake City. "I still think about that when I see a roadcut. I feel like I've thought about it so many times."
That kind of lasting effect on students and how Johnson championed hands-on learning during his 25-year career at CSS is why he is the 2019 Founders' Day Hall of Fame honoree.
Even now there's rarely a day that passes without Johnson reflecting on his time at CSS.
"The best thing was coming here every day," he said. "They were the best years of my life."
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NETWORKING & OPPORTUNITIES
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Seeking Alumni to Judge 9th Grade National History Day Presentations December 6 at CSS
History Teacher David Benson is looking for alumni to volunteer as judges for 9th grade National History Day projects on Monday, December 16, from 8:15 a.m. to 11:00 am. Students will present their projects, and judges will provide feedback to help them improve before regional competitions in February. Alumni interested in volunteering may contact Mr. Benson at [email protected].
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Class of 2013 Class Mixer
Regina Andrew P'13 (Mike's mom) is looking to gather those young adults from the Class of 2013 who might be in town for the holidays. Parents from the class are welcome too! Join Regina and Mike '13 at the Principal's Office at Ivywild (1604 S Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, Colorado) on Sunday, December 22, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. If you interested in connecting, please contact Regina Andrews at [email protected]. Spread the word and keep an eye out for a Facebook event.
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El Pomar Fellowship: Apply by January 8, 2020
El Pomar Fellows serve as program associates for El Pomar Foundation, a $600 million private grant making organization dedicated to bettering the lives of the people of Colorado. The two-year, full-time position provides recent college graduates with leadership development opportunities most people will not experience until late in their careers, if ever.
Each year, the Fellowship brings together a cohort of 8-10 talented and driven individuals from diverse backgrounds. Incoming Fellows arrive with varied educations and experiences but also share critical commonalities: a connection to Colorado, a desire to lead, a willingness to learn and a commitment to make a difference. The dynamic nature of the work, complemented by the opportunity to intentionally develop leadership and professional skills, serves as a springboard as Fellows transition into graduate school or careers in the nonprofit, private, or public sectors.
CSS alumni Christina McGrath '03 and Kate Deeny '05 are among the graduates of the fellowship program.
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Laura Smith
, CSS counselor and dorm parent in the early 80s and mother of Brooks Smith '87, passed away October 25, 2019.
Christine Ramos '87
passed away
September 30, 2019.
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Winnifred Joy born November 8, 2019, to Hannah Jacobson '10
.
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Submit alumni spotlight stories
We'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to submit articles, professional news, and accolades for consideration in
Alumni Spotlight. We enjoy celebrating these stories across our many social media channels as a means of applauding the values of the school across many decades, deepening relationships, and highlighting the purposeful lives alumni lead.
Submit these stories to Anslee Wolfe, Communications and Marketing Manager, at
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Share a review: a five-star education
You check online for reviews about a new restaurant, but did you know that these days families are looking at reviews when they decide where to send their children to school? There are many platforms that help educate and inform curious parents. Won't you consider leaving your review? Your stories will inspire potential families and carry a big impact.
Here are a few places where you can leave reviews. Feel free to copy and paste your review:
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