Dear SBA Alumni,



Happy New Year! As we say goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022, we at St. Benedict at Auburndale are wishing you health, happiness, and prosperity in this new year.


In this newsletter, you will find updates on our school, your classmates, reunions past and future, and a memoriam section for our fallen eagles. We hope you will enjoy reading about your fellow alumni and will share the newsletter with anyone you know that might enjoy it as well.


Thank you, and God Bless and Go Eagles!



Kyle Van Frank '15

Director of Alumni

In the words of former SBA Principal Dr. Mary McDonald (1996-1998), SBA is the school that never sleeps. From athletics to arts to academics, our students are soaring! Students competed in 15 fall and winter sports, sending many teams to state tournament playoffs - Bowling, Cheer, Cross Country, Football, Swim, and Volleyball. We are also proud to have 14 students with Scholastic Art and Writing Award pieces featured at the Brooks Museum (art displayed beginning January 22, 2022). Our performing arts department produced a production of Meet Me in St. Louis, two choir concerts, and two band concerts, all to applauding audiences. Our students continued to excel in the classroom and grow in their intellectual abilities and interests. And most importantly, our students' spiritual and faith formation continued to flourish through experiences in the classroom, at retreats, and in the celebration of the mass. It's great to be an SBA Eagle!

Christmas Video


On December 9th, we paused classes and activities for an hour to film a Christmas video as a school community. We hope you enjoy our holiday fun and antics!


Watch the video here!

Alumni Faculty and Staff


This fall, there were five alumni on staff at SBA and we were joined with a sixth this month: Ryan Knott '09, Paul Frierott '10, Kaitlyn Stoddard '10, Joey Magnifico '15, Kyle Van Frank '15, Anna Graziosi '16, and most recently, Claire Tracy '16, our new Director of Admissions.

Give Thanks, Give Back


In November, we held an alumni giving drive entitled Give Thanks, Give Back. Support from our alumni and generous matching donors Dr. John Hyden '93 and Mrs. Jamie Schneider during our pledge week, brings us to $9,477.86 for this school year. Wow! That is nearly double our total alumni giving from last fiscal year. Thank you for your commitment to the mission of Catholic education and the vision of St. Benedict at Auburndale.

SBA Hall of Fame


In February, SBA will hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The first class of inductees will be Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B., the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, Don Lear Sr., Dr. John Hyden '93, Dr. Mary C. McDonald, George Valadie, Gerold Blum '13, Khira Rotty '99, Mary Alice Riggs Smith and Stanley Smith, Meghan Medford '97, Sr. Mary Samuel Handwerker, O.P., and Billy and Madonna Bond. We hope you will join us in congratulating these esteemed members of our community.

This fall, we hosted the Class of 2011 and the 1996 Football Team for 10 and 25 year reunions, respectively. It was so much fun having our Eagles back at the Nest!

October 22 and 23, we celebrated the Class of 2011's 10-Year Reunion with a wine and cheese night in the SBA rotunda, followed by the SBA-Briarcrest football game. On Saturday, 2011 alumni enjoyed catching up over dinner at Meddlesome Brewing Company. It was so wonderful to have our 2011 alumni back home!

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Eagle Football's State Runner-Up title in the 1996 season, we honored (L-R) Bruce Kronberg, Mike Falanga, Sharon Masterson, Dr. Mary McDonald, Judy Lear, Don Lear Jr., Mariam Riker, Coach Harry Riker, Chris Cathey '99, Justin Perkins '97, Ben Staton '97, and Mark Kronberg '00 at halftime for their contributions to the program that year.

Our alumni have been busy - earning degrees, starting new jobs, getting engaged and married, and welcoming little eagles to their nests. Here are class notes from some of our soaring eagles!

1990

Jon Stubbs '90 has been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in the Arkansas National Guard.

1998

Landon Himelright '98 and his wife, Angela, recently celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary. They are pictured here with their daughters Gabby and Gracie. Landon is a pilot for American Airlines.

1999

Dustin Jones '99 (right) recently launched a new, Memphis-centric real estate firm with his business partner Jonathan Aur.

2000

Drew Bringhurst '00 is married with 10-month-old twins, Briggs and June. Drew is a graduate of CBU.

2003

John Paul Masterson '03 resides in Louisiana with his wife Claire and their two children. JP is Principal of St. Bernard School in Breaux Bridge.

Christin Streif (Oliveira) '03 resides in upstate New York with her husband, Major Russell Streif (US Army), and their five boys, Graham, Anthony, Jameson, Shepard, and Lincoln. Christin has worked as a delivery nurse and substitute teacher in recent years.

2006

Melissa Donahue (Wilkes) '06 and her husband welcomed daughter Presely Anne Marie Donahue in June of 2021.

2011

Derek Crowder '11 recently wrote and published a new book - Deadly Dreams. Pick up a copy at your local bookstore!

2013

Dr. Katelyn Frierott '13 graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Notre Dame in 2017. Katelyn then went on to earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Minnesota. She is currently practicing dentistry in Maplewood, Minnesota and resides in Minnetonka.

2015

Shayla Gaffney '15 and Will Nash '15 were married on October, 23 at Catholic Church of the Incarnation. Congrats to the Nashes!

Nicole Harty '15 got engaged in October to Cooper Foreman in Chattanooga, TN.

2016

Anna Graziosi '16 was recently named as one of the 150 alumni from the last 150 years of CBU that have made a lasting impact on their school.

Elizabeth Nevle '16 recently married Nathan “Allen” Carter on November 13, 2021 at The Catholic Church of the Incarnation. Elizabeth is a Diagnostic Sonographer at Baptist Women’s Hospital and Allen is an Executive Account Manager at Total Quality Logistics. The wedding photos were taken by our very own Kaitlyn Stoddard '10.

2017

Mitchell Bowlin '17 is playing golf for the University of Memphis. Go Tigers Go!

Khaise Brice '17 was crowned Homecoming King at the University of Memphis' homecoming festivities this year.

2018

Cam Jones '18 served as a team captain for the Indiana University Hoosiers this fall.

Brian O'Leary '18 and Emma Rae Adams '18 tied the knot here on campus in November. Many SBA alumni were in attendance for the special day. Pictured left to right are Nathan Peck '18, Sydney Agerton '18, Emma-Rae Adams '18, Brian O'Leary '18, Gabby Maher '18, Mikayla Green '18, and Lincoln Caldwell '18.

2019

Michael Boongaling '19 stopped by SBA this semester to give a guest lecture on architecture to our art classes.

2020

Several 2020 alumni shared their musical talents in choral concerts at Mississippi State this fall. Pictured are top (L-R): Colin Zazzara '21, Josh Haman '20, Joey Zazzara '18, Emma Van Epps '20, Zoe Nunn '19, Kat Trinque '20, and Rachel Hosp '20. Bottom (L-R): Rachel Hosp '20, Emma Van Epps '20, Kat Trinque '20, and Josh Hamann '20.

Dante Carrasco '20 and Johnny Beattie '20 attended the annual Army-Navy Football showdown. Dante is a second-year at the Naval Academy and Johnny is a second-year at West Point.

2021

Sean Mullen '21 is acing the tennis courts at Tulane University where she is a freshman.

Aliyah Williamson is playing soccer for Arkansas State University, where she appeared in every game this season.

Want a life update shared in the next issue of SBA Alumni News? Be sure to send photos and information to Kyle Van Frank '15 at vanfrankk@sbaeagles.org

In Memoriam

In 2021, the SBA community was extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Andrew Vanelli '00, Fred Smith III '11, and Margaret "Maddie" Selden '16. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and friends of these alumni. We pray for peace and understanding, as well as hope and trust in the promise that we will meet again.




Save the date for these upcoming SBA events!

On February 5, SBA will be hosting an open house from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM for prospective families. If you or someone you know might be interested, we would love to have them take a visit of our incredible campus.

Student Ambassadors and SBA Faculty/Staff will be on hand to show you around and answer questions.

The SBA event of the year will take place on Saturday, April 30. An evening of food, drinks, entertainment, and both live and silent auctions will be sure to entertain, and most importantly, sustain our school. Table sponsorships and event underwriting are available. Stay tuned for more information on these opportunities.

The Class of 2010 will be celebrating their 10ish year reunion in May of 2022!

With COVID putting plans for last year on hold, we have reopened the book on a special weekend of events and time together.

Be sure to look out for further details coming from your class reps soon.

There is still time to make a gift to the SBA Annual Fund!


As we continue to foster growth and innovation for the future of our school, we look to our alumni as stewards of the past to help shepherd us to the future. A gift of any size is meaningful, impactful, and essential to our operations and mission.

We thank you for your prayerful consideration.

Give Now

We are working hard to update our alumni records to keep you informed and let you know about upcoming events and exciting things happening at St. Benedict at Auburndale.

Click the button below to update your information, and email photos to Kyle Van Frank at vanfrankk@sbaeagles.org.

Update Your Information

Please send life updates and information to Kyle Van Frank



Kyle Van Frank '15

Director of Alumni

vanfrankk@sbaeagles.org

901.260.2883