Conversations from the Quad |
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Performances and Events to Celebrate Milestone 60th Year
This academic year, The Colorado Springs School is pleased to celebrate 60 years of friendship, hands-on learning, and growth. To commemorate this milestone decade, the school hosted a community-wide 60th Anniversary Celebration on September 17, during which CSS and Colorado Springs’ greatest champions gathered in the Trianon for conversation, hor d'oeuvres and more.
Additional events to celebrate CSS’s 60th Anniversary are scheduled to take place throughout the school year. In October, these include a ’60s-themed Revue on October 7 and an Experiential Education Expo on October 15. The latter – featuring gold-panning, Master Falconer Roger Tucker’s birds of prey, a 24-foot climbing wall, and more – aims to highlight some of the same hands-on learning and team-building activities that have had an impact on CSS students for the past six decades.
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Special Edition Website Takes Viewers on Journey Through CSS’s Past, Present & Future
Relive The Colorado Springs School’s rich history, relish in its present, and reflect on its future when you visit the Advancement Office’s special edition website available now at css.org/about/60-years.
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Alumni Book Club Returns
CSS’s Virtual Alumni Book Club – a two-part series facilitated by English Teacher Amy Miller (Johnson Smith) – will be making its return debut at 6:30 p.m. MST on January 26, 2023, and again on June 29, 2023! This year’s Virtual Alumni Book Club, also open to past parents and faculty, will feature the following two titles:
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January: “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
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June: “Beloved” by Toni Morrison
RSVP to receive book club reminders and private virtual book club login information in advance.
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ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND 2022 |
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Past Students and Faculty Return to CSS for Alumni Reunion Weekend
Approximately 40 current and past faculty and staff, as well as alumni representing the class years 1977 through 2021, came together for Alumni Reunion Weekend from August 5-7. Activities included a Mid-Summer Movie Night with back-to-back showings, dinner, and ice cream on the Quad, a family-friendly game of volleyball in the Louise Honnen Tutt Field House, guided campus tours, and a Blast from the Past Reception in the Trianon.
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An Inside Look at Legendary Time Capsules Sealed in Year 2000
Curious to see what items were within the time capsules sealed in the Millennium by the CSS Classes of ’04 and ’06, as well as international students? These capsules were opened on August 6 during Alumni Reunion Weekend. Have a look and tag yourself or a friend if there's something you recognize! A video recording of the unveiling can also be found here.
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Class of '69 Alumna Inherits Fearlessness from Founding Headmistress
Valerie Morgan-Alston ’69 graduated from The Colorado Springs School more than five decades ago, yet still considers the school’s founding headmistress Margaret White Campbell to be one of the most influential people she has crossed paths with throughout her life.
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Lisa C. Logan ’72
This summer, Lisa C. Logan ’72 and several former classmates from the CSS Classes of 1971 and 1972 attended Fountain Valley School’s (FVS) 50th high school reunion, which had been delayed for the Class of 1972 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Lisa, a great time was had by all. “Conversation centered on senior pranks and other mischievous events of the past,” she said. CSS attendees, among others, included Susan Repetti Rutherford ’71 and Mary Conde Childs ’71. Pictured here (from left) is Lisa Logan '72 at the reunion with former FVS classmate Dr. John Ryder and his wife, Debbie Kinder.
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Sara Shifrin Kramarik ’04
Sara, who joined CSS as an 8th-grade student, today works as an executive administrator for an engineering firm in Upstate New York. When not helping her husband, Bobby, with his mobile entertainment business, the two also devote their time to flipping real estate. Sara and Bobby’s twin girls, Cordelia (Delia) and Tennysen (Tenny), were born in December 2020. Together, the family (seen here) enjoys camping, hiking, and boating in the Finger Lakes region they call home.
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Grace Weiler Nalbach ’04
After obtaining a BFA in 3D Animation from the University of Colorado, Denver, Grace (pictured below) decided to pursue a different profession altogether and, in 2012, received her nail technician's license. In 2016, Grace founded her own salon Misfit Creations, LLC, and is committed to promoting mental health awareness and kindness among her clients. She is married to her college sweetheart and living in Broomfield, Colo.
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DeLovell Earls ’10
Congratulations to DeLovell, founder of Goodr Giving Company, on earning acceptance in the PenFed Foundation’s fall 2022 Master’s Program cohort. The PenFed Master's Program is a year-long intensive designed to prepare growth-stage, veteran-owned startups to raise investor funds and scale their companies.
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Laney Bowden ’14
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and statistics from Colorado State University, Laney attended graduate school at the University of North Carolina. Beyond the field of research, Laney – a published mathematician – has sought involvement in programs that promote inclusion in math. In addition to serving as a faculty member for Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics, Laney currently volunteers her time toward Girls Talk Math, has organized a Women in Math seminar, and created a conference aimed at helping North Carolina math students build community. Today, Laney works as a statistician for Target RWE. She hopes to return to school shortly to pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematics.
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Patrick Burke ’16
Patrick checked in recently to let us know that all is well. Currently, he is working at a medical device New Hampshire-based R&D company, and applying for graduate schools. He credits the Upper School ECS program as being “very influential in helping shape my abilities and leadership skills.”
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Samantha Warhoe ’18
Samantha is loving life as a thrower of weight, shot put, hammer, discus, and javelin on Cornell College’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams. Now in the process of preparing for the 2022 indoor track and field season, Samantha (pictured below) is excited to report that she has been reaching distances that could qualify her for Nationals. As a student, Samantha is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in U.S. and World History with a double minor in Secondary Education and Politics and an endorsement in Coaching. Set to graduate in May of 2023, she holds a substitute teaching license in Colorado and Iowa states and is completing her student-teaching credits at Mount Vernon Middle School in Iowa this fall. “My favorite teacher at CSS is Mrs. J-S. She helped me grow academically and personally. I aspire to be a teacher like her and hopefully my students can say the same about me as my class did about her,” said Samantha.
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Luke Williams ’19
In addition to studying computer and systems engineering and computer science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Luke has been busy participating in his college’s co-ed a cappella group, the Rensselyrics (pictured below). The group recently recorded an album and dropped their first four songs on September 11, 2022, with Luke soloing throughout the song titled “Million Pieces.” Note to listeners: this song contains explicit language. Learn more about the Rensselyrics here.
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Kylie Crow '20
In July 2022, Kylie (seen below) began a study abroad semester in Valdivia, Chile. Overall, she will spend five months attending a private university that her school, Middlebury College, partners with. Thus far, she has completely immersed herself in the culture and language, even signing a pledge acknowledging that she will only communicate in Spanish when not engaging in limited contact with her family. Kylie’s dad, mom, and twin sister, Autumn ’20, plan to meet up with her in December for the trip of a lifetime: backpacking through Patagonia.
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Susan Robbins
This summer, CSS’s current Head of School Tambi L. Tyler along – with Fundraising & Grants Coordinator Debbie Swanson – traveled to the Buena Vista home of former CSS teacher Susan Robbins in celebration of her birthday! Tambi and Susan (pictured here) first met on campus at CSS in 2021.
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Cornelia M. Johnson Boisjoli ’73
Cornelia passed away in July of 2022. She is survived by her husband Robert Boisjoli of Columbia Heights, MN.
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Something to Share?
We'd love to hear from you! Send your information and photos highlighting alumni accomplishments, professional accolades, life celebrations, and community achievements.
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From the Advancement Office |
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Introducing Debbie Swanson
Hello! I’m Debbie Swanson, the Advancement Office’s fundraising and grants coordinator. I may be new to The Colorado Springs School, but as a “near-native” to this community, I’ve known about CSS for many years. What a thrill to be part of such an honorable organization!
Having come here as a small child in 1968, Colorado Springs has been my only home. I am proud of how our city has handled some of the challenges it has faced through the years and believe it is a flagship city for effectively managing differing opinions within a community. I love being active in Colorado Springs and participating in many community-wide events like Art on the Streets and supporting nonprofit organizations such as The Place and CPCD.
After a short stint in the legal world, the nonprofit world captured my heart, as it is where the most social good takes place. While I have served every role imaginable in a variety of nonprofits, fundraising has become my chosen career path. It is an honor to help a nonprofit secure the funding it needs to accomplish its mission and ensure the community’s involvement and support. Supporting education, in particular, is a passion of mine that is easy to share with others, and I hold a fair amount of experience in early care and education, colleges, and charter schools.
Seeing the great success of CSS alumni, hearing stories of life-long learning, and experiencing the passion of the teachers at this school. It’s no wonder I’ve always had a sense of awe for this institution. I count myself so very fortunate to be employed here now, as I get to know you.
Thank you for welcoming me here. I can’t wait to hear your stories.
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Greetings from Megan Winnicker
I’m delighted to be a part of The Colorado Springs School and currently serve as director of strategic marketing and communications for this wonderful institution. As an east coast native, born and raised in South Amboy, New Jersey, I relocated to Colorado Springs with my husband in June 2021. Thus far, both he and I have been blown away by this beautiful state and even more impressed with the opportunities afforded to students at this PreK-grade 12 independent day school.
Much of my career has been spent serving families and alumni not only at private schools like CSS, but also in the field of higher education. Some of my previous employers range from independent PreK-12 institutions such as Ranney School and Gill St. Bernard’s School to prestigious colleges and universities including New York University.
As a member of the new Advancement team developed just this summer, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed taking a deep dive into CSS’s storied past as a means of preparing to celebrate our institution’s 60-year history. What I’ve learned so far: The Colorado Springs School truly is an institution like no other, built on caring expert faculty, amazing academic and community traditions, and a one-of-a-kind experiential education program that surpasses anything I’ve seen throughout my tenure in education. And, what I hope to learn: about each of you; your experiences and accomplishments in and beyond CSS.
I treasure the opportunity to serve you, and look forward both to celebrating the successes of our school at upcoming alumni reunions and community-centered events and to connecting with past students, faculty and families on social media, by email, and over the phone. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!
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The Colorado Springs School
21 Broadmoor Ave. Colorado Springs, CO 80906
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