Highlights - Front Page - Christ Church Episcopal School

Transcription

C h r i s t
C h u r ch
E p i s c o p a l
Sch o o l
•
G r ee n v i l l e ,
S C
Highlights
In this issue... Celebrating the First 50 Years, Inaugurating the Next 50 • The Class of 2010
The Daniel-Mickel Foundation Master Teachers • Headmaster Leonard Kupersmith's Vision for CCES
Fond Farewells to Lee Cox and Connie Lanzl • Board Chair Edgar Norris, Jr.'s Faith in the Past, Faith in the Future
CCES Today • Global Perspectives • and much more!
Fall 2010
Highlights Fall 2010
Published by the Advancement Office
Bibby Sierra, Director
Alice Baird, Editor
Contributing Writers
Class Agents
Alice Baird
R. J. Beach
Tao Brody ’10
Barbara Carter
Lee Cox
Dolly Durham
Elizabeth Gross ’87
Sterling Jarrett ’10
Leonard Kupersmith
Missy Park ’80
Rip Parks ’72
Marie Earle Pender ’95
Peter D. Sanders
Viviane Till
Courtney Tollison ’95
Graphic Designer
Brandy Lindsey,
The Graphics House, Inc.
A Note from the Editor
The first thing you’ll note about this issue, I’m sure, is its heft. Last year we
published only one issue of Highlights; this is a sort of two-in-one issue, not only
in form, but in content as well. This issue marks the end of Lee Cox’s tenure as
Headmaster and the beginning of Leonard Kupersmith’s. With the conclusion of
our coverage of last year’s whirlwind of 50th anniversary events, this Highlights also
marks the end of the first fifty years of CCES and the beginning of what we may
call, for now, the next 50.
In these pages you will find our traditional tributes to the graduating class, the
current Daniel-Mickel Foundation Master Teachers, and the many alumni events
held since our last issue. A pullout poster in the centerfold pays homage to “50
Favorite CCES Faces” selected by alumni, students, parents, faculty, and friends; we
hope to see it displayed in offices around town as well as on campus!
Headmaster Leonard Kupersmith inaugurates his vision for the school with his
letter on page 5, and we honor the conclusion of Lee Cox’s tenure as President
and of Connie Lanzl’s as Vice President for Advancement. Our “Portrait in
Philanthropy,” an interview with School Board Chair Edgar Norris, Jr., looks both
to the past and the future of the school.
As more and more alumni partake in our global economy, it is likely that “Global
Perspectives” will become a regular section of Highlights. In this issue Rip Parks
’72 and Courtney Tollison ’95 reflect on their unusual experiences abroad; in
addition, current Upper School Director Pete Sanders describes the school’s
commitment to providing a truly relevant 21st century education through Chinese
student exchanges and the planned introduction of Mandarin foreign language
studies in 2011-12. Another new section, “CCES Today,” will focus on current
school programs and people that exemplify the school’s paths to excellence in the
classroom, on the athletic field, and in the many venues in which our students
choose to realize their potential.
I hope you enjoy this issue. Write to me at [email protected].
Alice Baird
Director of Communications
Erratum
Cover photos:
The Class of 2010
Read more on page
9.
2 | Highlights Fall 2010
We apologize that we printed
Robert DiBenedetto’s
photo instead of McAdams
Christopher’s (shown left) in the
last issue of Highlights.
Celebrating the Class of 2010
Table of Contents
Letter from the Headmaster, Leonard Kupersmith ........................................5
The Class of 2010 .........................................................................................................9.
Class of 2010 Portrait......................................................................................................9
Class of 2010 College Matriculations ...........................................................................10
Class of 2010 Scholarships . ..........................................................................................12
Awards Night Honors . .................................................................................................13
Senior Thesis Honors Recognition . ..............................................................................15
2010 Commencement Address, by Dr. Leland H. Cox, Jr. ......................................... 17
CCES Today...................................................................................................................20
The 2010-11 Daniel-Mickel Foundation Master Teachers, by Alice Baird....................20
The Senior Class Leaves a Legacy of Compassion, by Sterling Jarrett ’10 and
Tao Brody ’10........................................................................................................29
Youth in Government Teaches Students How to Change the World, by Alice Baird
(reprinted from the website).......................................................................................31
Go, Cavaliers! Another Banner Year for CCES Athletics, by R. J. Beach ......................33
Coach David Wilcox: Architect of a CCES Boys Soccer Dynasty, by Alice Baird.........35
Fond Farewells.............................................................................................................38
Dr. Leland H. Cox, Jr.: CCES President/Headmaster
2000-2010, by Alice Baird.....................................................................................38
Sidebar: Governor Honors Dr. Cox with Order of the Palmetto.......................43
Director of Development Connie Lanzl 1998-2010:
A Legacy of Sophistication and Devotion to the School, by Alice Baird................44
Global Perspectives. ..................................................................................................50
The Path to Mandarin at CCES, by Peter D. Sanders..................................................50
A Lifelong Global Outlook: It All Started Here, by Rip Parks ’72................................54
Teaching in the Ukraine as a Fulbright Scholar:
A Clash of Ideals, by Dr. Courtney Tollison ’95 ...................................................56
The CCES 50th Anniversary.....................................................................................60
The CCES Birthday BASH: A Party 50 Years in the Making.........................................60
Pastor Hobby Outten ’85 Celebrates Alumni Chapel Service.......................................62
CCES Explores Its “Oral History” at Museum . ............................................................63
Upcountry History Museum Hosts CCES Exhibit........................................................64
50th Anniversary Alumni Basketball Reunion: They Still Got Game!..............................65
B on u s F eat u re : 5 0 Favorite Faces P ullout P oster
Character. Community. Excellence. Service. | 3
Portrait in Philanthropy ..........................................................................................66
School Board Chair Edgar M. Norris, Jr.: Belief in the School,
Faith in Its Future, by Alice Baird...........................................................................66
CCES Alumni . ..............................................................................................................69
Letter from Alumni Association President Elizabeth Reyner Gross '87........................69
2010-11 Alumni Association Governing Board ............................................................69
Save the Date: 2010-11 Alumni Events Calendar ........................................................ 70
The Art of Successful Failure: Keynote Remarks at 2010 Alumni Career Program,
by Missy Park ’80 .................................................................................................71
Alumni Oyster Roast Draws a Crowd............................................................................73
Matt Brashier '10 Selected for 2010 Billy Richardson Sportsmanship Award................74
Cavalier Classic Golf Tournament Raises $8,000...........................................................75
Alumnae Field Hockey: Stickin’ With It!........................................................................76
Alumni Weekend Tennis: We Are the Champions!.........................................................77
Reunions:
CCES on the Road in Charleston...........................................................................78
CCES on the Road in New York.............................................................................78
The Class of 1975: Sweet (Edible) Memories..........................................................79
The Class of 1980: A Very Special Guest Appearance..............................................80
The Class of 1985: Jammin’ Together......................................................................81
Lost Alumni............................................................................................................81
The Class of 1990: Reuniting in Greenville’s Fashionable West End........................82
Alumni Christmas Party..........................................................................................82
Cavalier Classics: Connecting Parents of Alumni Since 1991..................................82
The “Prolific” Class of 1995, by Marie Earle Pender ’95.......................................83
2010 Cavalier Sporting Clay Tournament...............................................................84
Lazy? Not the Class of 2000!...................................................................................85
1989 & 2010 Casts of South Pacific Share Some Enchanted Evening.......................85
Class News . ..................................................................................................................86
Marriages . ....................................................................................................................86
Births.............................................................................................................................86.
Deaths...........................................................................................................................87.
Class Notes....................................................................................................................87
Former Faculty Notes....................................................................................................91
Letter from the Headmaster
Dr. Leonard Kupersmith
I feel esteemed
to serve as
headmaster of
Christ Church
Episcopal
School. A
leadership role in
any organization,
institutional
or corporate, requires one to mediate
between founding principles and current
needs. We must always understand and
respect our original premises while we pay
careful attention to a changing economic,
cultural, and academic landscape and seek
opportunities for development of services
and refinement of quality.
CCES was founded by a core group of
wise and generous citizens of Greenville to
provide a kind of school that did not exist
in the community. Such an independent
day school would be an extension of
Christ Episcopal Church and serve young
people from the early stages of their formal
education through their secondary years.
Such a school would obviate the proclivity
to attend boarding school through the
college preparatory high-school years. CCES
would be college preparatory, Episcopal,
independent, P-12, and traditional in its
respect for core competencies and cultural
literacy. My duty is to honor those seminal
intentions. We remain committed to
those values. The challenge is to uphold
those principles, ensure that all operations
are first-rate, and yet adjust to changing
expectations and perceived needs.
Leadership is Service
Different leaders and senior management
staff will understand and therefore
implement these values differently. They
require interpretation very much like
foundational legal documents. This balance
between personal vision and original intent
is tricky. As a leader, one is obligated
to recognize and preserve the purpose
of the founder(s). Yet, he or she is also
accountable to make changes that improve
performance. I do not believe that a leader
should impose his or her stamp on an
organization. Certainly, how one conducts
himself will reflect one’s principles and
preferences. However, leadership is service.
Leaders should subordinate their agendas
and egos to the values and character of the
communities that they lead.
To be sure, Greenville is a different
community from what it was in 1959.
In its transformation from the world’s
textile capital to a community with a
diversified economy; a growing force in
automotive research, development, and
manufacturing; an attraction for families
from other parts of the country interested
in living in a civil, beautiful, progressive
city with a moderate climate and access
to beaches and mountains and anchored
by a downtown, which is now a model for
urban development; a high concentration
of international residents, businesses, and
capital, Greenville is on the move, doing
a remarkable job in balancing its own
traditional values with prudent and strategic
change.
"The challenge is to
uphold [the school's]
principles, ensure that
all operations are firstrate, and yet adjust to
changing expectations
and perceived needs."
From my standpoint, the most significant
changes that I have observed in my career,
since 1968, almost coinciding with the
founding of CCES are:
• the emergence of middle schools;
• great dependence on technology; and
• the recognition and accommodation of
a wide spectrum of learning needs.
continued
With due regard for those major gradations
in the school landscape, I would argue
that the values that informed the school at
its inception and have served to sustain it
through the years remain constant. These
values have supported a school through fifty
years. In that time, CCES has educated
thousands of students, including more
than 3,000 alumni, to be solid thinkers,
responsible citizens, employees, and parents,
high-achieving college students, and people
with ethical backbones. That kind of
education should be jealously guarded and
resolutely cultivated.
Faith in the Past,
Faith in the Future
This matter of faith in the past as we assert
faith in the future has absorbed me for
years. I had the privilege of serving as the
founding head of a day school for thirteen
years prior to my arrival in Greenville. There,
I was one of the architects of the Mission
of that school. Here, I serve others’ vision
and principles. This issue is exemplified in
the fierce debate between the originalists on
the Supreme Court and those who believe
that the Constitution is a living, organic
document that must adjust to the times.
Nearly twenty years ago, Robert Bork
weighed in with an article in the Philanthropy
Roundtable magazine connecting the duty
to be true to the Founders’ intent in the
Constitution with protecting the founder’s
intent in philanthropic foundations, like
the Ford Foundation or the Pew Charitable
Trusts. Mr. Bork laments the deviations
from founders’ intent that leaders of such
foundations have promoted. He presents the
challenge succinctly:
“The problem of fidelity to original
intent in both judging and foundation
administration is one of self-discipline to
the service of the founder’s rather than one’s
own moral purposes.”
Although I am not staking out a position
on the originalist argument vis-á-vis the
Constitution, I agree with Mr. Bork’s
argument that leaders must pay careful
attention to the intent of the Founders.
From that position, I see the following goals
absorbing my attention for the next five years:
Building endowment to achieve
financial sustainability and maintain
affordable tuition levels while providing
excellence in all aspects of the school.
Ensuring that our teachers are well
supported—that they have appropriate
professional development opportunities,
substantive administrative review, and
comprehensive introduction to the school
when they begin their CCES position.
The key difference in independent schools
that ensures top-quality education for all
students is competent, dedicated faculty
who share the values of the school. One of
the most venerable virtues of CCES is its
stellar teachers.
Establishing an Achievement Center
whereby children with learning needs
receive ample support and children
poised to move forward can do so.
The Achievement Center will be fully
integrated into the school, with its own
director and staff, training program for
classroom teachers, communication
protocols with classroom teachers,
and fee schedule for services. Through
this service, CCES will better educate
the students it admits. The sacred
commitment to serving all students
optimally, a cardinal principle of CCES
at its inception, holds today.
Finding the proper balance between
technology and human relationships
and interactions. The priority of the
individual and the subordination of
instrument to its human practitioner are
core values of CCES. We have heeded
Thoreau’s warning about becoming
“tools of our tools.”
Integrating the seventeen twentyfirst century attributes (formulated
by a committee of teachers and
administrators in the spring of 2009)
that inform our curriculum design into
our P-12 programs of study; producing
the most effective continuity from grade
to grade and division to division in
teaching and learning; and publishing
the full P-12 scope and sequence and
supporting detail to educate parents
about the full school program and help
to shape their expectations for the school
and their children. This goal reflects the
maturation of the Founders’ vision for a
fully coordinated P-12 program.
Enhancing the knowledge that colleges
and universities have about CCES.
The Class of 2010 stacks up against the
best-placed classes of any high school in
the Southeast. For example, 4 of 5 early
applicants to Georgetown were admitted,
with one deferred (one is matriculating,
the others are going to Princeton, USCHonors, and Brown). The original spirit
of college preparation is flourishing today
at CCES.
Strengthening the active assertion of
faith. The Founders’ vision unequivocally
called for a foundation of faith, which
for the school required compliance with
rites but not active confession. The best
way for a school to build character is to
acknowledge a higher authority than
humans, a sovereign standard to which
we are accountable. From a religious
perspective, this ultimate authority is
God, who accommodates man through
the auspices of Creation and sacred texts.
In a sense, this principle is the original
originalist reference. It subscribes to
belief in absolute truths in a cultural
environment dominated by relativism.
Guarding and revering our
independence. Our status as a kind
of non-public school, an independent
school, a member of the National
Association of Independent Schools
(NAIS) and accredited by the Southern
Association of Independent School
(SAIS), gives us a wide latitude to plot our
own course, removed from the intrusive
politics of the public sector. Because
the political waters shift frequently,
educational trends follow suit, producing
a turnstile of new reforms that generate
tremendous financial cost and even
greater educational debris. We hold steady
to our formative principles, adjusting to
our local needs while respecting our values
and culture. Independence yields freedom
to design programs, hire teachers, create
schedules, structure administration, and
work collaboratively with our governance
body. This independence also produces
accountability for the decisions we make.
Freedom to direct the school as we see fit
and freedom to choose for our parents
provides the best basis for healthy and
productive relationships and effective
service. The Boards of independent
schools share the stewardship of our
schools’ missions: they affirm policies,
monitor fiscal conduct, and employ and
review the chief executive of our schools.
They are a ballast for administration.
They support the obligation of
administration to direct the school.
Preserving the remarkable quality of
education that CCES has provided
for five decades. I have been fortunate
to serve fine schools for nearly forty
years and serve in leadership positions
for over thirty years. CCES is dazzling
in its splendid array of educational
opportunities. Its academic quality is
absolutely first-rate. Consider a few
statistics for the Class of 2010: 10
National Merit Semifinalists, the most of
any non-public school in South Carolina
continued
and twice the number at its nearest
competitor, Porter-Gaud. In 2010, CCES
students took 192 AP exams; 85% of
these exams produced a 3 or better (the
so-called pass grade on a 1-5 scale). CCES
exceeded the national average overall
on exams by more than 20 percentage
points. With reference to the IB Diploma,
all 16 of our IB candidates earned the
Diploma—100%. Since its inception,
we have averaged over 95% success rate
for Diploma attainment—25 percentage
points higher than national average.
Please note that we are benchmarking
our students against the best students
in the country, those who are taking
AP and IB exams. Beyond academic
accomplishment, a reflection of fine
teaching, solid programs, and a culture
that celebrates academic achievement, our
school has won the Director’s Cup for
best athletic program in Class 1A among
South Carolina High School Athletic
League schools ( all but four members
are public schools) for 19 straight years.
This recognition is our state’s equivalent
of the Sears Cup, awarded to the best
collegiate athletic programs. One look
at our major musical productions this
year—South Pacific and Beauty and the
Beast, the latter including a cast of over
100 middle-schoolers—confirms that
the arts at CCES galvanize the entire
community and produce mass appeal and
participation as well as singular talents.
In fact, three members of the Class of
2010 will attend undergraduate school
to prepare expressly for careers in music.
Finally, CCES provides this irresistible
array of academic, athletic, and artistic
opportunities along with a spiritual
center. All of our activity in school is
anchored in an institutional foundation of
religious belief. The Chapel of the Good
Shepherd is the center of our campus
physically, culturally, and spiritually. My
sacred duty is to preserve the lavish lifeline
of nourishment for young people that has
always distinguished this superb school.
Even Excellence Can Become
More Excellent
So, my goal is to ensure that the foundational
principles, which remain as relevant and
sound today as they did in 1959, are alive
and well at the school. Teachers and staff,
instruction, curriculum, and co-curricular
programs, and facilities should embody these
principles and provide rewarding experiences
for every member of the community. I once
believed in the precept that “if it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it.” However, my encounter with
Edwards Deming’s standards of quality
improvement inspired a conviction that we
can always do better. Even excellence can
become more excellent. Such an attitude is
built into the American psyche from our
origin: the Preamble aspires to build a “more
perfect Union.” “Perfect” just isn’t good
enough. So, my obligation is to lead the
cultivation of the already fine foliage that
grows on the stalwart CCES trunk. The
opportunity that I embrace is to at once
respect the past and prepare for the future or
to look at the duty another way—to infuse
the past into the future.
CCES has served students distinctively since
1959. Its success rests on the principles of
faith, independence, curricular continuity
for the full span of primary and secondary
years, dedicated teachers who embrace
the school’s Mission, and an unwavering
focus on preparing all of its students for a
vigorous college experience. These values
have served my predecessors well and have
been protected by the Boards of Trustees
throughout the school’s history. They
have stood the test of time and provided
a touchstone as the school navigated
changing landscapes. I look forward to
honoring those values as we do our best
to serve all students at all levels well in the
21st century. ■
Congratulations, Class of 2010!
Front row, left to right: Elizabeth Monroe, Maya Pudi, Tricia Lu, Alex Bylenga, Hannah
Smith, Katherine Grandy, Ellie Walker, Tao Brody, Taylor Ingram, Rebecca Jennings, Alexis
Hinton, Yaorui Xiao.
Row 2: Lisa Baird, Jacqueline Pusker, Caroline Stone, Allie Stern, Ellison Johnstone, Mary
Ashton Nalley, Erin Carter, Georgia Haas, Katie Thomason, Emily Swenson, Heather
McCall, Seabrook Lucas.
Row 3: Pressley Merchant, Natalie Robichaud, Elizabeth Antworth, Anna Koken, Sterling
Jarrett, Laurel Gower, Steven Christopher, Graham Paylor, Will Culp, Cody Cobb, Hunter
King.
Row 4: Dexter Rogers, Hudson Townes, Chas Duke, Robert DiBenedetto, Jordan Gwyn,
Josh Shaw, Jonathan Ferreira, Sal Lombardi, Robert Monroe, Daniel Yoon.
Row 5: Marchant Cottingham, Sheldon Clark, Macon McLean, James Stuckey, Matthew
Cole, Marc Fleischhauer, Merritt Perry, Kenny Grant.
Row 6: Connor McEvoy, Shion Nagasaka, Mike Millon, John Flanagan, Matthew Brashier,
Jay Gresham, James Pendergrass.
Last row: Benedikt Barthelmess, William Bryan, Reggie Titmas, Ted Parker, Cameron
Crawford, Christopher Woody, Alex Head, Alex Phillips,Will Young, Phillip Wheeler.
The Class of 2010
Class of 2010 College Matriculations
The IB Class of 2010 poses
for a group photo with, far
right, IB Diploma Program
Coordinator Nancy White and,
far left, Headmaster Leonard
Kupersmith, who teaches the IB
Theory of Knowledge class.
Lisa Lynn Baird, Wofford College, SC
Benedikt Mohammed Barthelmess,
University of Manchester, England
James Matthew Brashier, Clemson
University, SC
Jacqueline Tao Brody, Clemson University,
SC
William King Bryan III, Clemson
University, SC
Alexandra Irene Bylenga, Clemson
University, SC
Erin Elizabeth Carter, Clemson University,
SC
Steven McAdams Christopher, Furman
University, SC
Sheldon Dunham Clark, Capital
University, OH
Cody Chastain Cobb, Samford University,
AL
Matthew Alexander Cole, Appalachian
State University, NC
Marchant Colin Cottingham III,
University of Colorado at Boulder, CO
James Cameron Crawford, Duke University
William Ellis Culp, University of South
Carolina, Honors College, SC
Robert Pope DiBenedetto, Clemson
University, SC
Charles Moss Duke IV, Clemson
University, SC
Jonathan Tavares Ferreira, Winthrop
University, SC
John Francis Flanagan II, Georgetown
University, DC
Marc Thomas Hubert Fleischhauer, to
attend university in Germany
Laurel Elizabeth Gower, Vanderbilt
University, TN
Katherine Elizabeth Grandy, The University
of Alabama, Honors College, AL
Kennan Hunter Grant, University of
Virginia, VA
The Class of 2010
James Steven Jennings Gresham, The
Citadel, the Military College of South
Carolina, SC
Jordan Taylor Gwyn, Stanford University, CA
Georgia Ann Haas, Clemson University,
SC
Alexander Joseph Head, Clemson
University, SC
Alexis Rae Hinton, Clemson University,
SC
Taylor Kathryn Ingram, Clemson
University, SC
Elizabeth Sterling Jarrett, Wofford
College, SC
Rebecca Gibson Jennings, University of
Richmond, VA
Ellison Green Johnstone, Washington and
Lee University, VA
Hunter Franklin King, Carnegie Mellon
University, PA
Anna Krafft Koken, University of South
Carolina, SC
Salvatore Joseph Lombardi II, Wingate
University, NC
Tricia Cicia Lu, Wellesley College, MA
Jane Seabrook Lucas, University of
Georgia, GA
Heather Elizabeth McCall, Samford
University, AL
George Connor McEvoy, Washington
University in St. Louis, MO
Macon Chapman McLean, Brown
University, RI
Pressley Patricia Merchant, Wake Forest
University, NC
Seraphin Michael Millon, Wofford
College, SC
Sarah Elizabeth Monroe, Wofford College,
SC
James Robert Monroe III, Presbyterian
College, SC
Shion Nagasaka, Emory University, GA
Mary Ashton Nalley, Clemson University,
SC
Edward Francis Parker, Emory University,
GA
Graham Hill Paylor, Clemson University,
SC
James Westmoreland Pendergrass,
Wofford College, SC
William Merritt Perry IV, University of
Georgia, GA
Alex Stephen Phillips, Clemson University,
SC
Maya Pudi, New York University, NY
Jacqueline Bernadette Pusker, Clemson
University, SC
Natalie Kendall Robichaud, Wesleyan
University, CT
Dexter Macdonald Rogers, Tulane
University, LA
Joshua Thomas Shaw, Presbyterian
College, SC
Hannah Leigh Smith, Clemson University,
SC
Allison Desverreaux Stern, Clemson
University, SC
Caroline Sullivan Stone, Princeton
University, NJ
James Harold Stuckey III, University of
South Carolina, Honors College, SC
Emily Ann Swenson, The University of
Alabama, AL
Kathryn Ann Thomason, Clemson
University, SC
Reginald Wollaston Titmas III, Winthrop
University, SC
Emily Hudson Townes, Clemson
University, SC
Eleanora Katherine Walker, University of
South Carolina, SC
Joseph Phillip Wheeler, Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University,
VA
Christopher Charles Woody, Tufts
University, MA
Yaouri Xiao, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, IL
Do Hyun (Daniel) Yoon, Mercer
University, GA
William Taylor Young, Texas Christian
University, TX
Half of the Class of 2010
will attend out-of-state
or international colleges,
including Princeton, Brown,
Stanford, Duke, Washington
and Lee, Georgetown,
Vanderbilt, NYU, Tulane,
and UVA, among others.
The Class of 2010
Class of 2010 Scholarships
The Class of 2010 received scholarship offers totaling more than $2.6 million. This excludes South Carolina
Palmetto, Life and Hope Scholarships.
The Class of 2010 put in a strong performance in this year’s National Merit Scholarship competition. The
class had nine (9) National Merit Finalists and one National Achievement Finalist; one was named a National
Achievement Scholar. Of these, five were named National Merit Scholars. This brings the total of CCES National
Merit Finalists to 156 (since 1972).
77% of the graduating class qualified for the SC Palmetto, Life, and Hope Scholarships.
13 (16%) members of the class qualified as South Carolina Palmetto Fellows.
86% of the class qualified for the SC Palmetto Fellows, Life, or Hope Scholarships. (International students are not
considered in this calculation, as they are not eligible for SC scholarship awards.)
The Class of 2010 received
scholarship offers totaling
more than $2.6 million (excluding
South Carolina Palmetto, Life and
Hope Scholarships, for which 77% of
the graduating class qualified).
The class put in a strong
performance in the National
Merit Scholarship competition,
with 9 Finalists, 1 National
Achievement Scholar, and 1
National Achievement Finalist.
Scholarship Highlights
A total of 37 scholarships valued at more
than $30,000 each were offered by 27
colleges and universities to members of the
Class of 2010. These include:
Birmingham Southern College, Greensboro
Scholarship
Capital University, Presidential Scholarship
Centre College, Founders Scholarship
Claremont McKenna College, McKenna
Achievement Award
Converse College, Trustee Honor
Scholarship
Emory University, Emory Opportunity Award
Emory University, Liberal Arts Scholarship
(2 awarded)
Furman University, Achiever Scholarship (3
awarded)
Furman University, John D. Hollingsworth,
Jr. Scholarship
Mercer University, Presidential Scholarship
Miami University of Ohio, General
Scholarship
Millsaps College, Millsaps Award
Oglethorpe University, Presidential Scholarship
Laurel Gower ’10, with her
mother, Ellen Gower.
Otterbein College, President’s Scholar Award
Presbyterian College, Athletic Scholarship
Presbyterian College, Highlander
Scholarship
Providence College, St. Joseph Scholarship
Queens University, Deans’ Scholarship
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rensselaer
Medal Award
Southern Methodist University,
Distinguished Scholar (2 awarded)
St. Louis University, Presidential Finalist
Scholarship
Tulane University, Academic Achievement
Award
Tulane University, General Scholarship
University of Alabama, Alumni Honors
Scholarship
University of Georgia, Charter Scholarship
University of Rochester, Dean’s Scholarship
University of South Carolina, Carolina Scholar
University of the South, President’s
Scholarship
Wagner College, President’s Academic and
Theater Scholarship
Wingate University, Merit Scholarship
Wofford College, Bonner Scholarship
Wofford College, Merit Scholarship
Wofford College, Old Main Scholarship ■
The Class of 2010
Awards Night Honors,
May 29, 2010
CCES Community
Service Award
Given in recognition of a senior
who has demonstrated a steadfast
commitment to service, both within
and outside the school community.
Jacquelyn Tao Brody
CCES Service
Recognitions
Given by individual faculty and staff
to students who have made voluntary
contributions to the improvement of
school life through personal initiative,
individual concern, and services not
otherwise recognized.
Modern & Classical Languages
French
Linda B. Reeves Scholar-Athlete
Awards
Erin Elizabeth Carter
Steven McAdams Christopher
Ninth Grade
Elizabeth Kathryn Antworth
Heather Elizabeth McCall
Latin
Caroline Sullivan Stone
Kathleen Joanna Benedict
John Joseph McLeod
Tenth Grade
Alexandra Olga Hamberis
Jeffrey Stone Benedict
Spanish
Anna Krafft Koken
German for Native Speakers
Benedikt Mohammed Barthelmess
Publication Awards
Hellenian Yearbook
Laurel Elizabeth Gower
Elizabeth Sterling Jarrett
Sarah Elizabeth Monroe
Delphian
Cavalier Express
William Ellis Culp
Macon Chapman McLean
Fine Arts
Class of 2010 Special
Awards
William King Bryan III
William Ellis Culp
Visual Arts
Creative Writing Award
Headmaster’s Award
Ellison Greene Johnstone
Chaplain’s Award
Crawford Baskin Lewis, upon the
recommendation of Ms. Susanne
Abrams, for being an invaluable
teaching assistant during ceramics class
this year.
William King Bryan III, upon the
recommendation of Mrs. Barbara
Carter, for his willingness not only
to volunteer but also to go above and
beyond what was expected during two
highway clean-up days in March and
April.
Aletta Wood Jervey & Jinks
Jervey-Page Memorial
Scholarship
Departmental Awards
English
John Francis Flanagan II
Charles B. Glennon Memorial
Mathematics Award
History
Hunter Franklin King
Jane Seabrook Lucas
Upper School Art Director’s Award
Lisa Lynn Baird
Hunter Franklin King
Jane Seabrook Lucas
Seraphin Michael Millon
Vocal Music Award
Instrumental Music Award
Joseph Phillip Wheeler
Performing Arts
Cody Chastain Cobb
George Connor McEvoy
Drama
Dexter Macdonald Rogers
Technical Achievement in the Arts
Dexter Macdonald Rogers, upon
the recommendation of Mrs. Molly
Aiken, for his diligent work behind the
scenes providing technical assistance
for our musical theater and chorus
productions.
Debate Award
Mock Trial Award
Model UN Award
Academic Team Award
Reginald Wollaston Titmas II
Youth in Government Award
William Ellis Culp
Student Leadership Awards
Honor Council Chairman 2009-10
Student Council President 2009-10
Ellison Greene Johnstone
William Ellis Culp
Passing of the Gavel
Ellison Greene Johnstone ’10 to
Science
Natalie Kendall Robichaud
Athletics
Cavalier Spirit Awards
The Cavalier Spirit Awards are given
in recognition of a boy and a girl from
the Ninth Grade and from the Tenth
Grade who exemplify the Cavalier
Spirit, characterized by integrity,
enthusiasm, outreach to others, and
cooperation.
Kennan Hunter Grant
Do Hyun Yoon
Computer Science
Athletic Department Awards
Kathryn Ann Thomason
Graham Hill Paylor
James B. Conyers Sportsmanship
Awards
Benjamin Fordham James ’11
Compassion International Transfer
Ellison Greene Johnstone ’10 to
David William Robinson
continued
Jordan Taylor Gwyn
Shion Nagasaka
Georgia Ann Haas
The Class of 2010
Recognitions
National Merit Scholarship
Finalists
Kennan Hunter Grant
Ellison Green Johnstone
George Connor McEvoy
Roger, Kirk, Dena Stone
Scholarships
Alex Christopher Boota
Alexandra Hayden Latham
Class of 2011
Collegiate Awards
Dartmouth College Book
Award
Furman University Scholars
Alyssa Davies Althoff
Victoria Bond Gentry
Elizabeth Virginia Minten
Lauren Campbell Vann
Lander University Junior Fellows
Katherine Nell Taylor
Mary Gage Caulder
Newberry College Scholars
Hollins University Creative
Writing Book Award
CLASS OF 2011
SPECIAL AWARDS
Austin Grant Davids
Kirsten Emory Hicks
Hunter Gregory Sieber
George Eastman Young Leaders
Award
Christopher Ryan Lawdahl
Frederick Douglass and Susan
B. Anthony Award
University of Rochester Bausch
and Lomb Honorary Science
Award
Salem College Book Award
Sewanee Award for Excellence
in Writing
Wofford College Scholars
Victoria Anne Nachman
Elizabeth Sloan Scovil
Shion Nagasaka
Natalie Kendall Robichaud
Tristan W. Rulli
Collin Marshall Walker
Mary Kaitlin Clohan
Patrick Norman Conner
John Claibourne Hughes
University of Rochester Xerox
Award for Innovation and
Information Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Medal Award
Cum Laude Society Induction
Lauren Cambell Vann
Smith College Book Award
Christopher Ryan Lawdahl
Kailey Grace Miller
Margaret Griffen Wynkoop
Jefferson Book Award
Washington and Lee Book
Award
Victoria Anne Nachman
Neil Parchuri
Presbyterian College Junior
Fellows
James Anthony Benson, Jr.
Anna Ridley DiBenedetto
Caroline Rigby Hudson
Christine Noel Sherman
Will Grist Scholarship Award
Jackie Messer Rogers Award
Daniela Dacco Award
Vanderbilt University Book
Award
William Dargan Merline
University of South Carolina
Upstate Scholars
Korbinian Gerd Barthelmess
Wellesley College Book Award
Annacie Katherine Sastry
Centre College Fellows
Benjamin Fordham James
Blair Babb Smoak Memorial
Award
College of Charleston Cistern
Scholars
William Dargan Merline
Annacie Katherine Sastry
Columbia College Scholar
Caitlin Olivia Carson
Elizabeth VonGruenigen Hughes
Erskine College Fellows
Margaret Griffen Wynkoop
Award
Carolyn Ann Harvey
Dirk Raymond Pieper, Jr.
Margaret Griffin Wynkoop
William Jennings Bryan Dorn III
The Daniela Dacco Award is given
in memory of Daniela Dacco, CCES
Class of 1973, the first CCES exchange
student, to recognize the sophomore
classmate who exhibits leadership,
concern, and sensitivity for others.
Athena Denise Conits
President Lee Cox, left,
applauds as outgoing student
government leader Ellison
Johnstone presents the
Student Council Teacher of the
Year award to English teacher
Janet Gubser.
The Class of 2010
2010 Senior Thesis Honors by Barbara Carter
“Women in Broadcast Journalism: Does the
‘Glass Ceiling’ Still Exist?”
Mentor: Paulette Unger
Our first honoree pursued a topic of
great personal interest to her because she
may very well go into this field. While
out for twelve weeks on maternity leave,
Mrs. Unger was extremely impressed with
Ms. Carter’s work ethic, noting that “she
regularly kept me updated on her progress”
and worked independently during that
time. Her English reader commented that
“while her research was impressive, what I
found equally impressive, if not more so,
was the work that this student put into
composing the paper itself.” He added
that this exemplifies what the Senior Thesis
is supposed to be: choosing a topic of
significant personal importance, “learning
as much as is possible about the topic,” and
then “being willing to accept criticism and
use it effectively to revise the paper in one’s
own style and in one’s own words.”
William Ellis Culp
“The Renewal of Russian Absolutism: The
Reign of Putin and the Death of Democracy”
Mentor: Kristi Ferguson
Our next honoree chose a subject that he
“is passionate about.” His desire to study
history and learn about different political
forces in the world is indeed impressive
in one so young. Mrs. Ferguson, who
has been involved with the senior thesis
program for the past 13 years, ranks him as
one of the best mentees she has ever had,
and for several reasons: his desire to learn;
his work ethic; his willingness to take and
incorporate suggestions not only from the
mentor, but also from the English reader,
and his sense of the importance of the topic
and of wanting to share that importance
with his peers. His English reader lauds
Dexter Rogers ’10, center,
accepts his senior thesis honors
recognition from English teacher
Janet Gubser, while students
and Senior Thesis Coordinator
Barbara Carter applaud.
him for the strength of his sources, his
organized and sequential presentation of
information, and his “grammatical and
mechanical presentation within the paper.”
She concludes by saying, “in keeping with
the historical nature of this topic, the tone
of the paper – and of the presentation – is
serious, with vocabulary that is mature and
technical to the subject matter.”
“Into Africa: Trends in U.S. African Policy”
Mentor: Barbara Carter
Our next honoree has been described
as follows: “Everything in his life . . . is
undertaken with great enthusiasm and with
[an] incredible desire to learn . . . and to
share that knowledge with others.” As I
stated in my recommendation, “he is a true
scholar and . . . loves learning and knowledge
just because they are there.” As he states in
his own recommendation, he spent much
time “in libraries and study rooms reading
both electronic and print material relating
to Africa and American foreign policy
therein. . . . he examined both primary and
secondary materials from sources as diverse as
native African writers and State Department
officials. His English reader notes that the
When John
Flanagan becomes
US ambassador to an
African nation, we can
say proudly that it all
began here!
continued
The Class of 2010
paper “is a polished and cogent piece of
writing with information on a continent that,
unfortunately, we Westerners understand far
too little about.” She continues by saying
that although the topic was quite expansive,
this young man’s overview was indeed
truly well done. She concluded, “When
he becomes US ambassador to an African
nation, we can say proudly that it all began
here!”
“Les Miserables and The Hunchback
of Notre Dame: A Portrait of the Social
Problems in France from the 15th to the 19th
Century”
Mentor: Virginie Mitchell
“When I began this
Senior Thesis process,
I did not imagine the
intellectual growth that
I would experience.”—
Heather McCall
Our next recipient has, as her mentor writes,
“a real passion for [in addition to music,]
history and French.” So, it came as no surprise
that she wanted to examine the historical
perspective in two of the most famous works
of Victor Hugo, Les Miserables and The
Hunchback of Notre Dame. Her English reader
says that she “approached this unit of study
with the same energy, enthusiasm, and work
ethic that is so evident in all that she does.”
She read the works over the summer and
found that although she thought she would
like Les Miserables the best, she discovered an
intellectual depth to The Hunchback of Notre
Dame that caused her to question things
relating to the Catholic Church, sorcery, and
physical torture and pain that she had never
questioned before. Ms. McCall noted, “When
I began this Senior Thesis process, I did not
imagine the intellectual growth that I would
experience.”
“Problems in Modern Science: A Theistic
Approach”
Mentor: Donna Miller
Our next recipient took on a weighty
subject delving into the unanswerable
questions posed by scientists and
theologians alike: How did we come
to exist? Is there a meaning to life? Is
there a God? As his mentor states in her
recommendation, “these are questions that
occur in every great thinker and artist.”
In his work he showed how scientists do
not necessarily have to choose atheism
over theism in order to remain true to
their scientific studies; he did not try to
prove the existence of God, but rather
that it is within the realm of scientific
possibility that God does exist, and
therefore, a scientist can choose to believe
or disbelieve based on his own feelings
rather than through scientific necessity.
The young man says of himself, that this
thesis “forced [me] to re-examine [my]
personal beliefs on the subject . . . and
also contributed to [my] understanding
of the world that surrounds” us and what
makes it work. Dexter MacDonald Rogers
“Redefining Theatre in the 21st Century”
Mentor: David Sims
Our final recipient is yet another unique
and very special student. His mentor
describes him this way: “Sometimes
I wonder if he isn’t a 60-year-old man
disguised as a high school student, but
totally unable to pass as in immature
and naïve teenager.” His English reader
was on the same wavelength when she
wrote, “he may move slowly . . . and may
frequently play very droll characters [on
stage, but] if you talk with him and watch
his eyes, you will see [the] passion for this
discipline that he loves.” He says himself
that his knowledge of the theatre has grown
“exponentially over the course of this
project.” He now considers himself as wellinformed about Peter Brook and Bertolt
Brecht as about Tennessee Williams and
Eugene O’Neill. ■
The Class of 2010
2010 Commencement Address by
President Lee Cox: “You’re Gonna
Need a Bigger Boat”
In the 1975 movie Jaws, there is a scene in which the trio of Amity Island’s police chief Martin Brody (Roy
Scheider), professional shark hunter Sam Quint (Robert Shaw), and marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard
Dreyfus) have launched offshore in pursuit of the great white shark that has been feasting in gruesome fashion on
the island’s citizens and visitors. The quest rises to a new level while Chief Brody is tossing bloody chum onto the
water as bait to attract the shark. He is talking back over his shoulder to Quint and Hooper when the head of the
massive shark suddenly erupts. And everything changes. Shaken, Brody walks, almost trance-like to Quint and in
a subdued tone perfectly pitched to his state of emotional shock, says, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
Suddenly, all of the technical, scientific,
and professional skills that have been
brought to the task of slaying the killer
shark have been rendered meaningless by a
single moment of tectonic change. I want
to suggest to you that this powerful spoken
line is an apt metaphor for our times,
delineating a tectonic fault line between
an anticipated future and its reality.
The challenge before us, and especially
you who will be alive throughout most
of this century—is not the menace of a
malevolent great white shark but rather the
waves of exponential change which may
prove to be the defining phenomena of the
21st century.
Unpreparedness for radical technical and
scientific change is nothing new to the
human experience. The difference is the
length of time between the arrival of an
innovation and its impact on human
institutions. Examples are Gutenberg and
the printing press, Galileo and the telescope,
Edison and the light bulb, Bell and the
telephone, the Wright brothers and the
airplane; in each case there is increased
compression between the emergence of an
innovation and its impact on significant
numbers of people.
Expect 21,000 Years of
Change in Your Lifetime
Today then, what do we mean when we
apply descriptors such as “exponential,”
“quantum leap,” and “light speed” to the
phenomenon of change? Think in terms of
Moore’s Law which has correctly predicted
the doubling of computer power every 18
to 24 months. Economists Tom Hayes and
Michael Malone have written of what they
call the ten-year century in which “changes
that used to take generations—economic
cycles, cultural shifts, mass migrations,
changes in the structure of families and
institutions—now unfurl in a span of
years.” Hence the ten-year century and, by
implication the one-year decade; and since
we see no leveling off in the rate of change,
we may soon be speaking of the five-year
century and the six-month decade.
"...we see no leveling off
in the rate of change..."
Academician, futurist, and inventor
Ray Kurzweil projects a model showing
technological paradigm changes doubling
every decade. Thus, he writes, “we
won’t experience one hundred years of
technological advance in the twenty-first
century; we will witness on the order
of twenty thousand years of progress…
continued
The Class of 2010
about one thousand times greater than was
achieved in the twentieth century.” On the
global impact of rapid change, Tom Hayes,
in his book Jump Point, describes how it
took some 100,000 years for mankind to
move from the domestication of animals
through social, political, and technological
changes to arrive at a globally integrated
(networked) market of one billion people
in 2001. Then, he writes, “Only six years
later, in 2007, the second billion arrived.
And, at an astounding rate of acceleration…
the third billionth person will arrive in just
a few years….And at that point, one-half
of the world’s population…will be united
in a truly global marketplace of products,
capital, and ideas: the largest economic
engine in the history of the human
adventure.” Here lie prospects for great
hope and opportunity and equally great
risk and uncertainty which will require
flexibility, imagination, the ability to see
patterns in the midst of constant streams
of data and an ability to act without being
certain that your information is altogether
accurate or complete.
“We won’t experience one
hundred years of technological
advance in the twenty-first
century; we will witness on the
order of twenty thousand years
of progress…about one thousand
times greater than was achieved in
the twentieth century.”
—Economist Ray Kurzweil
“The tools you take with you [to
confront these unprecedented
changes] are formidable.”
—Lee Cox
Other engines are also driving the pace
of change into warp speed. Journalist
Joel Garreau lists four influences that will
provide technological and scientific fuel for
the engines of change. He uses the acronym
GRIN: genetics, robotics, information
(including silicon-based intelligence), and
nanotechnology. These technologies, in the
hands of scientists, engineers, the military
research establishment, and entrepreneurs,
have the power to alter the world as we
know it, to challenge our understanding of
what it means to be human, and to blur—if
not erase—the boundaries between fantasy
and reality.
Reality, Not Science Fiction
Consider the work of the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) whose
mission statement is “To accelerate the
future into being.” Today, at UC Berkeley,
the army has a functioning prototype
exoskeleton suit allowing a soldier to carry
a load of 180 pounds as if it were only 4.4
pounds. With continued enhancement,
combat-equipped soldiers may well be able
to leap tall buildings in a single bound and
to run at sprinter’s speed for as much as 30
minutes. That is the vision.
Today, in a laboratory at Duke University,
you will find Belle, a telekinetic monkey
who, with her thoughts, using neural
implants in her brain, can cause a
mechanical arm in Massachusetts to
move as her mind commands it. The goal
is to create a connection between any
intelligence, human or silicon, mind or
machine, anywhere.
And just over a week ago, in the May 21st
issue of The Wall Street Journal, the front
page headline read, “Scientists Create
Synthetic Organism.” This creation, a
single-cell organism which can reproduce,
has been authenticated in the peer review
journal Science, and though laboratories
have been altering DNA and genetically
engineering plants and animals for years,
The Class of 2010
this breakthrough, says molecular biologist
Richard Ebright of Rutgers University, “is
literally a turning point in the relationship
between man and nature.”
You’ve Been Given
the Right Stuff
Brave new world, indeed; one in which
your generation will be challenged,
stretched, tested, encouraged, energized,
tempted, and stressed as no other in our
history. Now, whether you fully realize
this or not, you have been given the
“right stuff ” by your families who have
invested in your CCES education and who
understand, as do your teachers, that you
are the hopeful “messages we send to a
future we will not see.”
The tools you take with you are
formidable. You have been encouraged
not just to learn but to think deeply and
critically. In our academic, communal,
and sacramental lives together, you have
been enjoined to believe that you are not
accidental beings on life’s stage—though
you will encounter some teachers in your
college and university classrooms who will
tell you that you are—but children of a
loving God who knows you and through
whom each of you carries a spark of divine
purpose in your lives. Just as there are
those of you who have taken time during
the school day to spend a few minutes
in The Chapel of the Good Shepherd to
think, meditate, pray, or just slow down,
that is a practice (as well as a survival skill)
that I encourage all of you to cultivate for
your life’s journey. You need to be able
periodically to separate yourself—mentally,
emotionally, spiritually—from the sheer
speed and flow of unfolding events circling
around you. This is key to the quality
of leadership these times will require;
and I mean by that not just leadership of
others, of enterprises, organizations, and
institutions, but also your own leadership
of yourself.
The essence of the kind of leadership I’m
talking about is captured in these words
from a prominent CEO: “Control is not
leadership; management is not leadership;
leadership is leadership,” and it derives first
of all from your own deep sense of “purpose,
ethics, principles, motivation, [and]
conduct.”
Dr. Cox, with
his wife, Jo,
at their tenth,
and final, CCES
commencement
ceremonies.
This will take you to your own deep,
disciplined, faithful, ongoing discernment of
what light the spark in you is meant to ignite.
It is a pathway to wisdom, and it is wisdom
that will show you how to build that bigger
and best boat, the vessel you will need to
safely navigate the seas that await you. ■
2010-11 Daniel-Mickel Foundation Master Teachers
The 2010-11 Daniel-Mickel
Foundation Master Teachers:
Strong People Skills by Alice Baird
Standing outside the chapel by the new sunflower sculpture, a gift of the Class of
2010, are Daniel-Mickel Foundation Master Teachers, from left, Paula Merwin
(MS), Rodney Sullivan (US), and Robin Yerkes (LS).
CCES Today
Ask this year’s Daniel-Mickel Foundation Master Teachers—Robin Yerkes in the Lower School,
Paula Merwin in the Middle School, and Rodney Sullivan in the Upper School—what makes a
good teacher, and “knowing your subject” never comes up. It simply goes without saying. Physics
teacher Rodney Sullivan, for example, has a Ph.D. in his field.
Strikingly, all three of this year’s honorees see teaching as a means for building
character as much as knowledge. In their discussion for this article they professed a
shared personal belief in the importance of “people skills.” Each has acquired these
skills in different ways: Merwin, from having worked for several years as a social
worker with adolescents in both England and California; Yerkes, from her broad and
varied teaching background; and Sullivan, from having grown up as the ninth child in
a family with five brothers and four sisters. Their purpose as educators is not merely
to teach their subject but also to connect with their students as individuals. It is what
motivates them in the classroom and beyond, enabling them to give in ways that are
personal, transformative, and enduring.
Another trait all three share is a sense of gratitude for being at CCES, even though that was never
what they had set out to do. Yerkes referred to it as “happenstance,” Merwin as “serendipity,”
and Sullivan as “part of God’s plan for me.”
This class of master teachers is the seventeenth in the history of the award, established to
recognize excellence in teaching at CCES. Candidates may be nominated by colleagues, students,
parents, or administrators and are selected by a committee that includes the Headmaster, division
heads, and representatives of the Daniel-Mickel Foundation, School Board, Parents Organization,
and Alumni Association. It is the school’s most prestigious
honor and carries with it a monetary award of $2,500, which the
This year’s honorees
recipient may use however desired, no strings attached.
see teaching as a
In recognition of these teachers’ talents and dedication to CCES,
the tributes printed here expand on the announcements placed
on the website at the time of each award.
means for building
character as much as
knowledge.
continued
longer in the Lower School—sent meals,
as did numerous faculty members, who
also pitched in to cover her classes during
her medical treatments. “This could never
have happened at any of the other places I
taught,” she said.
The CCES environment has allowed
Mrs. Yerkes to blossom as a teacher. More
than that, it has inspired her, in her quiet
way, to return the favor by serving the LS
community together in many special ways.
“She makes sure that everybody on the
faculty feels taken care of and cherished,”
wrote LS German teacher Angelika
Hummel-Schmidt in a nominating letter.
In the Lower School
technology lab after the
awards ceremony, from
left, Lower School Director
Denise Pearsall, Asst.
Director Valerie Riddle,
Robin Yerkes, and Charlie
Mickel, who presented
the award on behalf of the
Daniel-Mickel Foundation.
Lower School Technology
Teacher Robin Yerkes:
Giving 150%
“My first year teaching at CCES [in 1998]
I kept feeling like I was in the twilight
zone,” admitted Robin Yerkes. By then,
she had already been teaching for six years
in the public schools in educational settings
ranging from 7th and 8th grade language
arts to middle school remedial math, adult
GED, homebound middle-schoolers, and
elementary classrooms in Title I schools.
“I wasn’t used to the hugs, the parent
support, or the respect and good behavior
of my students,” she said, speaking of her
first experience at CCES as a fourth-grade
classroom teacher.
In 2005 she moved to the position of
Lower School (LS) Technology teacher, and
was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis the
following year. “I had to leave regularly
between classes for IV transfusions,” she
recalled, and was again amazed by the
support she received from colleagues and
parents. Even parents from her prior year
classes—parents whose children were no
“As a community member,” said LS Director
Denise Pearsall, “she gives 150%!”
To illustrate: she co-chairs the LS Faculty
Sunshine Committee, directs the student
handbell choir, serves as leader of the CCES
Daisy troop and assistant leader of the
Brownie troop (for whom she coordinated
this year’s Girl Scout cookie sale—4,000
boxes by 50 girls), produces the LS literary
magazine (which takes pains to include
a contribution from every student in the
school), puts together the PowerPoints for the
weekly chapel services, teaches classes during
Summer Encounters (she also directed the
Adventure Camp program from 2003 - 2005),
and publishes the LS Specialists Newsletter,
to name just the most visible of her many
activities. In addition, Robin commutes every
day from Moore, SC, and has three young
children, fourth-grader Alex, third-grader
Melanie, and first-grader Amanda.
“I have worked at Christ Church Episcopal
School for 19 years, and I have seen many
wonderful teachers,” said LS Secretary
and alumni parent Janie Sickinger,
who wrote a detailed letter in support of
Mrs. Yerkes' nomination. “Robin Yerkes
surpasses all of them in her integrity, work
CCES Today
ethic, compassion, patience, and general
willingness to do anything to help other
teachers, parents, and students.”
“It Just Falls Into Place”
So how does she do it all? “I do a lot of what
I do because it just falls into place,” she said,
downplaying her generosity with her time
and talents. “Being a Christian, I strive to be
a servant and to do the best I can for others.”
That sense of Christian mission also inspired
her to serve as Coordinator of Children and
Youth Ministries for Foothills Church, PCA,
in Spartanburg for five years before coming
to CCES.
None of which detracts from her role in
the classroom, which, after all, is what the
master teacher award is all about. “Robin
Yerkes does an outstanding job as the
technology teacher at our Lower School,”
said Mrs. Pearsall. “She works with students
to make sure that they have the skills to
use the computer and coordinates learning
engagements and projects with the gradelevel teachers to make using the skills
meaningful for the students. Robin also
encourages our faculty members to utilize
technology and helps teachers stretch their
skills in a very cooperative way. Teachers
feel comfortable asking Robin for help!”
So, of course, do students and even parents,
both of whom she has been seen tutoring
during her free time. “Robin is always ready
to help and extremely patient,” noted Mrs.
Hummel-Schmidt. “You can approach her
with any kind of technology problem; she
will never make you feel inappropriate. She
approaches everybody with greatest respect
and kindness….[She] is a true role model
for us all. She handles all challenges with
dignity and grace.”
With Robin’s broad academic skills—she
loves math and still tutors math up to the
college level—and the “people skills” she
developed working with troubled adolescents,
struggling adult learners, and disadvantaged
students, she is able to focus on the
individual student, tailoring her approach in
a very personal way. For example, when Will
Guzick ’07 was a student in her fourth-grade
class, she taught him algebra as enrichment.
When he graduated, he wrote her a letter
saying, “I guess it’s never too late to thank
your fourth-grade teacher.”
As technology teacher, she has had a significant
impact on the LS curriculum in all grades.
“Robin has worked tirelessly to revitalize the
technology curriculum to make it relate to IB
planners,” noted Mrs. Sickinger. This aspect
of her job requires her to work cooperatively
to serve all the classroom teaching teams in
the school. With her own technology lab
classrooms comprising all the students in the
school, from Primer to grade 4, she is able
to discern each child’s progress over their LS
careers. “I love to see students as they develop
into intelligent, articulate young children,”
she said. “I can literally see the effect a CCES
education has on their development.”
“I always wanted to be a teacher,” Robin
confessed. “My high school chemistry
teacher once told me, ‘If you want to teach,
do it, and be the best teacher you can be.’”
It is advice she has lived by—and that has
helped earn her the appreciation of parents
and students—and the recognition of the
2010-11 master teacher award.
continued
When Will Guzick '07
graduated, he wrote Mrs.
Yerkes a letter, saying, "I guess
it's never too late to thank your
third-grade teacher."
in the classroom. In her nominating
letter, MS Director Val Hendrickson
wrote: "Paula Merwin's classroom is
a tangible example of a lively place for
sound learning. I have watched Paula
ask her students to think deeper than
normally expected for middle-schoolers.
In fact, her lessons in literature focus on
elements that go far beyond the run-ofthe-mill Middle School character/plot
analysis….Her high expectations for their
learning and thinking are well-framed
and supported with thorough planning
of instruction, and Paula models a strong
work ethic.”
Sixth-grade reading teacher
Paula Merwin enjoys
the applause from, left,
Charlie Mickel, and from
students, faculty, and family
members after the surprise
announcement of her award.
Middle School Reading
Teacher Paula Merwin:
Asking Students to Think Deeper
A sense of adventure propelled this
British-born reading teacher to jobs on
two continents (“above” more than two, if
you count her time in air as a stewardess).
It also led to a few years in Los Angeles
working on a TV pilot and in TV and film
production.
A sense of deep commitment motivated
her to serve as a social worker for troubled
adolescents in England and in California.
Commitment, adventure, and a sense of the
emotional needs of young adolescents are all
evident in Paula Merwin’s reading classes
and in her leadership (with eighth-grade
geography teacher Donna Burns) of the
Middle School (MS) “Peace Program.”
“Twelve-year-olds are insular and selfabsorbed,” said Mrs. Merwin. “It’s my job
to help them to empathize with characters
that are very different from them, to
encourage them to see other perspectives.”
You will not find that stated as a
curricular objective anywhere in her job
description, but her emphasis on pointof-view underpins all that she undertakes
“Paula opens the door for divergent
thinking for her students; she encourages
them to risk thinking ‘outside the box,’ but
she demands support for that thinking.
This kind of framing encourages critical
thinking, with corresponding substance, of
the level that should be the gold standard
for all classrooms. Though very challenging,
it is also clear that, in some almost magical
way, Paula’s lessons are stimulating and
engaging for students across ability levels in
her classroom.”
A Relationship That Elicits
Students’ Best
That “almost magical way” is the
relationship that Merwin builds with
each student. “It’s the teacher-student
relationship that elicits the best from
students,” she says. “They know I care
about them, so I don’t have to be strict with
them.”
CCES parent and Alumni Director Viviane
Till provided examples of Merwin’s impact
on her own children: “I will forever be
indebted to Mrs. Merwin for instilling the
love of reading in both of my sons. My
older son, Steven, never seemed to find
books that appealed to him until sixth
grade. Mrs. Merwin was able to zero in on
his interests and find books that sparked
excitement and curiosity. She literally
CCES Today
opened up the world of reading for him.
“My younger son, Robert, was a different
story. His weak reading skills made all his
classes difficult. Mrs. Merwin took the time
to find out what made Robert tick and how
to overcome his obstacles. In the process,
his reading level increased by two-and-a-half
grade levels, and he now reads with gusto
and delight!”
“I describe myself as a coach,” comments
Merwin. “I coach my students as
individuals.” Assistant MS Director Betsy
Burton explains the impact this approach
has on students. “Sixth-graders are lucky
to have Mrs. Merwin expect the best from
them. She has a knack for challenging them
and supporting them at the same time. She
believes that each and every child can and
should be pushed to go and to grow beyond
what he or she might believe is his or her
own limit.”
Passionate About Her
Students’ Well-Being
Noted for her compassion, Merwin is
sensitive to her students’ and colleagues’
emotional needs too. Having worked with
troubled youth, she is able to sense when
her students are in pain and is perceptive
about “the maelstrom of emotions” that stir
children of this age. She played an active
role in developing the advisory program
for the sixth-grade team, and, noted Mrs.
Burton, “she was a natural choice to assume
a leadership role when we implemented
our Olweus program.” Olweus, which the
students have renamed “Peace @ CCES,”is a
bullying prevention program that originally
hailed from Norway. It empowers teachers,
parents, and students to thwart bullying by
addressing the behaviors of bystanders and
victims as well as perpetrators.
“Paula is passionate about the social
and emotional well-being of students,”
comments Mrs. Hendrickson. “Over the
last three years, Paula has given countless
hours to the planning and implementation
[of Olweus]. She has collaborated with
outside consultants, worked seamlessly
with faculty co-chair Donna Burns,
and been a touchstone for our inhouse planning committee, including
parents. Based in large part on Paula’s
wise reflections and articulate advice, the
program has been a success….Through her
choices of literature for teaching, in her
interactions with students, and in parent
conferences, I have observed Paula ‘get real’
in a manner that communicates her caring
and the value she places on justice….[Her]
nurture of student competence, provision
of intellectual rigor, and a palpable focus
on students as people are absolutely the
best of what an educator can offer.”
In other words, she teaches hearts with the
same intensity as she teaches minds.
continued
Paula Merwin “encourages
critical thinking, with
corresponding substance, of the
level that should be the gold
standard for all classrooms.”
–Val Hendrickson
Robert Till, one of twelve
students in Merwin's
classes last year whose
reading level jumped
several grade levels,
displays a certificate of
achievement. During 200910 one of her students
posted a gain of more than
4 years in reading level;
six jumped more than 3
reading levels.
Last year the Student Council named him
their “Teacher of the Year.” In other words,
in addition to being respected, he is loved.
Is this unusual for a physics teacher? We
think so—especially for one who sets the
academic bar so high. But Rodney Sullivan
is an unusual man.
From Making Robots to Finding God
in the Physical World
Hands in pockets, Dr. Rodney
Sullivan beams at the
announcement of his award
as Upper School DanielMickel Foundation Master
Teacher, part of Awards
Night ceremonies at Christ
Church the evening before
Commencement. He is flanked
by, at left, Charlie Mickel and
right, former CCES President
Lee Cox.
Upper School Physics
Teacher Rodney Sullivan:
Being Significant
Dr. Rodney Sullivan could be teaching
physics at the university level. He could be
doing cutting-edge, original research in his
field.
But at least for now, he teaches six different
physics courses in the CCES Upper School
(US).
Don’t take that as a sign of skewed
priorities. Although his intentions were
never to pursue a teaching career, he believes
he is doing exactly what God intended for
him.
“I would rather be significant than
successful,” he explained.
It is a goal that many would say he has
achieved in the four short years he has been
teaching at CCES.
CCES parents Roger and Debbie Stone
summed up the consensus of students,
parents, and colleagues in a nominating
letter that ran almost three single-spaced
pages: “Dr. Sullivan is an educational leader
to his students. They respect him as an
intellectual and admire him as a mentor and
role model.”
A native of Greenville, Dr. Sullivan grew
up “within walking distance of downtown,”
the ninth in a family of ten children. His
father was an automobile mechanic, and as
a child, Rodney played with his dad’s tools.
“I made robots and toys out of Coke cans
and cardboard,” he recalled. That was the
beginning of his fascination with how things
work.
A top high school student, he applied
mainly to engineering schools, but chose
to attend Presbyterian College (PC) in
Clinton, SC, on a football scholarship with
hopes of taking advantage of their dual
program in engineering and physics. Injuries
forced his retirement from the team after his
sophomore year. “That allowed me to take
full advantage of all the other things PC
had to offer besides athletics,” he said. The
result was that he earned so many academic
and service awards and participated in so
many campus activities in leadership roles
that a listing of them on his resume would
have taken a full page, had they not been
presented in two side-by-side columns.
At the time he began his graduate studies
at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville,
Rodney thought that he was heading
toward an engineering career. “But the
more I learned about physics, the more I
saw God revealed to me in His physical
laws.” Awestruck by the magnificence of
God’s design—the subject of a book he is
working on—he went on to earn a Ph.D. in
Chemical Physics in 2004.
What began with questions about how
CCES Today
manmade machines work ultimately led
him to much bigger questions about how
the universe that God created works at its
most fundamental level.
Being True, Real, and Personal
His ultimate goal is to have his own research
laboratory (probably in partnership with
one of his brothers) to experiment with
alternative energy sources, but after earning
his degree, he began teaching physics at
Piedmont Technical College in
Greenwood. He was there two
years when his wife received a
job offer in Greenville and they
relocated here, at the same time
that CCES was seeking a physics
teacher. While he freely admits
that teaching at the high school
level was never part of his original
plan, he is more than happy to
be teaching at CCES now. That’s
because it fits with two of his most
important guiding principles.
First of these is that “I try to live
my life to glorify God. I come
to work every day because I work
for the Lord.” One of the things
he loves about CCES, he said, is
“being able to go to chapel with
the kids and pray with them.” It
was a sentiment echoed by both
his fellow master teachers, Robin
Yerkes and Paula Merwin.
He expressed his second guiding
principle this way: “Wherever I
go, I have to make that place—
and myself—better.”
While he personally believes that
is a tall order because of the very
many accomplished teachers
at CCES (compared against
whom, he says, “I am the least of
these”), his students recognize the
difference he has made to them.
An example of that is expressed in
the sidebar by Macon McLean ’10, below.
Certainly, physics is not everyone’s favorite
subject, nor are the great majority of the
students in his classes going to go on to careers
as physicists—although his AP students
did post a 100 percent pass rate in 2009
and 2010. The secret of his popularity with
students is not that he jokes around with them
or injects some levity in his lessons; it’s that
he makes every effort to “show them genuine
continued
From Cosmological Phenomena to
Marvel Comics Supervillains
Dr. Sullivan is one of my favorite teachers that I’ve had the pleasure of learning
from throughout my years at CCES.
One of the many wonderful things about Dr. Sullivan is how positively he
responds whenever a student engages him. From cosmological phenomena to
Marvel Comics supervillains, Dr. Sullivan is always happy to have a conversation
with his students. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stayed late after class into
lunch period just talking with him about anything and everything. He’s a veritable
font of information, not just on physics, but the history of science, its applications,
technology, and nearly anything else you can think of.
This enthusiasm shines through all his work and doings. If one of his students is
struggling and they show willingness to work, Dr. Sullivan makes every possible
effort to help them out. For instance, although I demonstrated very little promise
during my first year of physics, Dr. Sullivan never gave up on me and formed a
brand-new advanced physics class for me and two other students, in which I
improved drastically.
But Dr. Sullivan isn’t all-work-and-no-play. He’s always cracking jokes,
singing random songs with unabashed abandon, and coming up with fun little
demonstrations to illustrate physical principles.
Being under Dr. Sullivan’s tutelage for the last two years has been a growing
experience for me. His tough tests have forced me to buckle down like never
before. His vibrancy has kept me engaged in the subject material every day. His
ability to convey complex information easily and swiftly has kept me informed
and constantly learning.
I guess what I am trying to say is that Dr. Sullivan is an invaluable asset to the CCES
faculty and the Christ Church community at large. Keep up the good work!
Macon McLean ’10
love. I am not preparing them necessarily to
be physicists,” he says, “but I want to prepare
them to be great in life.”
Toward that end, he sums up his philosophy
of teaching as being “true, real, and
personal. I try to make everything plain
and simple, I am truthful, and I try to get
to know my students personally.” Echoing
what Merwin and Yerkes both expressed, he
said, “It’s all about the relationships.”
He knows that his students “may not be
built like me. That’s fine. So show me what
“I would rather be
significant than successful.”
–Rodney Sullivan
you are passionate about, and be the best
you can.”
Erin Carter ’10 confirmed his approach.
“His positive attitude is seen in and out of
the classroom. He sets up pick-up games
with his friends on Sundays in the gym
to show off his mad basketball skills, and
then he shows up for some of the students’
athletic games on the weekdays. He takes
an interest in his students’ lives. I’ve seen
him attending the school plays, the football
games, and the basketball games.”
Sullivan freely admits, “there are no
bounds or limits to my imagination.”
Neither, apparently, are there bounds to his
enthusiasm for getting to know the young
people in his classes, nor to the joy he
experiences in teaching and in “being where
God wants me to be.” ■
CCES Today
The Senior Class Leaves a Legacy of
Compassion by Sterling Jarrett ’10 and Tao Brody ’10
For most, senior year is the most memorable year of high school. At Christ Church, senior year is no joke. Upon
leaving school for summer at the end of junior year, the students are given a major responsibility. The student
must select and research a topic of choice, write a 15-page paper on that topic, and give an in-depth presentation
of 30 minutes to an audience of faculty, students, and family members. The students work on their theses for
nearly a year and are therefore able to produce a wonderful project and gain an incredible amount of knowledge
through the process.
Last year Easton Seyedein ’09 decided to
research a worldwide organization called
Compassion International (CI). Easton was
a part of the group of students who traveled
to Quito, Ecuador, with fellow Christ
Church students in the summer of 2008
for a short-term mission trip. After visiting
a Compassion International site in Quito,
Easton decided to base her Senior Thesis on
this organization.
Compassion International’s mission is
“releasing children from poverty in Jesus’
name.” CI has host sites throughout many
poverty-stricken areas of the world, and its
goal is to help make the lives of children
living in these areas more fulfilling and
to give them a brighter future. For a fee
of only $38 a month you may sponsor a
child through Compassion International.
This fee ensures that your child will receive
food and clean water weekly, have monthly
medical attention and care, be provided
with educational opportunities, and receive
important life-skills and training. The
guidance that the children receive through
this program helps make their lives better
both short and long-term. After seeing
first-hand how Compassion International
helped so many kids, Easton decided that
she wanted to make it a senior class project
to sponsor a child through Compassion
International.
An Eight-Year CCES
Commitment for One Child
Our Compassion International child is
Dayanna Nicole Tobar Caicedo. She is a
young girl from Ecuador who is passionate
about her family as well as church. In
every letter to us, she has written about
the active role her church plays in her life.
From school to social events, the church
is undoubtedly where Dayanna spends
the majority of her time. She lives with
her father, a laborer, and her mother, a
continued
Tao Brody, left,
and Sterling
Jarrett, right,
display a photo of
Dayana.
CCES Today
homemaker, and a one-year-old sister
named Genesis. Currently Dayanna is 12
years old, and each successive Senior Class
will continue to sponsor her until she is 18.
In order to raise money to pay the monthly
fees, the current senior class followed in
Easton’s footsteps and made exam goodiebags. These were sold through e-blasts to
parents for their children, and thankfully,
their cooperation enabled the seniors to
raise a significant amount of money. It was
enough to support Dayanna for the year,
with some left over to add to her account,
with hopes that we will be able to send her
something extra once she turns of age and is
released from our care.
The class has received many letters from
Dayanna, each sent along with one of her
hand-drawn pictures. Her brief letters are
handwritten in Spanish and translated into
English. In February she wrote:
“Many greetings in the name of Jesus. How
are you? I hope well. I am well. I was very
glad to receive your letter and to see you
didn’t forget my birthday. The tutors did
a birthday together because some children
turned years and they celebrated us with a
cake, sweets, and even piñata, all was fine.
Kisses and hugs.”
Each month, a selected senior advisee group
replies to her letter and writes back with
detailed descriptions of what is going on
in their lives and even sends along their
group picture. With news of Homegoing
and all the creative dress-up days, to the
exciting news of our sports teams and
the importance our church plays in our
community, these class letters are never
dull. The last one even contained several
postcards from various places the seniors
visited during spring break.
The seniors of the class of 2010 have
enjoyed being able to help a child who is
less fortunate in such a simple way. We
trust that the incoming Senior Class will
continue to send Dayanna letters, and to
improve the relationship that we have
been able to form with her. ■
Sterling Jarrett ’10 is currently a freshman
at Wofford College; Tao Brody ’10 is a
freshman at Clemson University. Both students
participated on an eight-person board of CCES
seniors that raised funds and organized letterwriting to Dayanna.
CCES Today
Youth-in-Government Teaches
Students How to Change the World
by Alice Baird, reprinted from the website
About a third of Upper School students were absent from classes between November 18 – 21, 2009. The 101 students
were engaged in an exciting learning experience in Columbia along with students from every corner of the state.
They were learning how to change the world at the South Carolina YMCA Youth-in-Government Conference (YIG).
Freshmen Garner Outstanding
Bill Award
Two freshmen, Meghan Althoff and Tate
Brody, went to the conference with a solidly
researched idea they estimated would save
South Carolina $66 million in five years
(“conservatively,” they said). They came
away with an Outstanding Bill Award, an
unusual achievement for freshman students.
Their bill, PH32, entitled “An Act to Replace
Government Fuel-Using Cars with Hybrids,”
proposed replacing half of the state’s gas and
diesel vehicles with hybrids in order to save
both taxpayer dollars and the environment.
“Hybrid cars put off 50% less carbon dioxide
than regular cars and 90% less pollution,”
their bill stated. With research on the state’s
current fleet, mileage driven, maintenance
required, and insurance costs, and taking
into account the initial price differential
between gas and hybrid vehicles, the students
estimated that each hybrid would save the
state $11,000 over 70,000 miles or five years.
Speaking about the experience at YIG,
Althoff said, “It was cool seeing how things
work.” Brody was also impressed. “We were
just kids, and we were doing a great job! It
was just like the real thing!”
The whole experience “makes you feel like
you’re making a difference,” added Althoff.
Melanie Carmichael, who teaches
government classes in the Upper School, has
been taking ever-larger student delegations
annually to YIG, but the size of this year’s
group far exceeded any she had previously
chaperoned. Apparently, her enthusiasm
for the program is inspiring and attracts
more and more students to experience this
opportunity.
The size of the delegation also meant
more chaperones. This year Upper School
teachers Lauren Barden, Anne Howson,
Matt Jacobssen, and Rodney Sullivan
accompanied and monitored the students.
Upper School Director Pete Sanders joined
the delegation for a day too.
“It’s a good feeling when a student comes up
to you at the end of a conference and tells
you what a good learning experience this
trip was, or writes about some aspect of this
Now sophomores,
Meghan Althoff, far
left, and Tate Brody,
far right, received
an Outstanding Bill
Award at their first
Youth in Government
conference. Chandler
Carpenter, center,
now a junior, earned
a Most Outstanding
Witness Award
during the Mock
Trial competition.
Anderson Haney,
not pictured, ran an
impressive campaign
for Youth Governor.
continued
CCES Today
conference in their college essay!” said Mrs.
Carmichael. “I believe that the knowledge
students receive from participating in YIG is
worth every minute away from a traditional
classroom setting.”
She explained that YIG is a hands-on
laboratory for learning about government
and politics. She explained, “Using the
State Capitol’s official House and Senate
chambers, legislative meeting rooms
and the courtrooms at the SC Court of
Appeals, student delegates select various
governmental positions to role-play.
Legislators, clerks, pages, and lobbyists are
active in writing bills on topics of interest
that would be legitimately addressed at the
state legislature level. A mock trial situation
uses students as attorneys and justices.
Newspaper reporters and editors publish a
daily paper. And in the middle of this are
statewide elections and campaigns.”
Most Outstanding Witness
Award
Sophomore Chandler Carpenter
participated in Mock Trial activities as both
a plaintiff ’s attorney and a defense witness
in an assigned case involving the death of
a student resulting from steroid use. His
understanding of the issues in the case,
knowledge of the facts, and ability to think
on his feet earned him a Most Outstanding
Witness Award.
The whole experience
“makes you feel
like you’re making a
difference.”
–Meghan Althoff ’14
To prepare Carpenter, along with other
students participating in Mock Trial,
Upper School Communication teacher
Donna Miller rehearsed them three times
a week, often at 7:30 a.m. (You know that
students—and teachers—are dedicated
when they volunteer to get to work so early
in the morning!)
“Of all the co-curricular activities I
sponsor,” said Mrs. Miller, who also coaches
Debate and Model UN, “Mock Trial, in my
opinion, gives students the most valuable
academic experience. They learn a lot
about how to use language to influence
the audience, for example, the difference
between using leading and direct questions.”
A lot of preparation goes into all the students’
activities. According to Mrs. Carmichael, all
legislators are responsible for researching and
writing a bill that is submitted to the YIG
office for publication in the bill book. “Our
students are also required to write speeches
introducing and concluding their bill for
both committee and chambers. They must
also supply questions that can be asked by
our delegation members during bill debate,”
she said.
Almost State Governor
Junior Anderson Haney ran for Youth
Governor at YIG. He pulled together a
campaign committee of CCES students,
distributed campaign hats, and campaigned
on the platform “Come Together” (with
music by the Beatles). He gave campaign
speeches at general convention, at opening
night, and before various groups. His
campaign was so successful he made it
to the final election, only to go down in
the end to an opposing candidate from
Riverside High School in Greenville.
Speaking of the students who participate in
YIG, Haney said, “Everybody’s got bright
futures. Students are working really hard.
You hear so much about how disinterested
today’s young people are in current events,
news, and politics. That’s not what you see
at YIG.”
What Students Gain
“Students come away from this experience
with an appreciation of government and
politics, including detailed knowledge of
how bills are passed into law. They have
also studied problems on a local/state level
and have written bills trying to rectify these
problems. Very quickly they realize that
many of these problems are truly complex,”
said Mrs. Carmichael.
continued on page 30
CCES Today
Go, Cavaliers!
Another Banner Year for CCES Athletics
by R.J. Beach
It was another banner year for the CCES athletic program, which in 2009-10 fielded 40 varsity and junior varsity
teams. The year brought state championships to four teams—girls tennis, girls basketball, boys soccer, and
boys tennis—and the program was ranked the number one athletic program in the Class A division of the
South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) for the 19th consecutive year. This year our teams also set some
school records, allowing CCES to accumulate its greatest number of points ever in the Athletic Director’s Cup
competition.
Moments after their
championship game, the
boys’ tenth consecutive
state title, the team signals
their victory with all ten
fingers. Far right, Coach
David Wilcox beams at
the record-setting win.
The fall season saw the Girls Tennis team
win their third consecutive state title—
their 10th overall—and the Boys Cross
Country team finish their season with a
strong second-place finish in the State
AA-A meet. The football team won the
Region championship and advanced to the
second round of the playoffs.
The winter sports season was capped by
another outstanding run by the Girls
Basketball team. Once again, their season
ended with the hoisting of the state
championship trophy in the Colonial
Center in Columbia. This was the second
consecutive state championship for the
Girls Basketball team, and was recognized
by Greenville Mayor Knox White ’72,
who offered the team a city resolution
proclaiming the second week in April each
year as CCES Cavaliers/Girls Basketball
Team Week. You can watch a video of the
entire game on the CCES website at www.
cces.org/athletics.
Spring is normally a strong season for
CCES teams, and this year was no
exception. The Boys Soccer team won
continued
CCES Today
Girls Basketball Coach Sally Pielou,
center, with SC All State team
members, left, Hayden Latham ’11,
also named Class A Player of the Year,
and right, Erin Carter ’10. Watch a
video of the entire championship game
on the CCES website!
Right, #1: Athletic Director R.J. Beach,
standing by a trophy case crowded with
huge Athletic Director’s Cups.
Four state
championships—
including the tenth
consecutive boys
soccer title, and the
22nd CCES Boys Tennis
championship—and the
19th consecutive year that
CCES has been recognized
as having the #1 ranked
Class A athletic program
in South Carolina.
the state title for the tenth consecutive
year; all ten teams were coached by
Upper School math teacher David
Wilcox (see article, opposite page). This
tied a national record for consecutive
state championships for a Boys Soccer
team. The Boys Tennis team title was
the 22nd for CCES—twice the number
of the state’s second-place school. Boys
Golf and Girls Soccer both finished their
seasons with State Runner-up trophies.
The Girls Track team had an outstanding
performance at their State Meet, finishing
in third place.
Next year, with the addition of Middle
School Football and Middle School
Football Cheerleading, CCES will field a
record 42 athletic teams. Come out and
support our Cavaliers—you can check
out each team’s schedule of games on the
website.
Go, Cavs—and let 2010-11 be another
record-setting year for the CCES athletic
program! ■
R.J. Beach is the CCES Athletic Director and
has coached 9 boys golf championship teams since
1996.
Youth-in-Government continued from page 28
On a social level, CCES students learn to work with other students from public
and private schools from all areas of the state. “Many friends are made at YIG
and are often kept year after year. I’ve had more than one student come back
from college to tell me that a friend they met at YIG is in their dorm or on their
hall,” Mrs. Carmichael noted.
And the most important thing they learn?
They learn what it’s going to take to change the world. ■
CCES Today
Coach David Wilcox:
Architect of a CCES Boys Soccer
Dynasty by Alice Baird
He is passionate about teaching AP Statistics in the Upper School.
But when he talks about his “other passion,” the game of soccer, he speaks very unlike a mathematician. He
mentions the game’s “artistic component” and “the flow and creative element of scoring goals.”
In David Wilcox’s hands, CCES boys
soccer is, indeed, a thing of beauty.
As well as something for the record books:
with his teams’ tenth consecutive Class A
state championship this spring, CCES tied
a national record for consecutive boys soccer
state titles.
“Soccer is not a game of stats,” insists
Wilcox. “It is a very simple game: a kind
of global language that everyone speaks.
It’s just about getting the ball in the goal.
Either team can score in the snap of a
finger—but it is very difficult to score.”
(Which makes Robert DiBenedetto’s
streak-clinching goal on a diving header off
a corner kick from Cole Seiler ’12 in the
state championship game this past spring all
the more remarkable.)
Despite Wilcox’s insistence that soccer is
not about stats, his teams have put up some
remarkable numbers:
• 10 consecutive state championships
from 2001 – 2010
continued
Coach David Wilcox
stands behind his ten
CCES championship
trophies.
CCES Today
“I have always had very
selfless players who put
aside their personal goals
for the good of the team.”
• 6 NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches
Association of America) Scholar AllAmericans
• 1 NSCAA All-American
• 23 players named All-State a total of 38
times
• 9 HSSR (High School Sports Report)
Class A Players of the Year
• 7 North-South Senior All-Stars
• 34-0 record in SCHSL (South Carolina
High School League) Class 1A soccer
playoffs
• 163 goals for, 11 goals against in
playoffs during streak
And, for Wilcox himself, there have been nine
(9) HSSR Class A Coach of the Year and four
(4) NSCAA State Coach of the Year awards.
No Fascination with the Streak
Coach Wilcox himself professed little
fascination with winning # 10 (although
everyone else on campus did). “I didn’t
think about it at all. My focus was on
every single game.” In fact, he said, he was
more proud that his boys beat Mauldin
and Greenville High for the very first time
this year; that they conquered Southside
Christian, to whom CCES had lost twice
during the prior season; and that “we won
the Upper State championship and State
championship games in shut-outs for the
last three years.”
Clearly, although Wilcox attributes some of
his historic streak to luck, he has to take some
credit for his teams’ successive victories.
What Makes a Good Coach?
So what makes a good soccer coach?
“First of all, you have to have good players,”
he says. “Soccer is a players’ game.” He
notes that CCES athletes have all had some
club soccer experience, and many have
played year-round soccer in the Middle or
Lower Schools. “By the time they are in the
Upper School, they are playing lots of sports
besides soccer, and they have good athletic
instincts.”
His definition of a good player goes beyond
being fit and having the technical, tactical,
and psychological skills to play well. “The
players can’t be in it for themselves. I would
never put up with that. I have always had
very selfless players who put aside their
personal goals for the good of the team.”
The coach’s job is “to organize the players
to reach their potential. A soccer coach
is a manager, not a choreographer,” he
emphasizes. Toward that end, he views his
role as one of “monitoring team chemistry
and managing lots of personalities.”
Psychologically as well as athletically, Wilcox
is a stern taskmaster. “If a player scores
three goals in a game but played at half his
potential, he won’t get a pat on the back
from me. I am not easy to please.”
“That’s what makes him such a good
coach,” comments Athletic Director R.J.
Beach. “He sets the bar high; then, when
CCES Today
the team rises to his expectations, he sets the
bar even higher.”
While he is undeniably tough, he is also
even-tempered and makes sure that he
projects confidence. “I don’t panic. I don’t
get flustered. I never portray doubt or
uncertainty. The kids have to believe that
I’ve given them a game plan that gives them
the chance to win.”
Of course, it’s not all psychology. Wilcox,
who went to Christian Brothers University
in Memphis on a soccer scholarship,
understands the game. He obtained his
first coaching license when he was still an
undergraduate, and has coached numerous
camps over the years. In Greenville, in
addition to his popular CCES Summer
Encounters soccer camps, he has coached
for the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy
(CESA), Greenville Futbol Club, St. Giles
Soccer Club, and the Downtown Soccer
Association.
His knowledge of the game’s finer points—
its artistry, if you will—allows him “to create
competitive training environments where
the players are forced to their limits and
learn to make the kinds of decisions they
will make in games. My teams are always
in competitive situations in training against
other strong players, so they are prepared to
face tough opponents. Our tough schedule,
against top 3A and 4A teams in the state,
also prepares us for the playoffs.”
Replicating His Approach in the
Classroom
It is an approach that with his Master of
International Business Studies degree from
USC and a ten-year corporate career at
such companies as Anderson Consulting in
Nashville and Motorola in Brazil, he attempts
to replicate in his statistics classroom.
“Statistical connections to the business world
are natural to me since I have had exposure
in my previous career. I spend a significant
amount of time coming up with problems
for examinations that require critical thinking
rather than just memorization of processes or
methodology,” he explains.
The payoff? Beginning in 2000, his
students have posted some of the best AP
Statistics passing rates in the state, according
to Wilcox. In some years that passing rate,
defined as 3 or higher on a 5-point scale, has
been 100 percent.
It is a track record that has brought him to
Nebraska as a grader for the College Board’s
AP Statistics exams for the past eight years,
and where he served this summer as a Table
Leader coordinating a team of statistics
readers. (No, he does not get to grade CCES
exams!)
In the international languages of both soccer
and mathematics, David Wilcox’s efforts
translate, universally, as successes in pursuit
of excellence. ■
Mayor Knox White ’72 will recognize
Coach Wilcox and members of all ten
championship teams on October 1
at the Sports Hall of Fame Induction
ceremonies prior to the Homecoming
Game. You are welcome to attend
this special recognition and the Hall of
Fame induction.
Fond Farewells
A Fond Farewell
Dr. Leland H. Cox, Jr.
CCES President/Headmaster
2000 – 2010
by Alice Baird
In his ten years at the helm of Christ Church Episcopal School, Lee Cox led the
school during a period of unprecedented growth in enrollment, facilities, and
philanthropy. As a lifelong Episcopalian, he seemed genuinely honored to be
entrusted with upholding and advancing the Episcopal identity of the school,
and it was always evident that he loved CCES, its people, and its commitment
to excellence. In late April we sat down together in his office to talk about his
tenure at CCES.
“Lee Cox was just the right person to come to our school as Headmaster in July 2000. At that particular time in our school’s
history, our community of students, parents, faculty, and staff needed reuniting. Lee quickly saw the common strengths and love for
CCES among us, and through his diplomatic leadership style and commitment to kindness brought different ideas together within a
healing framework of unity. We were ready to face the 21st century!” Lanny Webster, CCES Board of Visitors
You arrived at CCES in the summer of
2000 just as the bulldozers came on the
scene to prepare the foundation for the
new Upper School. For the first five
years of your tenure as Headmaster,
you were deeply involved in fulfilling
the vision of the One, Together capital
campaign by transforming the campus
with new and renovated buildings. Is
that the primary legacy of your ten years
at CCES?
It certainly has been a significant part of
what has been accomplished in the past
ten years, but in the end, buildings are
just buildings. An exception to that is, of
course, the chapel, which is so much more
than a building. The chapel is the physical
and spiritual nexus of the school, the most
outward manifestation of our Episcopal
identity. But it is our fidelity to this
identity, not the building itself, that makes
it real—the events and activities that draw
faculty, students, and visitors there. For
me, the chapel is also always a reminder
of Dr. Francis Smith, a man who had no
children of his own, yet found it in himself
to make such a generous gift for the benefit
of generations of CCES children.
The test of any leader is to leave a place in
better shape than when he or she arrived.
Fond Farewells
I think that my primary legacy has been
the building of a sense of confidence about
the school and a progressively increasing
pathway of excellence in academics,
sports, and the arts. It was not a unified
community when I got here, but it is a
unified, cohesive community now. There
is no such thing as a viable or productive
community that is not founded on trust,
and I believe I have been known as a
trusted leader.
Sometimes too much is made of tenure
and legacy—these things depend to a
tremendous extent on the quality of people
a person is able to surround him/herself
with. And in this I’ve been very fortunate,
both in the boards I’ve worked for and the
administrative teams I’ve worked with.
They have supported me as much as I’ve
supported them. Again, it all devolves from
trust.
Aside from these things, I think that the
increase in enrollment, the strengthened
financial position of the school, and the
negotiated agreement with BMW that led
us to become the only school in the world
outside Germany to be accredited by the
Bavarian Ministry of Education are all
substantial parts of my legacy.
separation empowered the school to build
its own governance structure, to truly chart
its own course in an independent way, and
to establish itself as a 501(c) (3) non-profit
institution. Raising money for the school
is clearer now, and because our new bylaws
no longer require the school board chair
to be Episcopalian, we are now able to
tap into a wider pool of leadership talent.
This paved the way for Frances Ellison
and Rod Grandy to become school board
chairs.
Is that what you mean when you say that
the school has matured under your watch?
Certainly that’s part of it. When I think of
the school maturing, I think of the school
growing into itself, but also growing into an
expanded vision of what it can be. When I
came here, CCES was ready to grow beyond
a parish school, and the separation of church
and school was a huge step in the school’s
maturation. Our educational program also
matured as a result of implementing the IB
programs, which was a very bold move at
the time. When I arrived on campus, the
diploma program was already in place, and
the machinery was in motion for integrating
Lee in Carson
Stadium with his
dog Bill and his wife
Jo. “As First Lady of
CCES, Jo brought her
gifts both as hostess
and ambassador,”
he said. “She was
involved both in
the many activities
of the school and
has also been a
significant presence
at Christ Church
and the Greenville
community.”
continued
Early in your administration the school
separated its governance from that of
Christ Church. How would you rank
that as part of your legacy?
In my opinion, it is the single most
important event in the history of the
school since it first opened in 1959. Prior
to the separation, although there was a
school board, it was still subject to the
authority of the rector and the vestry, a
fact that made it, essentially, a committee
of the church. Although our ties to Christ
Church will always remain strong, the
Fond Farewells
Some of Lee’s fondest
memories center on Dr.
Francis Smith, whose
gift enabled CCES to
build The Chapel of the
Good Shepherd. In 2004,
with current Board Chair
Edgar Norris and his wife
Stephanie, Lee escorts Dr.
Smith to the site where the
chapel will be built.
the IB Primary Years Program in the Lower
School and the Middle Years Program in
the Middle School. But these programs
were not nearly as well known then as they
are today, and there was a lot of trepidation
among the parents and even some faculty
members about them. They needed to be
proved, and we did that by forging ahead
and establishing an exemplary IB program.
It also helped us respond to Greenville’s
changing demographics and moved us in
the direction of becoming more global in
our relationships with other schools around
the world. I think that I’ve also had an
impact by placing responsibility and some
degree of autonomy and accountability in
the hands of individuals on the management
team. That, too, has allowed the school to
mature.
With all of this, there began to be a
realization that the school had climbed
several rungs up the ladder and had
become a real regional player. When
Dan Heischman, Executive Director of
the National Association of Independent
Schools (NAES), visited us recently, he said
that when NAES wants to take the pulse
of independent schools to measure their
health, there is just a handful of schools they
look to as bellwethers, and Christ Church
Episcopal School is one of them.
What do you think were the most
significant challenges you faced at CCES?
Before I came to CCES and after I arrived,
I did not find anything that was broken
and needed to be fixed. But I think there
are two areas where more remains to be
done. The first is in the area of increasing
racial and cultural diversity at CCES. We
have made significant progress, no doubt
about that, but more needs to be done to
diversify the student body, the faculty, and
the administration. Part of the challenge
has been the perception of affordability that
leads many families to self-select without
ever looking at existing opportunities for
financial aid. Another is that independent
school culture is relatively young in the
South and Southeast, and independent
schools are not as commonly looked to as
alternatives as they are in other regions.
Another challenge has been creating an
understanding of what our tuition dollars
pay for and the importance of developing
Fond Farewells
significant streams of non-tuition revenue
to supplement tuition. The first group
to “get it” and set a sterling example of
philanthropy for the school community has
been the board. They have significantly
stepped up their own giving level and have
taken a more proactive role in identifying
individuals who are capable of very
significant gifts, such as Dr. Francis Smith.
Building a culture of philanthropy at CCES
was not really as well understood and
embraced in 2000 as it is today.
You’ve served as Headmaster/President
longer than any other head in the school’s
history. Is there a secret to your staying
power?
I’ve been fortunate in having long and
successful tenures throughout my career:
13 years as Executive Director with the
South Carolina Humanities Council and
12 years as the President of the Governor’s
School for Science and Math. I am pleased
to have been here for ten years, but the
issue is not longevity but the times in
which we live. Schools today are far more
complex institutions than they used to be,
and the notion of having a single leader
who will be the right leader for years and
years at a single school is increasingly
unlikely. What is needed is the right leader
for the right school at the right time, and
then, as challenges and
circumstances change,
leadership needs to
change too.
What will you take
away as your fondest
memories of CCES?
One of my fondest and
clearest memories is that
of seeing Dr. Francis
Smith stand in the chapel
to address the school community during
its consecration. His impact, along with
the whole sense of ministry that grew up
around him and his connection not just
with the Lower School but with the entire
student body, will remain an enduring
memory.
Another memory is of wandering around
the school and at any given moment feeling
something wrapped around your leg and
looking down to see a Lower School student
peering up and saying, “Dr. Cox, I just love
you!”
They didn’t do that at the Governor’s
School?
No, thank goodness!
What will you miss most about CCES?
It may be a cliché, but as with all clichés,
it holds a substantial amount of truth:
I will miss the people most of all, the
quality of the relationships I’ve had
with the senior administrators (some of
the most capable professionals I’ve ever
worked with in my life), the collegial
relationships with faculty and staff, and
the many unasked-for, unsought acts of
kindness and consideration they have
shared with me.
continued
A licensed pilot,
Lee guided CCES’s
soaring reputation
during a period
of unprecedented
growth.
Fond Farewells
If you had to summarize CCES in just a
few words—say, in 140 characters, the
length of a tweet—what would you say?
I would say, “grounded, yet forward-looking,
ambitious yet compassionate, energetic yet
humble, unified in a commitment to allencompassing excellence.”
Wow! That’s exactly 139 characters! One
last question: are you going to continue
to tell jokes at your new position as
Interim Headmaster at Valwood in
Valdosta, Georgia?
Did you hear the one about the engineer,
the priest, and the attorney… ■
Tributes to Lee Cox
“I feel privileged to follow the noteworthy ten-year tenure of Lee Cox’s leadership
at CCES. He has directed the school through its campus consolidation, the signal
event of building the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, and the emergence of an
athletic dynasty.
Lee brought steadiness to a community in need of warmth and cheer when he
arrived ten years ago from a successful presidency of the Governor’s School of
Math and Science. With his gracious wife, Jo, Lee united the school through
a gentle touch and a humane spirit, reinforcing the Episcopal traditions of the
school. The superb school that I have the privilege of serving is a much better
place because of Lee’s legacy.” Leonard Kupersmith, Headmaster
“When I first met Lee Cox, my gut feeling told me that I wanted to work for this
man. He is smart, fun, and lets people do their jobs. He knows what issues are
important, what issues to let go of, and holds all of this together with a grounded
faith in Jesus Christ. I will miss him as a good friend, mentor, and boss.” Richard
Grimball, CCES Senior Chaplain
“Lee has led CCES with a keen awareness of its tradition and past but with
a visionary eye to the future and the shifting landscape of education and our
community. He is truly a ‘people person,’ finding joy in day-to-day interactions
with everyone. The welcome in his voice and eyes is genuine, no matter who is on
the other side of a smile or a hug. I think his love for CCES is so deep. Both he and
[his wife] Jo have been loyal to every cause, event, function or activity that made a
difference in the lives of the CCES family. I can’t imagine him having a deeper love
for the school unless one of their own children or grandchildren attended. It’s been
a privilege that my time on the CCES board allowed me to know Lee, work with
and learn from him.” Sherri Timmons, CCES School Board
“Dr. Cox personifies the ideal of the well-rounded independent school leader. An
erudite intellectual and noted Faulkner scholar, he is also an accomplished athlete
who played football at Wake Forest. Whether in the classroom teaching or on the
sidelines cheering on our teams, Dr. Cox has had a high level of authenticity with
CCES students.” Pete Sanders, CCES Upper School Director
Fond Farewells
At a meeting of the CCES Board of
Visitors and Board of Trustees at the
home of Billy and Lanny Webster,
School Board Chair Edgar Norris,
Jr., center, presents the South
Carolina Order of the Palmetto from
Governor Mark Sanford to Lee Cox,
second from left. At the surprise
presentation, from far left, were
Board of Visitors President Joe
Jennings; Greenville developer
Bo Aughtry, who coordinated
the award arrangements with
the Governor’s Office; and board
member Shane Taylor.
Governor’s Office Awards Order of the Palmetto to Lee Cox
Outgoing CCES President Lee Cox was presented with the South Carolina Order of the
Palmetto from the office of Governor Mark Sanford on Tuesday, May 25, at a gathering
of the school’s Board of Visitors and Board of Trustees at the home of Billy and Lanny
Webster in Greenville.
The Order of the Palmetto, which recognizes lifetime achievement and service to South
Carolina, is considered the highest civilian honor awarded by the Governor’s Office. In his
award letter, Governor Sanford wrote that “this award is in recognition of all you’ve done to
better our part of the world over the years.”
CCES Board Chair Edgar M. Norris, Jr., presented the award, which comes in the form
of a framed certificate and a letter from the governor. Board member Shane Taylor
and Greenville developer Bo Aughtry were responsible for proposing and making
arrangements for the award with the Governor’s Office on behalf of Dr. Cox.
The governor’s award letter detailed Cox’s career accomplishments as Executive Director of
the South Carolina Humanities Council in Columbia, as the first President of the Governor’s
School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville, and as President and Headmaster of
Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville. In addition, it recognized his work “as an
ambassador for many causes,” including the Downtown Greenville Rotary Club, Kairos
Prison Ministry, Angel Flight, BMW, and the Winthrop University Board of Trustees, among
others.
“You are indeed a legend in your own time,” wrote Sanford, “and your influence in the field
of education will be as enduring as the profession itself….Despite your very considerable
achievements, you have maintained a reputation for both humility and personal integrity.
What a wonderful model of citizenship you are and an extraordinary example to all of us of
a life well lived!”
Presentation of the Order of the Palmetto was a complete surprise to Cox and his wife, Jo.
More than 100 people were present at the Websters’ home to applaud the award and to
recognize Cox’s ten years as leader of Christ Church Episcopal School.
Fond Farewells
A Fond Farewell
Director of Development Connie Lanzl 1998 – 2010:
A Legacy of Sophistication and Devotion to the School
by Alice Baird
Author’s Note: Connie Lanzl has been my professional mentor and personal friend for the past ten years—and
she has proved nothing short of extraordinary in both roles. Those of you who know her will surely attest to her
many contributions to the school, many more than could be mentioned here.
Her devotion to the school was always
evident: the late nights and long weekends,
her desire to make CCES shine in every
venue, her pride as the parent of three
graduates.
Asked to describe
CCES in 140 characters
or less, the length of a
“tweet,” Connie wrote:
“Best preparation for
success in broadest
sense: academics,
service, leadership,
positive risk-taking,
balance of left and
right brains.”
But what motivated her went deeper than
her conscientious sense of responsibility,
strong work ethic, and what Headmaster
Leonard Kupersmith characterized as
her “boundless stamina.” Her own life
having been shaped by her 13 years at
Friends’ Central, an independent Quaker
school outside Philadelphia, she is a deeply
committed advocate of the independent
school experience.
When her husband, Steve, was offered an
opportunity in Greenville, her first order of
business was finding an independent school
for Amanda ’00, Brett ’02, and Drew ’05.
“If CCES had not been here,” she said, “we
would not have come to Greenville.”
“A Huge Sense of Family”
Her father, Richard Burgess, taught English
and public speaking, directed the school
dramas and musicals, and served as line
coach for the football team for over 20 years
at Friends’ Central. “I knew how lucky
I was to be there as a faculty child,” she
said. “It was a very special environment,
and I loved the close relationships between
the teachers and the students.” What she
called “the school’s huge sense of family”
really hit her after her father left a rehearsal
for Finian’s Rainbow and wound up in the
hospital for removal of a brain tumor. That
day marked the end of his teaching career
and the beginning of his struggles with
bone cancer. Connie was in ninth grade at
the time, and she remembers vividly how
the school community rallied around her
and her family. Among the illness’s many
cruelties was the fact that he lost his ability to
communicate; this was matched by another
irony—he received therapy gratis from a
former student whom he had once inspired
to become a speech therapist. He died
during the summer before her senior year.
The relationships she had formed with
her teachers “brought home to me,” she
said, “what was important.” So, following
in her father’s footsteps, after graduating
from Wilson College in Pennsylvania, she
taught English, history, and drama, and
coached hockey and lacrosse for three years
at another Quaker middle school, and when
the opportunity arose to serve as Alumni
Director at Friends’ Central, she leaped
Fond Farewells
at the chance. There her sense of family
was reinforced by the many alumni who
brought her stories of their experiences with
her father. “Even years later,” she recalled,
“when I went to reunions and the children
were young, alumni and former faculty
would take the time to tell them stories
about the grandfather they never knew.”
Formidable Talents,
Impeccable Style
While her youthful experience may
help to explain her deep commitment
to independent schools, it does little to
shed light on the formidable talents and
impeccable style she brought to her role
as Director of Development at CCES, a
position she assumed in 1998 under Head
of School Ellen Moceri. Within two
years at Friends’ Central, she had been
named Director of Development, a role she
reprised at Nishimachi International School
in Tokyo and Camperdown Academy
in Greenville before arriving on CCES’s
administrative staff. The little-understood
function is critical to an institution’s
financial health, ability to grow, and
the cultivation of a bond of community
among school constituents. Development
encompasses annual and capital fundraising,
strategic planning, communications
and marketing, alumni relations, public
relations, volunteer and staff development,
and special events, and it requires
leadership, tact, sound judgment, advanced
technological skills, creativity, marketing
savvy, excellent organizational abilities,
and meticulous attention to detail—all of
which, in addition to her wit and grace, she
demonstrated with consistent excellence.
The Lanzl family and friends
at the 50th Anniversary
Birthday Bash, from left,
friend Jenny Sieger, Drew
‘05, husband Steve, Connie,
Alicia DeFronzo ‘97,
Amanda Lanzl Salas ‘00,
Abby DeFronzo Lanzl ‘02,
and Brett ‘02.
Former CCES President Lee Cox summed
up his assessment of the role Connie played
at CCES: “The adjective ‘consummate’
and the noun ‘professional’ are often used
without full appreciation of what these
words, when combined, connote. When one
is referred to as a consummate professional,
I think it should mean that he or she aspires
to the highest possible standards, not just in
a chosen profession but in one’s life as well,
and that this lofty level of professionalism
is conducted always with dignity, humility,
and style. It is not, then, a term that should
be used prolifically or indiscriminately; it
should apply only to a few select people.
During the ten years I have worked with
Connie Lanzl and known her as colleague,
continued
Fond Farewells
friend, critic, and counselor, I was every
year made more aware that I was in the
company of a true consummate professional,
without whose numerous skills, focus, and
dedication, CCES would simply not be the
school it is today.”
The groundbreaking ceremony for
the chapel in May 2004. No detail
of the ceremony was too small for
Connie’s attention, from marking
the field to measuring the ribbon
that crisscrossed it and, inset, the
size of the shovel for the student
representing the Lower School.
During her tenure at the school, Connie
rose to numerous challenges, not the least of
which was planning and implementing the
$13 million One, Together capital campaign,
the largest in the school’s history. With
the building of a new Upper School, the
consolidation of the Cavalier Campus,
the renovations to the Lower School,
the building of the Chapel of the Good
Shepherd, and an increase in the school’s
endowment, this campaign ultimately laid
the groundwork for expanded enrollment
and an elevated sense of the value of CCES
in attracting business to the Upstate.
With the campaign also came the many
public events she planned that now stand
as milestones in the school’s history: the
separate dedications of the new Upper
School and Lower School in 2002, the
chapel groundbreaking in 2004, and its
consecration in 2005. Other events not
connected with the One, Together campaign
that she planned included the dedication of
the Cavalier Training Center in 2006 and
the many 50th anniversary events reported
in this issue of Highlights and the last. No
detail of these or any of the school’s routine
annual events was too insignificant for her
attention, whether it was the decoration of
the hard hats and shovels used at the chapel
groundbreaking or setup and cleanup at
Grandparents Day celebrations.
Fond Farewells
A New Level of
Sophistication
The role of development in the school’s
administration changed significantly during
her tenure, in large part, she said, “because
of the scope and the amount of money
that needed to be raised.” With the advent
of the Internet, technology played a large
part too; she oversaw the establishment of
the school’s first website, and under her
guidance, subsequent iterations of this nowessential element in the marketing mix have
received regional recognition. The maturing
age of the school also commanded a new
approach.
When she arrived at CCES, she noted
that the community was not interested
in benchmarking against similar schools.
“Although CCES was not competing against
Charlotte and Atlanta for enrollment,
our students were competing for college
acceptance with them and with students all
over the country,” she said. “We needed
to establish a process of benchmarking to
understand what other independent schools
are doing throughout the U.S.”
Assessing her legacy, Connie reflected that
she “helped burnish the school’s image
of sophistication and professionalism,”
an image reflected in Highlights today
and in the high level of professionalism
among her staff members. She has been,
said Kupersmith in his announcement of
her departure, “an immensely respected
voice of dignity and good taste.” Her
development experience at Friends’
Central, where she planned the school’s
sesquicentennial [150-year birthday] and
where the admission office competed for
students in an educational environment
dominated by independent schools, helped
guide her sense of the sophistication that
CCES could reflect. Her contacts at other
independent schools and with leaders at the
Council for the Advancement and Support
of Education (CASE) enabled her to
implement proven strategies and introduce
standard practices. Establishing the CCES
Sports Hall of Fame and the Alumni Career
program in the Upper School (page 71)
exemplify her efforts to elevate CCES to a
new level.
Her legacy also encompasses many tangible
accomplishments, including a doubling
of the amount of money raised by the
Annual Giving program; publication of the
school’s first history, a project that had been
initiated by the Golden Cavaliers and was
more than twelve years in the making; and
orchestration of a series of 50th anniversary
events in 2009-10 that could appeal to
all constituencies and “draw them to the
campus with a purpose and a guarantee that
they would be among those they know,”
with the goal of eventually encouraging
them to support the school financially.
A Lacrosse National
Hall-of-Famer
Another aspect to Connie’s legacy that has
little to do with her achievements in the
Development Office was accomplished on
the Linda Reeves Hockey Field from 2001-07
when she served as CCES field hockey coach.
Inducted into the United States Lacrosse
Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Pennsylvania
Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1998, she had played
varsity lacrosse throughout high school and
college and was a member of the U.S. Lacrosse
Squad from 1970-80, serving as captain in
1975, 1976, and 1980. In 1975 she led a
touring team to Great Britain for 5 ½ weeks
and returned undefeated—the first team ever
to achieve this record.
"During the ten years I
have worked with Connie
Lanzl and known her as a
colleague, friend, critic,
and counselor, I was every
year made more aware
that I was in the company
of a true consummate
professional, without
whose numerous skills,
focus, and dedication,
CCES would simply not
be the school it is today."
—Lee Cox
Years later, while living in Japan, she was
to achieve another athletic first. She was
approached by the international lacrosse
federation to coach Japanese female
athletes from all over the country to go to
the World Cup in Edinburgh, Scotland,
continued
Fond Farewells
A Very Personal Legacy:
A Tribute from Lei Offerle
Connie taught Virginia [Offerle ’07] so much more than just the game of
field hockey.
She taught her hard work and perseverance as the team toiled through the
heat and humidity of summer workouts.
Virginia learned self-confidence as she chose to pursue a sport that was just
her own—one that her older sister had not played!
Virginia also learned time management as she learned to focus on her
studies during the frequent and long bus rides to games in North Carolina.
Virginia learned dedication when she joined the school soccer team for the
express purpose of staying in shape for field hockey.
Connie taught Virginia leadership skills as she learned to motivate, encourage
and challenge her teammates as a captain her senior year.
In an 11th grade essay, Virginia named Connie as the person, other than a
family member, who had impacted her life the most. In that essay Virginia
commented that Connie had shown her that it was indeed possible to be a
great wife and mother, to be successful in your chosen career, and to still be
able to enjoy something you’re passionate about like field hockey.
Of all the things that Connie taught Virginia, that may be the best lesson of
all.
in 1993—something Japan had never
done before. With 16 players, a trainer,
and a Japanese interpreter in tow, she
indeed brought the team to the World
Cup, where “we beat Czechoslovakia and
lost all our other games. But the Japanese
girls were the darlings of the tournament,”
she recollected, “because of the way they
played and their enthusiasm,” traits,
no doubt, that she had fostered as their
coach.
Explaining her love of the game, Connie
said, “I was influenced by my coaches who
set high expectations for me. My ninth
grade coach was a U.S. player who was
a junior English major at the University
of Pennsylvania. At the end of practice,
she would combine extra coaching
with her need to stay in shape, and we
would spend an additional hour just
running up and down the field, catching
and throwing, or experimenting with
shooting. She invited us to come watch
her at the National Tournament that
happened to be in Philadelphia that year,
and I was awed by the level of what I saw.
She told me she expected me to do that.
My coach during my first two years in
college was outstanding and later became
my coach on the undefeated touring team.
We are still in touch, getting the team
together every five years.”
Building Community
Combining elements of her role in
development and her passion for field hockey,
the event she singles out as her favorite is
the dedication of the Linda Reeves Hockey
Field in the fall of 2000. “There was a strong
wish at the school to do something for Linda
Reeves,” she recalled, referring to the beloved
girls athletic coach who had served the school
from 1972 to 2000, when cancer robbed her
of her ability to work. “At the same time
there was an opportunity to transition from
the former leadership. There was a feeling
in the community that the school had lost
its sense of being a family, and here was an
opportunity to reengage people in a very
personal way.”
Coach Reeves had no children of her own,
but, said Connie, “I knew the impact of
my coaches on my life,” and the dedication
became a way to show Linda how deep
and wide her CCES family was. Alumni,
parents, members of current and past field
hockey teams, students, and faculty rallied to
participate in the dedication—and to keep it
a secret from Linda. Brought to the campus
on a false pretext, Linda was escorted to the
field in a gaily decorated golf cart by Athletic
Fond Farewells
Director Ashley Haskins. There, to her
astonishment, she was greeted by the entire
Upper School student body and hundreds
of parents and alumni, many of whom
had contributed to a special scrapbook put
together lovingly by CCES parent Joy Page.
“It was not a high tech event, nor was it
fancy,” Connie commented, “but it expressed
the essential relationship between CCES
families and teachers.” Said one witness to
the event, “It was an incredibly generous
gift to Coach Reeves,” who died six months
after the dedication. “I wouldn’t be surprised
if the joy it gave her prolonged her life just
a little bit.” It hearkened back, too, to the
gifts of appreciation the Friends’ Central
community had shown Connie’s father
during his illness. It was, perhaps, her way of
paying that forward.
It was also a signal expression of the kindness
and generosity Connie brought to all her
interactions, both personal and professional,
at CCES.
What’s Next?
“When I took this job at CCES, it was partly
because it gave me the opportunity to be
connected with my children’s education in
a way that wasn’t hovering or smothering,”
explained Connie. She remained Director of
Development (or V.P. of Advancement in an
ever-changing cycle of title changes) for five
years after her last child, Drew, graduated.
Moving on to new challenges with hardly
time to catch her breath, in July Connie was
named President of Junior Achievement in
Upstate South Carolina, covering Greenville,
Spartanburg, Oconee, Pickens, and Anderson
counties. Established in 1916, Junior
Achievement Worldwide is the world’s largest
organization dedicated to educating students
about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship
and financial literacy through experiential,
hands-on programs. Her new position takes
full advantage of her leadership skills as well
as her abiding commitment to educating
young people.
And although we may see her sometime in
future on the stage in the Greenville Little
Theater or Centre Stage, where she has
performed in productions of Steel Magnolias,
Sylvia, and Guided Tour, for the time being
her hands are full between her responsibilities
in the community and at home, where
she takes her “other job,” as first-time
grandparent, very seriously indeed. ■
When Coach Linda Reeves was
escorted to the surprise dedication
of the hockey field in her name,
she was greeted by banners,
cheerleaders, varsity field hockey
students, the entire Upper School,
parents, and players from all her
former teams. It was a moving
tribute for all involved.
Global Perspectives
The Path to Mandarin at CCES
by Peter D. Sanders, Upper School Director
With 20 percent of the globe’s population and a decade-long, mind-boggling annual GDP growth of 8 percent,
China has emerged as a world power, and Mandarin Chinese has become one of the fastest-growing languages
of study in the United States. Furthermore, the high level of commercial integration between China and the U.S.
has made learning Mandarin a high priority for many Americans. Greenville and the Upstate are not exceptions,
as more local companies (several headed and staffed by CCES parents) find themselves doing business with
China and, increasingly, in China. So it makes sense that CCES is taking steps toward adding Mandarin Chinese
to the Upper School curriculum as a foreign language option for our students.
Eight major Chinese dialects, and even
more regional sub-dialects, are spoken in
China. Mandarin is the vernacular that has
long been spoken in the vicinity of Beijing
and which over time became the language
of the ruling class. In 1958 the People’s
Republic of China made Mandarin its
official dialect, and it became the primary
language taught in the country’s schools and
universities.
Partnering with the Confucius
Institute at PC
The initiative to add Mandarin Chinese
language studies to the CCES curriculum
received a jumpstart during summer 2009
when Headmaster Leonard Kupersmith,
Director of College Counseling Linda
Schulz, and I visited Presbyterian College
(PC) to meet with its president, John
Griffith. During that hot day in Clinton
we learned about the college’s soon-to-be
established Confucius Institute for Chinese
Studies. The program’s mission is not only
to develop the study of Chinese culture and
language at PC but also to promote and
support it at other institutions of higher
learning, as well as at elementary and
secondary schools throughout the Upstate.
President Griffith invited CCES to be a
partner school with PC, and the offer was
readily accepted.
When the 2009 school year began,
I met with Dr. David Liu, Professor
of Government and Director of PC’s
Confucius Institute. He offered useful
advice on how we could start the process
at CCES and how the Institute could
help with resources. Later that fall Upper
School history teacher Rodney Adamee,
a group of students from his Chinese and
Japanese history class, and I attended the
inaugural ceremony of the PC Confucius
Institute.
That ceremony included the unveiling
of an impressive outdoor statue of the
Chinese philosopher and namesake of the
new program. Later that same day Dr.
Liu alerted me to an opportunity. An
American delegation of 400 secondary
school educators would be traveling to
China, and my participation would afford
opportunities to get a close-up look at
Chinese schools, network with American
colleagues interested in establishing
Chinese language programs, and meet
professional counterparts in China. I
joined this delegation of colleagues from
all parts of the United States. I was the
Global Perspectives
Upper School Director
Pete Sanders, top of
stairs, displays, with
the help of the students
in his freshman history
class, a ceremonial scroll
given to him by the Jihua
Middle School, one of
two Chinese schools with
whom CCES has forged an
international partnership.
only school representative from South
Carolina.
Chinese Government-Sponsored
Mandarin Teachers
For seven heavily scheduled days in
December 2009, I was in China as a
member of the Chinese Bridge Delegation,
sponsored by the Chinese government’s
Hanban/Confucius Institute and the
College Board. The program started
in Beijing where for the first two days I
participated in intensive tutorials on the
teaching of Mandarin and lectures on the
Chinese educational system. The delegates
learned firsthand of a related Hanban/
Confucius program where the Chinese
government sponsors Mandarin teachers
in the U.S. Our itinerary was not without
some sightseeing, as we made our way to the
Great Wall on a bone-chillingly cold, but
brilliant, day, along with many others from
China’s well-ordered capital of 12 million
people. After Beijing, the delegation
was divided into groups of fifty and then
continued
Global Perspectives
Being a South Carolina
secondary school offering
Mandarin will enhance the
school’s prestige and the value
of a CCES education.
travelled to outlying cities where we would
spend time at potential sister schools and
meet teaching candidates.
My group went to Chongqing, which many
Americans will recognize under the old
spelling of Chungking. During World War
II Chongqing was the capital of Chiang
Kai-Shek’s Kuomintang Nationalist Party
and the headquarters of General Joseph
Stillwell, Commander of American and
Allied forces in China.
As a history teacher, I was well aware of the
city’s past, but I was not current with its
contemporary status as a major port on the
Yangtze River and as one of the country’s
strategic cities in the southern interior.
Chongqing’s population speaks to a major
factor that astounds the visitor to China: the
staggeringly visible fact of the country’s huge
population. Chongqing, whose city proper
has 13 million people, is one of China’s
“mega-cities.” The surrounding municipality,
which is about half the geographical size
of South Carolina, has a population of 32
million, approximately seven times South
Carolina’s total population of 4.6 million.
These big numbers play out in the schools, as
the two secondary schools I visited numbered
6,500 students each in the upper (grades
9-12) divisions.
The first school I visited, Chongqing Middle
School Number 1, was located in the center
of the city, and Jihua Middle School in a
nearby suburb (grades 6 -12 comprise middle
school in China). Students, teachers, and
administrators at both schools were extremely
friendly and excited about forging ties with
CCES. Chongqing Number 1 is a wellestablished school, and admission to it is
highly sought after. Its students go to China’s
top universities as well as to institutions
overseas, including the United States. Jihua
Middle School is only twelve years old. Many
of its students are from families that were
relocated to the city by the government when
the Three Gorges hydro-electric dams on the
Yangtze flooded their villages. Jihua certainly
had its high achievers, but that school told a
compelling story of country people having to
make the challenging adjustment to city life.
Both schools struck me as wonderful partners
for CCES as they afford exposure to students
from varying strata of Chinese society.
The daily regimen of China’s schools did
not go unnoticed either. Competition for
spots at coveted universities is intense. The
admissions process involves a number of
criteria, including exacting national exams and
highly analyzed grades. This likely explains the
long school day that runs from 8:00 a.m. to
9:00 p.m. The day is punctuated with breaks
for meals, physical education, and study halls,
but it is a grueling five-day routine stretched
out over a 200-plus-day school year. It is
debatable whether the length of the day yields
the desired results, but it certainly provided
a catalyst for discussion when I shared this
fact with my history class upon returning to
Greenville!
Global Perspectives
Enhancing the Value of a CCES
Education
At the end of the stay in Chongqing, I
signed on behalf of CCES two “Memos
of Understanding” with both Chongqing
Schools with the aim of making ties, sharing
ideas and resources, and creating student
exchanges through the Internet and Skype
technology and, in the future, through
actual visits.
The trip to China, the cost of which was
largely underwritten by the College Board
and the Chinese government, thoroughly
convinced me of the importance of adding
Mandarin to our curriculum. While
English remains the lingua franca of the
Internet and of international business, we
are headed towards a world dominated
by two languages: Mandarin Chinese
and English. CCES’s partnership with
Presbyterian College provides us with a
tremendous advantage in terms of resources
and advice. The next step is to lay the
curricular groundwork and begin the search
for a teacher. Fortunately, Hanban and the
Confucius Institute will be of assistance on
this front. Our goal is to offer Mandarin
Chinese as a language option in the Upper
School by the 2011-2012 school year.
The process leading up to that time will
be deliberate, with considerable planning
and a thorough search for the right teacher.
In addition, we will educate our students
about China. For example, the Upper
School’s January 2011 Reading Day will
focus on the book China Road: A Journey
into the Future of a Rising Power, by NPR
correspondent Rob Gifford. The entire
US student body will read and discuss the
book, and there will be activities at every
level to facilitate a deeper understanding of
the Chinese people, its culture, economy,
opportunities, and potential pitfalls. In
addition, we are incorporating Chinese
programs into our faculty’s professional
development. During the past summer
Lower School Chaplain and Assistant
Director Valerie Riddle participated in a
Chinese Bridge Delegation trip to China,
and Upper School History Department
Chair Kristi Ferguson went to China
through a program with Furman University.
The prospect of offering Mandarin classes
and of establishing ties with schools in
China presents CCES with an exciting
outlook for our community of learners.
It will offer our graduates a valuable
marketplace skill and serve to expand the
school’s global outlook. Not least of all,
becoming a center of Mandarin education
will support Greenville’s strategic vision
of the Upstate as a recognized center
for international trade and investment.
Being a South Carolina secondary school
offering Mandarin will also enhance the
school’s prestige and the value of a CCES
education. Most of all, it will open new and
challenging educational vistas for students
in the Upper School. ■
Pete Sanders is Director of the Upper School.
Our goal is to offer Mandarin
Chinese in the Upper School by
the 2011-2012 school year.
Global Perspectives
A Lifelong Global Outlook: It All
Started Here by Rip Parks ’72
My first steps toward a global journey began at CCES. There I was set on a circuitous path that has led me to live
seven years abroad, as well as to make numerous pleasure trips overseas. Recently I returned to Greenville after
almost 20 years, and I realize that the global perspective I developed over the years has helped me appreciate the
multicultural community that is Greenville today.
I was a member of the “famous first” senior
class of 1972. The CCES focus on the
international community actually began
a generation ago, long before Michelin
and BMW began transforming Greenville.
Like many members of my age group, I
was exposed to remarkable teachers along
the way who unfolded the world before
me. When I participated in the summer
European travel program led by teachers
Florence Pressly and Cathy Jones, I
vividly remember that as soon as we arrived
in Great Britain for our first excursion, I
became hooked on travel.
After completing an undergraduate degree
in architecture at Clemson University, I was
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in
the US Army Corps of Engineers. When
I realized that my initial assignment out
of Jump School was sending me to rural
Louisiana, I scrambled to get my orders
changed to Germany. I lived four years in
Europe, where I traveled extensively and
learned conversational German. I enjoyed
the exposure to several European cultures in
every respect, especially the German culture.
Interestingly, many German businesses have
since located in the Greenville region.
After graduate school, I began my career
in architectural design in the health care
field, which drew me to Charlotte, where
I was reacquainted with CCES graduate
Edith Batson ’73. At that time, Edith was
completing her graduate degree in Christian
Education. We married in 1994 and
eventually set off for our greatest overseas
adventure to date: the Persian Gulf area of
the Middle East.
Living in the Middle East:
“Virtual Monday” and Holding
Hands
In 2000 our firm contracted with the
government of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) to upgrade the health care facilities
of their armed forces. This ambitious
program involved hundreds of US and
foreign professionals and over a billion
dollars of services for the full contract.
Edith and I moved to the capital city of Abu
Dhabi in January of 2001, where we were
still living on 9-11. We were treated very
respectfully, but tension was everywhere.
The UAE is very westernized and largely
pro-U.S., although the official governmentrun media seemed obliged to rail against
Palestinian injustice and to implicate the US
as part of the problem.
Edith and I remained in the Persian Gulf
country for three years. It was a very
positive experience for both of us. Edith
served on the staff of our English-speaking
church, and interacted with people from
over 32 nationalities. It was fascinating
to be in this strategic region during such a
tumultuous time. I believe we have a clearer
understanding of the geopolitical significance
of this region as a result of having lived there.
Global Perspectives
We also have a deeper appreciation of
cultural differences. In navigating the culture
in the UAE, we encountered situations and
traditions which ran from the humorous
to the serious. For example, the work week
begins on Saturday because Friday is the
holy day. We referred to Saturday as “virtual
Monday,” but I never did get used to that.
Our attitudes to very basic customs required
adjustment too. In business, demonstrating
trust is far more important to easterners than
demonstrating capability. Westerners get
right down to business; easterners want to
know you as a person first. Competence is
proven later. This, coupled with the cultural
emphasis on hospitality in Arab culture,
meant that every business session began with
hot tea or coffee, even in summer. One
of the more surprising business customs, I
learned, is that men hold hands as a sign of
agreement. I’ll never forget the day an Arab
army officer friend of mine reached over and
held my hand as we walked down the hall
together. This was a huge compliment to
me, but I am glad I had read about this in
advance and was prepared!
Shoes and Hand
Gestures
Sometimes a gestural error can be funny,
sometimes decidedly not.
Socially, men and women are separated
in many public venues, such as hospital
waiting rooms. They are entirely separated
in major public events, such as weddings.
(Edith reports that the women have a much
better time at weddings than the men.)
Interestingly, western women are frequently
given preference over locals and expatriates.
Once Edith was escorted to the front of a
line in a bank, and although this was very
uncomfortable for her as a westerner, and
especially as a Southerner, she accepted it
as being part of the culture. While Edith
was neither obligated nor asked to wear an
abaya, the long, black robe that is often very
sheer, she did dress very conservatively out
of respect for the local culture. Islamic rules
regarding women are enforced and prevalent.
For example, during Ramadan, Arab men
refuse to shake a woman’s hand, especially
a westerner’s hand. However, we did not
live on a compound for westerners, which
is a common practice in Saudi Arabia due
to strict Islamic values and traditions. In
continued on page 68
Rip Parks
'72 and Edith
Batson Parks
'73 adventuring in
the desert during
Rip's time in Abu
Dhabi working
as an architect
on a huge United
Arab Emirates
government project.
Outside the office there
were also many social
conventions to observe.
We were careful never to
cross our legs in a business
or social circumstance so
that the bottom of the shoe
faces an Arab citizen. The
ultimate insult is to throw a
shoe at someone, which, as
you may recall, is what the
Iraqis did to the statue of
Saddam Hussein when US
troops overran the capital.
We learned to be careful
with hand gestures too.
They mean very different
things in different cultures.
Global Perspectives
Teaching in Ukraine as a Fulbright
Scholar: A Reaffirmation of Academic
Integrity by Courtney Tollison ’95
Before the summer of 2008, I knew very little about Ukraine. I did not read Cyrillic, did not speak Ukrainian
or Russian, and knew very few people who had ever been there. My knowledge of Ukraine could have been
summarized very briefly: borscht, the Orange Revolution, a notorious mail-order bride industry, beautiful ballet
dancers, and the former USSR.
155 countries, and considers Fulbright to be
the “most widely recognized and prestigious
international exchange program in the
world.”
Courtney Tollison
’95, on the campus of
Chernivtsi National
University. “I have been
spoiled by the beauty
of the Furman campus,”
she said, “but Chernivtsi
was amazing as well.”
But one afternoon that summer, I
received an e-mail that would reshape
much of my life for the next two years.
The U.S. State Department’s Fulbright
Scholar Program sought applications
from American historians for lecturing
and research positions in various locations
around the world. This long-standing
exchange program was established after
World War II with the purpose of sending
American scholars abroad to facilitate crosscultural interactions that would ostensibly
mitigate future conflicts. Today, the State
Department oversees Fulbright programs in
While I had received notices about the
Fulbright program for several years, the
timing of the 2010 grants coincided with
the end of a multi-year World War II
project I was directing, and thus I read the
e-mail with more interest. I responded, and
ten months later, following an extensive
application process, multiple selection
rounds, and Homeland Security and myriad
other checks, I received notice that President
Obama’s Foreign Scholarship Board had
approved my selection. I was assigned
to teach courses in U.S. history at Yuriy
Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University
in Chernivtsi, a remote city in the western
part of Ukraine just a few dozen kilometers
north of the Romanian border.
Challenges of Teaching in a
Former Soviet Bloc Country
Teaching college and graduate-level
American history to young people with
little background in either U.S. history
or culture, who also espoused radically
different attitudes regarding academic
honesty, challenged me as a historian,
teacher, and mentor. Many of the questions
I received from my students and others
focused on American pop culture, President
Global Perspectives
Obama, and our country’s challenges with
obesity. The Ukrainian students’ warmth
towards me, eagerness to assist in hosting
me, and abundant interest in certain
periods and themes in American history
that could provide useful lessons for them,
such as the American Revolution, the
Civil War, the Progressive Era, Wilsonian
ideals, and Reagan’s approach to the Cold
War, delighted me. Although they often
reminded me of students I teach in the U.S.,
I noticed a stark and pernicious difference
in terms of outlook.
While American students are certainly
concerned about the impact of the
economic downturn on their immediate
future, they nonetheless remain optimistic
about their long-term career prospects.
They trust that their hard work will pay off,
that opportunities will come in a matter
of time, that their government will remain
stable, and that their country will provide a
thriving place for them to live for decades to
come.
In contrast, many of the Ukrainian students
were quite cynical, not only about their
immediate future, but their long-term
prospects as well. Simply put, they do not
have a great deal of faith in the political
and economic systems under which they
live. Consequently, they are not confident
that their investment in their education will
yield benefits, and thus they fall prey to the
corruption that characterizes life in Ukraine.
Despite this lack of confidence in the
current system, I sensed a nascent optimism
about their country’s potential. I tried to
be encouraging, acknowledging that while
these problems seem so endemic they will
never cease to be obstacles, change must
begin with the individual. In my classes,
I focused on individuals in American
history, such as Thomas Jefferson, Susan
B. Anthony, Jane Addams, Cesar Chavez,
and Fred Shuttlesworth, who were able to
provoke or inspire important changes in
American political and social systems. I
made them well aware of a famous quote
from Mahatma Ghandi: “Be the change you
want to see in the world.”
A Balance Between Empathy and
Motivation
The lack of confidence in the value of
education may also explain their unnerving
disregard for academic honesty. These were
students for whom I came to care deeply,
so their future became important to me. In
our discussions regarding the students’career
prospects, I ardently sought an effective
balance between empathy and motivation.
The students’ cheating and plagiarism,
however, posed a major challenge, forcing me
to seek yet another balance. To be effective, I
knew I needed to first understand the culture
and history of the place in which I was living,
and then develop a plan for introducing
principles and methods new to them but
familiar to us.
I believed, and still believe fervently in the
CCES Honor Code. Although Fulbright
had somewhat prepared me to encounter
such practices, seeing my Ukrainian
colleagues’ tacit approval of rampant
cheating and plagiarism was disquieting.
The few colleagues I had who spoke English
had taken a great interest in observing
my teaching practices; when I engaged
them in a discussion of issues relating to
Academic Conduct, I realized many weren’t
familiar with words such as citation, or
the methods of footnoting or endnoting. I
continued
“As I fashion my historical self,
I appreciate CCES not only for
enhancing my interest in the
world but also for providing
such a solid, holistic learning
environment.”
Global Perspectives
tackled the issue
head-on in the
“I believed, and still believe fervently in the CCES
classroom and in
Honor Code… So while I came to understand…
more intimate
such attitudes, I remained personally and
discussions with
students, and in
professionally committed not only to my ideals,
the meantime
but also to the continued emphasis on their
repeatedly
importance in my classroom.”
assured myself
that these
practices were not intended as a statement
of their respect, or lack thereof, towards me.
Through such interactions, I realized that
their attitudes were reflective of the culture
of the Soviet Union, in which property,
intellectual and otherwise, was communal;
if it existed, it was to be shared. “We help
each other here,” one student told me,
while others nodded in agreement. They
countered that while American students
compete against each other, Ukrainians
share their resources. In a country with
a long history of challenging living
conditions, sharing was not a virtue, but
a necessity. So while I came to understand
the history and lasting implications of
a political and economic system that
cultivated such attitudes, I remained
personally and professionally committed
not only to my ideals, but also to the
continued emphasis on their importance in
my classroom. Furthermore, the tensions
created by our contrasting viewpoints
forced me to articulate the rationale behind
why American and many other educators
and scholars feel so passionately about
the importance of academic honesty. The
challenges created by our cultural relativistic
patterns resulted in a healthy exercise that
prompted the students and me to defend
our respective stances; in America, our
common culture often deems this exercise
unnecessary, but in another country, the
ability to effectively articulate why we
believe academic honesty to be so important
was crucial.
The students took an interest, but not for
the reasons I had hoped. Although they
recognized that learning and respecting
certain academic principles was essential if
they hoped to come to the U.S. to study,
they did not seem to think it useful to
implement such practices in their studies in
Ukraine because the system, they told me,
penalizes rather than rewards those students
who abstain from such practices.
Sadly, this cynicism and unwillingness to
implement disciplined approaches was not
limited to students in my classroom. As I
travelled the country speaking on behalf
of the US Embassy Outreach Program, I
was able to see firsthand how Ukraine still
battles the vestiges of many decades of Soviet
rule, most notably widespread corruption,
poor infrastructure, and a general distrust
of government. From my interactions
with the Ukrainian people, I observed that,
while there are certain qualities that are
ubiquitous among most human beings, one’s
circumstances and quality of life depend
greatly on the political, economic, and
cultural systems one lives within.
Serving as an Official
International Election Observer
However, I believe there is cause for
optimism. Although the nation is, in effect,
only two decades old, the Ukrainian people
have a deep and abiding love for their
country. This was never more apparent
than during presidential elections that took
place in January and February, in which I
had the privilege of serving as an official
international observer. The feeling of
national patriotism and pride was palpable
at each of the polling stations I visited and
was evidenced by a tremendous turnout
from young and old alike. This type of
civic participation, deemed legitimate
by the international media because of
such international observation, portends
positive changes for this young country. It
also served as a reminder never to take the
privilege of voting for granted.
Global Perspectives
So while living abroad prompted a realization
of how fortunate and blessed I am to be an
American, I also developed an appreciation
for the benefits of the challenges and
inconveniences of life in Ukraine. Frequent
power outages, a slow and spotty internet
connection, and a television with no English
channels (and that didn’t even work for the
first three months because of too much snow
on the roof) forced me to rediscover my
passion for books. With no car, I enjoyed
walking everywhere. The abundance of fresh
fruits and vegetables in the small markets that
dot every corner and the lack of a working
microwave forced more nutritious eating
habits. Having lived without, I no longer
take central heating and air conditioning,
smoothly paved sidewalks, safe drinking water,
trustworthy healthcare, and a ready supply of
warm shower water for granted. I lived a life
much slower and healthier than the one I had
when I left the US, and I loved it.
As I reflect on this experience, I am
reminded of a speech that David Shi, an
historian and the recently retired President
of Furman, gave several years ago. “The root
of the word ‘history’ is story,” he said, “and
as such it recognizes our human impulse
to fashion our historical selves into stories.
We are all practicing historians. As we go
through life we represent ourselves through
our life story….We savor the events and
experiences, the people and relationships
that enhanced our lives.”
As I fashion my historical self, I appreciate
CCES not only for enhancing my interest
in the world but also for providing such a
solid, holistic learning environment. I value
Ukraine for serving as a fertile forum for
true cultural exchange. Not only was I able
to learn from the many positive aspects of
Ukraine and its people, but I was afforded
the unique opportunity to better appreciate
and understand my own country, as well
as the values and principles which make
America exceptional. ■
Dr. Courtney Tollison teaches history at Furman
University and serves as Museum Historian at
the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville.
Just before leaving Ukraine, her book, World
War II and Upcountry South Carolina: “We
Just Did Everything We Could,” was released
in coordination with the opening of an exhibit
she curated at the Upcountry History Museum,
“Weaving Our Survival: Upcountry Stories of
WWII.” The exhibit will run through November
14, 2010.
Wearing authentic-looking
fur hats, Courtney, left,
and CCES friend Anne
Genevieve Gallivan ’94
huddle against the wintry
cold in front of Saint
Sophia, an 11th century
Ukrainian Orthodox
Church, in central Kyiv.
The CCES 50th Anniversary
The CCES Birthday BASH:
A Party 50 Years in the Making!
What is a birthday without a birthday party, especially when it’s a 50th birthday? Well, CCES had a grand party—
and it was a BASH!
1) Guests toasted the
school’s next 50 years with
champagne.
2) The atmosphere was
elegant—and relaxed—as
guests enjoyed the buffet
and the company of
acquaintances.
3) Guests are confronted
with photos from their past,
including the silly poses, big
hair, and very short basketball
shorts!
4) Billed as one of South’s
premiere dance bands, Liquid
Pleasure kept the party
moving to a lively beat.
5) Longtime faculty members
offered memories and toasts:
at the microphone, Upper
School biology teacher
Reggie Titmas; behind
him, from left, TeacherAdministrator Emerita Jean
Cochran and English teacher
Barbara Carter. Middle
School math teacher Ginny
Tate (not pictured) also
offered a faculty toast to past
and future students.
6) Party-goers pause to linger
at the posters celebrating
each of the “50 Favorite
Faces” selected by the CCES
community. (See the pullout
poster, centerfold, of all 50
Favorite Faces.)
On Saturday, March 20, during Alumni
Celebration Week, the CCES Alumni
Association sponsored a birthday party for
the entire school family: alumni, parents
of alumni, faculty, former faculty, current
parents—in fact, anyone who has been a
part of the school during its first 50 years.
Alumni Association President Elizabeth
Marion ’01, Bentley DeGarmo ’97,
and Liza Wilson Ragsdale ’99 headed
up the committee of alumni who worked
to make the BASH such a success: Dena
Stone Benedict ’78, Betsy Goldsmith
Varin ’78, Jennifer Taylor Sterling ’80,
Angela Keown Hart ’81, Preston Gibson
McAfee ’81, Allison Martin Mertens ’81,
and Chelle Zimmerman Kelaher ’86. A
committee of parents also brought fun and
sparkle to the event; many thanks to Lisa
Ashmore, Stephanie Bauknight, Julie
McKissick, Lisa Nalley, Allison Spinks,
and former faculty member and alumna
parent Joyce Parks. (Thanks also to our
wonderful CCES maintenance crew for
their amazing work!)
McCall Field House, one of the original
buildings on the Wenwood campus,
1
was transformed for the BASH. With
a large tent, a great band, and round
tables decorated with gently lit cherry
blossom branches, the gym never looked
so beautiful! Guests entered through a
“Tunnel Through Time” draped with
Cavalier-blue fabric and dozens of amusing
and sentimental photos from 50 years of
The Hellenian. Posters of the “50 Favorite
Faces of CCES,” who had been nominated
by alumni, parents, faculty, former
faculty, and students, were displayed,
drawing many guests for conversation and
reminiscences.
Liquid Pleasure played toe-tapping music
from every decade of the school’s history,
luring many to the dance floor for a little
exercise. Toward the close of the evening
President Lee Cox introduced faculty
members Barbara Carter, Ginny Tate, Jean
Cochran, and Reggie Titmus, who each
gave a champagne toast celebrating the last
50 years and anticipating the next 50.
Many thanks to all the volunteers, displaced
PE teachers, and guests who made this
historic evening so memorable.
2
3
4
6
5
Guests entered through
a "Tunnel Through Time"
draped with Cavalierblue fabric and dozens of
amusing and sentimental
photos from 50 years of
The Hellenian.
Pastor Hobby Outten ’85
Celebrates Alumni Chapel Service
To celebrate the school’s 50 years as a community of faith, an Alumni Chapel service was
held as part of Alumni Celebration Weekend on Sunday, March 21, 2010. With special
permission from the bishop, Lutheran minister Hobby Outten ’85 served as celebrant, along
with his longtime friend, Father Richard Grimball and Chaplains Valerie Riddle and Joe
Britt. It was another historic event: the first alumni church service performed in the Chapel
of the Good Shepherd on the Cavalier campus. Outten served as guest pastor from the
Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kings Mountain, NC. The turnout of alumni,
former faculty, current faculty and parents of alumni far
exceeded expectations, and plans are being made to hold an
alumni chapel service again next year.
Many thanks to Lower School music teacher Joy Hughes for
providing music and to parent volunteer Betsy Elliott for
the lovely flowers and for her assistance. ■
Who could have
predicted that there
would come a day
when former CCES
English teacher Jackie
Suber would be
looking up to Pastor
Hobby Outten ’85?
Middle School Chaplain Joe Britt, Senior Chaplain Richard Grimball, Reverend Hobby Outten
’85 and Lower School Chaplain Valerie Riddle led the first Alumni Chapel Service to be held in the
Chapel of the Good Shepherd.
CCES Explores Its “Oral History” at
Museum: Who Said History is Dull?
On March 24 the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville hosted an unusual forum entitled “Christ Church
Episcopal School: Untold Stories.”
It was a “gotcha moment” when, during
introductions by moderator Alice Baird, far
left, a photo of Dena Stone as a sixth-grader
with teacher Barbara Harrison, flashed
on the screen behind her. Fellow panelists
Barbara Carter, Jean Cochran, and John
Kittredge ’75 were more amused than she.
The event, part of the museum’s monthly
“Lunch and Learn” series, featured a
panel of CCES luminaries with l-o-n-g
memories: English teacher Barbara
Carter, Teacher Emeritus Jean Cochran,
South Carolina Supreme Court Justice
John Kittredge ’75, Headmaster Emeritus
Jim Rumrill, and alumna and current
parent Dena Benedict Stone ’78. The
panel was moderated by Director of
Communications Alice Baird.
The forum was billed as an “oral history” of
CCES, unlike the “official history” that is
told in The First 50 Years of Christ Church
Episcopal School: A Journey to Remember, by
Allison Betette Warren ’82. And, as oral
histories are wont to do, the stories told
veered toward the I-really-can’t-believe-that
humorous, with memories of outrageous
student escapades, outraged teachers, and
unlikely beginnings.
But, always, the discussion came back to
the tried-and-true values that have sustained
CCES over the decades and the real
affection both audience and panelists shared
for this 50-years-young institution.
History—why, even the history of a
school—doesn’t have to be dull! ■
Still laughing after the discussion at the museum were the panelists, from left,
CCES graduate, parent, and volunteer extraordinaire Dena Benedict Stone ’78;
South Carolina Supreme Court Justice John Kittredge ’75, whose perspectives
as a CCES student were somewhat tempered by time and his experiences as the
parent of three graduates; legendary English teacher Barbara Carter, feared by
a generation of students but loved by a generation of alumni; Teacher Emerita
Jean Cochran, known as the school’s First Teacher, strict but beloved; and
Headmaster Emeritus Jim Rumrill, whose frankness during the discussion was
both entertaining—and moving.
Upcountry History Museum
Hosts CCES Exhibit
Just in case you had any doubts that the 50th anniversary of CCES was indeed historic, the Upcountry History Museum
hosted an exhibit entitled “Christ Church Episcopal School: Growing with Greenville” from April 15 – June 1.
Conceived and produced by CCES
Communications Director Alice Baird, the
exhibit was designed “to capture the energy that
defines CCES.” Objects on display showcased
the school’s spiritual strength, athletic and
academic prowess, artistic accomplishments,
and the versatile creativity of both students and
teachers. “We even tried to capture some of
the fun of being a Cavalier by displaying a few
selected CCES tee shirts from Barbara Carter’s
collection,” noted Ms. Baird.
Below, Dena Stone Benedict
’78 points to a plaque honoring
nephew Randy Stone ’09’s varsity
wrestling record on the exhibit’s
athletic wall, while his father,
Roger Stone, beams with pride.
Visitors, including Board Chair
Edgar Norris, center, peruse the
CCES 50th anniversary exhibit at the
Upcountry History Museum.
Two highlights of the eclectic exhibit were
the Faculty Wall of Fame and a display
case honoring the school’s Episcopal roots.
The Wall of Fame included portraits of 22
teachers and staff members, each of whom
had served CCES for 25 years or more—in
other words, for at least half the life of
the school! The display case evoking the
beauty inherent in the school’s religious
traditions contained items contributed
by Senior Chaplain Richard Grimball,
including a white chasuble sewn for him by
his mother.
A 12-foot-long timeline of events in
the history of the school, the growth
of Greenville, and milestones in U.S.
education was complemented by student
art pieces depicting Greenville, aerial
maps of the Cavalier Campus, portraits
of the Classes of 1972 and 2009, and a
recent portrait of the first four-generation
CCES family (The Rev. Tom Carson,
with daughter Kay Carson Vaughan ’65,
granddaughter Kathy Vaughan Jones ’93,
and great-grandson Will Jones ’22).
A glass-topped credenza featured fascinating
Senior Projects loaned by Barbara Carter,
a magnificent “Freshman Bug Box”
contributed by Reggie Titmas, trophies
representing a few of the school’s many
athletic championships, and an SAT trophy
acknowledging our students’ academic
dominance in South Carolina. A small
display of Molly Aiken’s original musical
score for Hats, which she wrote for her
students and which they performed in
continued on opposite page
50th Anniversary Alumni Basketball
Reunion: They Still Got Game!
Proving that they are high flyers and finesse players still, 15 former CCES Cavaliers representing all decades in
the school’s history turned out on January 10, 2010, for the first-ever All-Alumni Basketball Reunion. The event
took place in McCall Field House between the varsity girls and boys games against Landrum that evening.
Did we say “former
Cavaliers”? There’s
no such thing—once
a Cavalier, always a
Cavalier!
Following introductions by Rodney
Hinton, President of the 2009-2010
Booster Club, the alumni were split into
two groups for an Around-the-World
competition. The former Cavaliers
who put it all out there on the court
included two players from the first CCES
boys basketball team, Bill Bannon ’72
and CCES Sports-Hall-of-Famer Rick
Knight ’74. Another Sports Hall of Fame
member, Nancy Yeargin Furman ’73,
took it to the hoops a few times, as did
Jim Doolittle ’73, Martha McKissick
’82, Mike Sierra ’82, Bibby Harris
Sierra ’83, Gwinn Earle Kneeland ’85,
Chelle Kelaher ’86, Tod Hyche ’86,
Jonathan Breazeale ’87, Montague
Laffitte ’96, Brett Lanzl ’02, Brett
Rhyne ’06, and Chandler Catazaro ’09.
Good sports all, they scored a good time
and proved they “still got game”!
Upcountry History Museum continued from previous page
Edinburgh, Scotland, along with Marilyn Mullinax’s stained glass interpretation of the
school seal, offered a tiny glimpse of the caliber of our talented faculty.
The exhibit could not possibly pay tribute to all the people who have left their mark on
CCES in 50 years, but it conveyed the vitality of the school and its pursuit of excellence in
all areas. ■
Portrait in Philanthropy
School Board Chair Edgar M.
Norris, Jr.: Belief in the School,
Faith in Its Future by Alice Baird
In May, a few days before Commencement, I sat down with Edgar Norris at his offices downtown to discuss
his steadfast investment of time, talents, and resources in CCES. His is a commitment that has extended years
beyond the graduation of his last child to attend the school, Anne Keating Norris ’05. What emerged is a
picture of his fidelity to a family tradition of philanthropy, and of his intensely held belief in the school’s power to
transform individual lives—and the life of the Greenville community.
Over the years in Greenville, you have
served on numerous community boards,
such as the Greenville Symphony and
the Furman Advisory Board, and you
have supported numerous non-profit
organizations here. Yet, clearly, CCES
has become a personal philanthropic
priority. Why?
My father has always had a strong belief in
education. He had seven grandchildren, and
they all attended CCES. He recognized the
strong academic programs at the school, and
he knew that the talented faculty delivered
remarkable results. He supported the future
of CCES by giving to the school endowment.
Like him, I understand the value of an
independent education. I spent five years
in boarding school at the Woodbury Forest
School in Orange, VA, and the education
I received there was one of the greatest
building blocks for the rest of my life.
While my last child graduated from CCES
in 2005, I had three children before her who
benefitted from the school’s talented faculty.
I began a school board term in 2001, and
today, even after nine years on the board,
I have as much love and enthusiasm
for CCES as ever. The last ten years in
the life of the school have seen so many
accomplishments through the leadership of
Dr. Lee Cox, and this has inspired me and
others to remain connected to Greenville’s
most important college preparatory school.
Even if I didn’t have grandchildren, I would
want this institution to be successful beyond
my lifetime. There were a lot of people
before me who made it possible for my
children to attend CCES, and I want to do
the same for tomorrow’s students.
Philanthropy is something that is partly
learned, through family traditions and
history. Look at the example of Bill and
Linda Gates and Warren Buffet. They are
not leaving the bulk of their fortunes to
their families. Their wealth, coupled with
their philanthropic visions, will have a huge
impact on society. Of course, even if you’re
not Bill Gates, you can have an impact. I
wanted to focus on helping one institution
primarily, and that is CCES. And through
my support of the school, I believe I am also
strengthening Greenville.
Your support of the school has included
substantial cash gifts, but you have also
given gifts of life insurance and stock. Is
this a good way to support CCES?
Gifts of stock or appreciated securities
are a popular way to fund charitable
gifts. This method is often a win-win for
the donor and the recipient, offering tax
advantages to the giver and tangible assets
to the institution. Unfortunately, since the
economic downturn, a lot of people have
seen the appreciation in their investments
vanish. Deferred gifts are another option.
Perhaps they have a life insurance policy
they no longer need, or an asset they no
longer need to secure their personal financial
goals. Another method is a direct bequest
through a testamentary gift by will.
Everyone’s situation is different. Younger
families may not have the ability to give away
assets at the present time or even during
their lifetimes. In that case, they can further
their philanthropic goals through gifts of life
insurance, bequests, or charitable remainder
trusts. Institutions may not benefit
immediately from deferred gifts, but they are
valuable in helping to plan for the future.
In recent years the School Board has
made increasing our endowment
a priority. CCES currently has an
endowment of some $11 million. Why
isn’t that adequate?
For those who have the ability, a gift to the
endowment is a gift “in perpetuity.” It is a
gift that lives on, ensuring an institution’s
long-term sustainability. A one million
dollar addition to endowment would
provide the equivalent of approximately
three full tuitions per year. These are
monies that would otherwise need to come
from the school’s operating budget through
tuition.
Christ Church School’s reliance on tuition
revenues is way too high. Compared to
other institutions we benchmark against,
our endowment is about half of where it’s
supposed to be. A large endowment allows
the school to moderate tuition increases and
to keep tuition reasonable and affordable for
the entire school family.
Christ Church School is a critically
important asset for the Greenville
community and in order to ensure its
future, we have to have more endowment.
It is my desire, along with my wife
Stephanie, to look to the school’s future
needs to help secure it financially. We
particularly want to see help for minority
students with great promise and need. This
is why I am committing to a sacrificial gift
to the school’s endowment, in the form of
both current and deferred gifts.
You asked me earlier why I give, and the
answer is that I just love the school. It
becomes easy to give when you have such
connection and love for what CCES does for
our community. That connection lives on,
even though my children are no longer there.
Being a CCES parent was such a large part
of my life it would seem odd to break that
continued
Elizabeth Monroe
’10, along with other
members of the
Student Council, serve
School Board Chair
Edgar Norris at the
Annual Giving Pancake
Breakfast held on
February 16.
Endowment helps us attract diverse
student populations and provide aid to
children with need—I think everybody
at some point in their lives has some kind
of need and has the right to call on others
for assistance. Endowment also helps us
ensure the quality of the faculty. They are
the ones who deliver value to individual
students, and in order to attract and retain
quality faculty at competitive salaries
without having huge increases in tuition,
we need a strong endowment.
It becomes easy to give
when you have such
connection and love for
what CCES does for our
community.
connection. And seeing how my mother and
father both loved the school, and then my
bringing Francis Smith there and having him
be adopted by the school, it was easy for me to
make giving to CCES my personal priority.
That was really such a special chapter in
the school’s history.
It really was. Dr. Smith was like a father
to me, and it was a privilege for me to
introduce him to CCES. His initial
motivation was to do something to honor
his wife while he was still living. He wanted
to give back to the community where he
had lived all of his adult life. But once
he got to know CCES and the school
increasingly adopted him, what started as
a memorial gift to build the chapel became
so much more than that. The connection
and love that grew up between him and the
school was something very special.
As is your connection and love for CCES.
Thank you, Edgar. ■
Editor’s Note: The Chapel of the Good
Shepherd was given by Dr. Francis T. Smith,
whose extraordinary gift and generosity of spirit
helped to create both a lasting memorial to
his wife, Martha, and a profound impact on
generations of CCES students.
A Lifelong Global Outlook continued from page 51
the UAE, we lived in an upscale apartment
complex with other Emiratees and western
professionals. It was no different than life
in any major city of the world, with the
exception that there was a mosque on almost
every street corner awakening the faithful to
prayer at 5 in the morning.
Beware of Road Surprises
My favorite road sign in the UAE read,
“Beware of road surprises,” a reference
to the locals’ dangerous driving and love
of speed. Paved roads are a relatively new
phenomenon in the desert, and perhaps
that is why the average street curb is 12 –
18 inches high, compared to our standard
6-inch-high curb. But “beware of road
surprises” can also be a reminder to any
expatriate that there is always something
new to be learned, something exciting and
unpredictable to be experienced in a foreign
land.
Since we returned from the Middle East
in late 2003, we have traveled to distant
locations such as Mauritius, Thailand,
and New Zealand. We actively promote
international travel to the next generation of
our family. Edith and I returned this past
summer from a tour of Morocco, where
we took our niece, Adele Stewart, daughter
of Caroline Batson Stewart ’75, now a
freshman at Georgetown University. As a
result of her travels to Morocco, Adele has
signed up for an international exchange
program through Georgetown. While in
Morocco, the three of us were guests of a
US embassy official whom Edith and I met
while living in the UAE. Living overseas
exposed me to the US government officials
posted in various nations around the world.
The US Foreign Service is certainly worth
examining as a career field.
With technology, the world has flattened
dramatically. The current students at
CCES will live in a highly integrated and
interconnected global community, which
they must be prepared to embrace. Today
the International Baccalaureate programs at
CCES have somewhat formalized this global
outlook as part of the curriculum. But it
was always there. In fact, for me, it started
a generation ago as a member of Christ
Church’s first graduating class. ■
Rip Parks, AIA, ACHA is managing principal
of DesignStrategies in Greenville, SC. He is
a graduate of Clemson University, Boston
University, and Washington University in St.
Louis.
aCCESs
Alumni News
A Message from Your CCES
Alumni Association President
2010-11 CCES Alumni
Association Governing Board
As your CCES Alumni Association president, I write to you with enthusiasm and
school pride to update you on the upcoming association activities.
Elizabeth Reyner Gross ’87
President
We have now concluded our yearlong celebration of the first 50 great years at
CCES. Hopefully, you had an opportunity to join your classmates for one of
the many fabulous and successful events hosted during this time. If you did not,
I encourage you to find time not only to visit the school and see for yourself the
growth and excitement the school has experienced, but also to reach out to a
classmate and rekindle that Cavalier friendship. No matter how long it has been,
we all still share the Cavalier bond that is filled with pride, spirit, and long-lasting
memories. A special “thank you” to all of those alumni who participated in, hosted,
or helped to coordinate the commemorative activities.
Bern DuPree ’98
Vice President
Many of us appreciate and recognize the opportunities that CCES has provided.
As alumni, we must strive to strengthen, protect and improve CCES so that future
students will experience the same opportunities we have, if not more. This year
the Alumni Association will host a Clay Shooting Tournament, Alumni Christmas
Party, Oyster Roast, and Golf Tournament, and will participate in the school fundraising gala, the Cavalier Evening.
I am excited to share with you a new concept being launched this year. We are
starting the Cavalier Alumni Club, a group of alumni dedicated to achieving the
above-mentioned goals via events and activities. Each city will have its own local
chapter of the Cavalier Club. Please look for more information coming to you this
fall and consider taking an active role in the new Cavalier Club.
As president it is my goal to continue the forward momentum of the Alumni
Association. It is my intention to do so by continuing the activities of last year’s
board. Along with those activities, we will add additional opportunities for alumni
and others to participate in the growth of CCES.
The Cavalier students’ enthusiasm and achievements continue to exceed previous
levels of accomplishments; you don’t want to miss out on sharing the pride that
comes with each of these new milestones. I urge each of you to make the time to
get involved, enjoy attending alumni events, or just coming to a school sporting
event or artistic performance. You’ll be reminded, once again, of what a great place
CCES continues to be.
Debi Reyner Roberts ’88
Secretary
Kelly Sherman Ramirez ’83
Treasurer
Scott Burgess ’03
Ernest Crosby ’95
Rob Eney ’96
Dorthe Hall ’03
Marie Clay Hall ’75
Andreana Horowitz ’03
John Jennings ’84
Silvia Travis King ’96
Blair Dobson Miller ’00
Gunn Murphy ’03
Park Owings ’82
Martha Wilson Quinn ’80
Taite Quinn ’03
Liza Wilson Ragsdale ’99
Bill Runge ’87
Katherine Russell Sagedy ’89
Elizabeth Marion Short ’01
Jennifer Taylor Sterling ’80
Courtney Tollison ’95
Frank Williams ’82
Hope to see you this fall,
Elizabeth Reyner Gross ’87
2010-2011 President
CCES Alumni Association
Alumni News
2010-11 Calendar of Alumni Events
Save These Dates!
August
16 Alumni Association Board Meeting
September
17 Cavalier Sporting Clay Tournament,
RiverBend Sportsman Resort, Inman, SC
October
1
Homecoming/ Sports Hall of Fame Induction, VIP Dinner,
Upper School, Dining Room
November
December
14 23 Alumni Association Board Meeting
Alumni Christmas Party, TBA
January
18 21 Alumni Association Board Meeting
Alumni Phonathons
February
TBA Oyster Roast, TBA
March
15 18 25-27 Alumni Association Board Meeting
Cavalier Classic Golf Tournament
Alumni Celebration Week: Alumni Career Program, Alumni Reunion Parties (Classes of 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006), Alumnae vs. Varsity Field Hockey Game and Family Picnic, Alumni Chapel; various locations
April
30 A Cavalier Evening, Carolina First Center
May
17 28 70 | Highlights Fall 2010
Alumni Association Board Meeting
Commencement, Christ Church downtown
Alumni News
The Art of Successful Failure:
Remarks by Missy Park ’80
Alumni Career Program Keynote
Speaker March 19, 2010
Missy Park is the Founder and President of Title Nine, a multi-channel retailer that focuses on women’s athletic
apparel and sportswear that is comfortable, functional, and looks great. A National Merit Semifinalist and fivesport athlete, she was voted Most Athletic in the yearbook and was inducted into the CCES Sports Hall of Fame
in 1999.
My career, really my life story, is not a story of
one success piling rapidly on top of the next.
I subscribe more to the Winston Churchill
school of thought: “Success is moving
enthusiastically from failure to failure.” That’s
what I’d like to talk to about today: this idea of
failing faster to succeed sooner.
Whatever success I’ve had in life, I attribute
to the fact that I am very, very good at
failure. I try to do it quickly and cheaply, I
take what learning I can from my mistakes,
and then I forget them. I try not to dwell on
them and to move on quickly. And a funny
thing happens as I move enthusiastically
from failure to failure: I actually start to get
better at what I’m doing.
In seventh grade, I tried out for the junior
varsity basketball team but didn’t make the
cut. That just taught me that I had to get a
better jump shot. [Editor’s Note: In Grade 8,
she won the basketball Most Improved Award.]
When I put together my first catalog Title
Nine catalog, I mailed the 30,000 copies
I could afford, even though everyone said
I needed to mail 250,000. I got exactly
13 orders—four from folks I didn’t know.
Smarter people might have quit. But I
noticed something about every one of those
first 13 orders: each one included a sports
bra. You better believe we included a lot
more sports bras in our next catalogs. Today,
we mail out over 30 million
catalogs, and we sell close to half
a million sports bras a year.
That first catalog was ugly and a
failure by anybody’s estimation.
But it was cheap, and we got a
whole lot of learning without
losing our shirts. And what we
learned from that failure paved
the way for the successes we’re
experiencing now.
We are so serious about the
value of failure that every year
Title Nine holds a Big Mistake
Contest for our employees. It’s
one way we share what we have learned.
But once we’ve made the mistakes and learn
from them, we move on. Then it’s time to
move on to new mistakes, new learning.
The Perfect Time to Learn the Art
of Successful Failure
She may be the
successful President
of a thriving multimillion dollar company,
but Missy Park ’80
is enthusiastic about
failure.
If you ask me, high school is the perfect
time to begin to learn the art of successful
failure. It’s the time to make mistakes and
practice failure with gusto. While the stakes
may seem high to you now, trust me when I
tell you that the stakes only get higher.
And CCES has created the perfect
environment for each of you to learn how
continued
Alumni News
to make mistakes, to push you outside your
comfort zone, right up to and over the brink
of failure. And that brink, that place called
failure—well, that is the learning place.
Seniors, your Senior Theses are soon due.
Guess what? They are not all going to go
perfectly, but regardless of how they go,
you’ve already put yourself on the road
to success by attempting something quite
difficult. You’ve probably learned things
that would not have been possible had you
stayed within your comfort zone.
To this year’s casts of South Pacific and A
Midsummer Night’s Dream—I’m guessing
each of you who participated in those
productions had some moments of failure
and learning on your way to success.
Georgia Haas and Katie
Thomason, senior co-captains
of the CCES 2010 Girls’ State
Champion Basketball Team,
surprised Missy Park with the
gift of a basketball signed
by the whole team. It now
occupies a place of honor in the
offices of Title Nine.
And how about that girls basketball state
championship team? Just one big success,
right? Well, actually, wrong. I watched
the video of the entire game on the school’s
website, and even in that championship
game there were plenty of mistakes. But
the team came up with new strategies and
pulled together. It worked. They won.
Mistakes Are Our Friend,
Failure Our Teacher
Mistakes are our friend, failure our teacher.
But unless we are
willing to risk the
mistake, we forego
the opportunity
to learn. CCES
provides many
opportunities
for failure—and
success. There are
39 sports teams,
small classes, the
Blue Belles, the
Cavalier Express,
the Hellenian, and
both AP and IB
curricula, to name
a few.
“Whatever success I’ve had
in life, I have to attribute to
the fact that I am very, very
good at failure.”
Now, folks might not have told you this,
but all of the activities and opportunities
available here, combined with the small and
nurturing environment that is CCES, are
set up to allow each and every one of you to
learn from failure.
To sum up, I want to offer a primer on
Successful Failure in High School:
1. The most important step is to start. Just
do it! The easiest way to start is to start
small: start with lay-ups and then move
up to three-pointers.
2. Do something every day that makes you
a little nervous, something where the
outcome is in doubt, and do it for the
rest of your life. Raise your hand in class,
run for student government, try out for
a play or a sport, write an article for the
Cavalier Express. Note that I did not say
make a team, get elected to office. The
value and the learning come from the
process of trying and trying and trying
and learning and learning and learning.
3. A successful failure depends on what
you learn and not what other people
think. Nowhere in the anatomy of a
successful failure do I talk about what
other people think of your failure or
performance. There is no better time
or place to practice and learn successful
failure than in high school.
And there is probably no better school than
CCES.
So, go out there and fail, fail with gusto,
and fail with enthusiasm, fail publicly and
fail privately, but above all, fail faster and
learn quickly. Make that your formula for
success. ■
Alumni News
Alumni Oyster Roast Draws a Crowd
Whether it was the free oysters, a chance to escape the wintry chill of February, or the opportunity to mingle with
friends and former teachers, the Alumni Oyster Roast on February 18 drew a crowd at Oysters on the West End.
Greenville area alumni are welcome to next February’s oyster roast. Even if you don’t like oysters, you’ll like the
fellowship and the conversation!
It may have been the free oysters,
it may have been the friends,
that drew, from left, Allison
Buck Ellis ’00, Bart Ellis ’96,
Foster McKissick ’00, Michael
Short and his (then) future wife,
Elizabeth Marion ’01, to the
Alumni Oyster Roast last February.
The Class of 1993 was well
represented. Catching up on all
the latest, from left, were former
classmates Lillian Prevost
Monroe, Wesley Walker,
Christine Baldwin Perkins,
Leigh Ann Wellons, and Kathy
Vaughn Jones.
Silvia Travis King ’96, far left,
chaired the party, which was
sponsored by the CCES Alumni
Association. She was joined by
Dorthe Hall ’03, Greta Reed
’00, Allison Buck Ellis ’00, and
former science teacher Diana
Stafford for a photo.
Alumni News
Matt Brashier ’10 Selected
for 2010 Billy Richardson
Sportsmanship Award
Matt Brashier ’10, characterized by CCES
Head Football Coach Don Frost as “a
good leader who always practiced good
sportsmanship on and off the field,” was
honored with the 2010 Billy Richardson
Sportsmanship Award. The award was
established by the Class of 1981 to honor
the memory of classmate Billy Richardson
and is given each year to a deserving
member of the football team who “best
portrays the same qualities so admired in
Billy: a true team player who displays the
utmost in sportsmanship and in dedication
to his team.” The award was presented
to Brashier at the annual football banquet
held on January 10, 2010. Billy’s parents
and sisters Kitty Richardson Allen ’76,
Gladys Richardson Wooten ’83, and
Liz Richardson Ursy were on hand to
congratulate Matt and his family. ■
From left, Matt’s parents, Angela and Ted Brashier, Coach Don Frost, award-winner Matt
Brashier, and Billy Richardson’s parents, Lib and Billy Richardson, at the presentation in honor
of Billy Richardson ’81.
Alumni News
Cavalier Classic Golf
Tournament Raises $8,000
Many thanks to sponsor Kent Wool, our
loyal golfers and volunteers for making the
2010 Cavalier Classic such a success! A
change in venue brought participants to
the beautiful Furman Golf Club, where the
Alumni Association played hard in order to
be able to donate $8,000 to the Dr. Georgia
Frothingham Scholarship Endowment.
This endowment, named for the beloved
Latin teacher, provides financial aid to
children of alumni.
Mark your calendar now for the 2011
Cavalier Classic to be held on March 18,
2011. Any interested players, eighteen years
and older, are welcome to participate and
compete for bragging rights. ■
All smiles for this year’s winning
team! They are former School
Board Chair Rod Grandy, current
CCES parents Ron Rasmussen and
Tom Fox, and current school board
member Mark Daniels.
Many thanks to the Alumni Golf
Tournament Committee volunteers
who organized the tournament. Here,
taking a well-deserved break, are,
from left, Andreana Horowitz ’03,
Golf Chair Debi Reyner Roberts
’88, Kelly Sherman Ramirez ’83,
Slivia Travis King ’96, and Co-Chair
Dorthe Hall ’03.
Alumni News
Alumnae Field Hockey:
Stickin’ With It!
The annual Alumnae Field Hockey
game always draws a crowd during
Alumni Celebration Weekend.
These women love to compete
against the “kids” on the current
varsity team—and, as usual, to win!
Once a coach, always a coach.
Three former CCES field hockey
coaches, from left, Ann Hassold,
Diana Stafford, and Connie Lanzl,
line up with current coach
Lindsay Mosley.
Alumni News
Alumni Weekend Tennis:
We Are the Champions!
Bottom, at the alumni tennis matches
held during Alumni Celebration
Weekend, Chelle Zimmerman
Kelaher ’86 shows her great form
with this forehand shot...
…and Libba Galloway ’75 springs
into action to win the point!
Alumni News
Southern Hospitality, CCES Style!
CCES on the Road made it to Charleston,
SC, on December 3, 2009, for a taste of
southern hospitality at its best. Wendy
and Allen Gibson ’75 kindly opened their
beautiful, shot-gun style home, just a few
blocks from the Battery, to all Charleston
area alumni, and what a lovely evening it was!
Kicking off the Christmas season with
CCES President Lee Cox and Headmaster
Leonard Kupersmith were CCES alumni
John Blincow ’77; Sally McKissick Coen
’81 and her husband, Richard; Barbara
and Rod Connell ’75; Joe Nicholson
’83; Amanda Travis Parrott ’97 and her
husband, Will Parrott ’97; new father
Andy Schwartz ’97; and Manning and
Rebekah Hughes Unger ’90.
Allen Gibson ’75 and
his wife Wendy extended
their gracious hospitality
for a CCES on the Road
reunion in Charleston last
December.
If you are living in the Charleston area and
don’t want to miss the next CCES on the
Road, please send your e-mail and mailing
address to the CCES Alumni Office at
[email protected] or go to our website and click
“Update Your Information” on the alumni
page. Hope to see ya’ll next time! ■
CCES on the Road in New York
Mary Jane Hipp ’63 and
Charlie Brock in the foyer
of their home in New York
City. Mary Jane graciously
hosted 20 CCES alumni,
administrators, and guests
in a January “CCES on the
Road” reunion.
Alumni Celebration Week: Class Reunions
The Class of 1975:
Sweet (Edible) Memories
From top to bottom:
The Class of 1975 is leaving a special legacy
at CCES, as several have children who are
second-generation CCES alumni and current
students. In that special group are Spiro
Conits, Marie Clay Hall, John Kittredge,
Caroline Richardson Mahaffey, Smyth
McKissick, Charlie and Rachel Ellison
Mickel, Jeff Outten, Doug Page, Musette
Williams Stern, and Roger Stone.
Ah, such sweet memories!
From left, favorite reunion party guest Jackie
Suber with “retired” class agents Marie Clay
Hall, Roger Stone, and his wife, Debbie.
Marie and Roger arranged the party, and the
Stones opened their home for the gathering.
The Class of 1980:
A Very Special Guest Appearance
Class agent Jack Rogers gathered the Class
of 1980 together for a two-part reunion
party that began with drinks at Barley’s
Tap Room in downtown Greenville and
continued with a brief walk to Soby’s for a
stylish dinner. Headmaster Emeritus Rufus
Bethea expressed his special affection for
the class by making a guest appearance at
their 30th reunion. ■
Headmaster Emeritus Rufus Bethea ponders a
question from Susan Strain Brownlee at the
30th reunion of the Class of 1980.
From left, Holly Horton McCall and her
husband, Jeff McCall, with class agent Jack
Rogers are already hatching plans for their
35th reunion party.
Above, still friends after all these years.
Looking friendly, but like they mean
business nonetheless are, from left,
Falls Harris, Chris Robinson, Brad
Parham, and Bruce Kintz.
Class of 1985:
Jammin’ Together
There were plenty of good vibes at the Class
of 1985 reunion, held at Karen and Nelson
Arrington’s home and arranged by Pepper
Horton. And when the group wasn’t
laughing, they were jamming to the sounds
of Louis Sagedy’s guitar.
Now that’s a reunion: Louis Sagedy hugs
the former teacher he dubbed “Jackie
Gaddy Suber (frajalistic).”
Lost Alumni
Help us locate these “lost” alumni so they can
be a part of their class reunion in 2011. Please
contact Viviane Till, CCES Director of Alumni
Programs, at [email protected] or call 864-2991522 x1294 with contact information.
Class of 1991
Marc Henriksen
Francisca van Leusden
Class of 1976
Bob Tucci
Elizabeth Donahoo Wilson
Class of 1996
Ryan Darby
Chris Evans
Monica Holmes
Paul McHugh
Class of 1981
Greg Hendershot
Brian King
Class of 2001
Mary Katherine Radin
Barrett Yoder
Class of 1986
Heather Burnett Davis
Geoffrey Selhorst
Holley Hollingsworth Todd
Class of 2006
Seif Abboud
Oliver Koenigsbruegge
Cavalier Classics:
Connecting Parents of
Alumni Since 1991
The Class of 1990:
Reuniting in Greenville’s
Fashionable West End
Check your mailbox this
spring for your annual
invitation to join Cavalier
Classics and attend the
Spring Luncheon on
Thursday, April 14, 2011.
Come for the fun, the food,
and the fellowship—and to
brag about what your kids
(or grandkids!) are doing
these days!
Class Agent Grayson Davis Marpes, center, is surrounded by classmates at the Fieldhouse Condo
of Clayton Hunt, back row, second from left. The well-situated condo, where the class held its
reunion, overlooks the Greenville Drive baseball field in downtown Greenville.
Alumni Christmas Merriment
Mark your calendars
for Thursday,
December 23, for
this year’s CCES
Alumni Christmas
Party! Enjoying some
holiday merriment
at the 2009 Alumni
Christmas Party
held at the Upstate
History Museum
were members of the
Class of 2002, from
left, Kevin Roe, Amy
Jacques, Ellen Daniel Stevens, Brooke Carpin, Lila Kittredge, Drew Perraut, and
his guest, Toby Quiranta.
The “Prolific” Class of 1995
by Marie Earle Pender ’95
Editor's Note: All ages reported in this piece were as of the time of the reunion in March.
The Class of 1995 met at the Blockhouse for
our 15-year reunion. As one visiting CCES
teacher noted, we have a prolific class! All
present had a least one child. Although there
was some talk of the economy, healthcare,
and jobs, many conversations revolved
around child psychology, first steps, and toilet
training—none of which CCES could have
ever prepared us for!
McFall Anderson is working with Drew
Sturtevant ’94 at Anvis Alarm. McFall and
Kelly have a two-year-old son, Thomas.
Brody Glenn and his wife, Tish, are
expecting their third child in April. Brody is
President of Centennial American Properties
and also chairman of the City of Greenville
Planning Commission.
Eden Kellet Martin and Steve have
Chappell, 3, and Annie, 15 months. Steve
has one more year of medical school in
Charleston and claims that they might
venture on to start a massage therapy office
together…..we wouldn’t put it past them!
Carter Little Meadors is the Marketing
Director for the Greenville Symphony.
Jack, 3, and JB, 19 months, make
symphonies of a different kind at home.
Her husband, Zane, has been working for
almost a year in business development with
Melloul Blamey Construction.
Hannah Rogers Metcalfe sported a most
becoming bulge, which was due to arrive
in June. She is a litigation lawyer with the
Wyche law firm.
Kayce Harper McCall and Donnie also have
two girls, Harper, 2, and Cason, 14 months.
Kayce works for the Solicitor’s Office in
Greenville.
Walt Wilkins ’92 is running for current
Solicitor Bob Ariail’s seat this fall.
Marie Earle Pender and Gibbon live
in Hendersonville, NC, with their three
children, Rogers, 6, Welles, 4, and Vardry, 1.
They own Buyer’s Edge, a home inspection
and radon mitigation company.
Andrew Pittinos and Winsy have a
Continued
Babies and toddlers
are high on the list
of things keeping
the Class of 1995 on
the go!
3-month-old baby boy. Andrew is a financial
advisor with Wells Fargo.
Farrah McCauley Redmond and Mike have
been back in Greenville for two years now.
They have two girls, India, 3, and Francesca,
18 months.
Andrew Shive and Jenna are expecting their
third child in September. Tanner, 4, and
Cady, 19 months, keep Andrew on the go
when he’s not working as a manufacturer’s
rep for Appalachian Sales Group.
Catharine Mebane Sturtevant and Drew
celebrated the birth of their daughter, Beverly,
in February. They also have a son, Lofton, 3.
Catherine Rainey Then is living in Saluda,
NC, with husband Travis and their two
daughters, Eliza, 3 years old, and Virginia, 6
months.
Brent Williams is a VP with South Financial
Group. He and wife Penn are also busy with
Annabel, 3, and Carter, 1. They certainly
kept Brent in shape for the half-marathon he
recently ran at Kiawah.
Here is some news from the few who could
not make it to the reunion, but sent updates:
Kendall McKenna Ashley wrote, “I am
living in New Orleans and love it. I still
work for Aveda; however, I recently started a
Holistic Nutrition and Wellness Coaching firm call Passion Fed Wellness. In addition
to running my company, I also teach Yoga. I
recently planted an organic garden, and I am
crossing my fingers it produces something.”
Will Holt said, “We’ve left Hawaii for the
foreseeable future and settled in Oakland. Our son, Raiden, is 14 months old. I’m a
gastroenterology fellow in San Francisco, and
that’s enough to keep us pretty busy, as you
can imagine!”
Scott Morton wrote, “Sara and I are now living
in Yarmouth, Maine, just north of Portland.
I am a sales manager for Webster Atlantic
Corporation, a publishing company. We just
launched a new statewide business magazine,
and I’ve been busy getting it off the ground.
On the ground we’re busy snowboarding and
hiking with our black lab, Cole.”
Jennifer Ogden Neher is living in San Diego
with her husband, John, and 2-year-old
son, Townsend. Her employer of almost
ten years, Blackbaud, moved her and her
family out there from Charleston in January
2009 after acquiring a San Diego-based
company. Jennifer now manages support for
Blackbaud’s Internet products, which include
Blackbaud NetCommunity and Blackbaud
Sphere. (Blackbaud is a software company
that creates products specifically for nonprofits. CCES is a client!) The Nehers are
hoping to move back to Charleston in June
2010 where Jennifer will continue to manage
her bicoastal team.
Marsha Kennedy wrote, “I’m into my second
year in Micronesia. I’m a staff attorney for the
Congress here…I love the expat lifestyle. I’m
planning to move on near the end of the year. I
am not ready to head back to the high tax rates
in the states nor to paying state plus federal
income taxes. So, I’ll probably be moving on
to another international location when I leave
here. Also, I’m working on setting up a new
website, LawyersAbroad.com.”
We look forward to seeing you all again in
2015! ■
Cavalier Sporting Clay
Tournament
Friday, September 17
You don’t have to be a crack shot
to have some fun at the Annual
Cavalier Sporting Clay Tournament,
and it’s not too late to make your
reservation for the 2010 event, to
be held Friday, September 17, at
RiverBend Sportsmans Resort. Call
864-299-1522 x1294 or e-mail
[email protected] to reserve your spot!
Lazy? Not the Class of 2000!
They just happened to choose The
Lazy Goat in downtown Greenville for
their tenth reunion. Above, some of
the go-getters of the class, who were
joined by a few favorite teachers,
including party animals, seated,
front row, Jean Cochran, Jackie
Suber, Faye Jay; and standing,
Diane Stafford; the former faculty
members made the rounds to all
the evening’s class reunions via the
“Cavalier Cruiser.” Many thanks to
Allison Buck Ellis ’00 and Grace
Hungerford Trail ’00 for arranging
the high-energy get-together!
1989 & 2010 Casts of South Pacific
Share Some Enchanted Evening
“You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught,” goes
one of the songs in South Pacific, considered
controversial when the show first opened
because of its commentary on prejudice.
But the only controversy surrounding the
CCES spring performance of a musical
some consider the greatest ever written was
whether the 1989 or the 2010 cast did a
more magical job. The verdict: since both
casts were carefully taught by music director
Molly Aiken, it was a tie.
Several members of the 1989 cast were in
the audience at the current production
and spoke to the lead players following
the performance. Mrs. Aiken said she
specifically chose to stage South Pacific for
the school’s 50th anniversary year because
of its historical significance and powerful
message—and, of course, its memorable
songs. ■
It proved an enchanted evening indeed
for, from left, Robin Bettger Fishburne
’92 (Ensign Betty Pitt from the 1989 CCES
cast), Director Molly Aiken, Cody Cobb
’10 (Emile de Becque), and both Nellie
Forbushes, Heather McCall ’10 and
Maggie Parham Murdock ’90.
Class News
Class News
Catherine Wrenn Gibellino to
Jon Gibellino on May 29, 2010.
MARRIAGES
Jim Ryan to Amanda Herron in
March 2009.
1967
2001
Arthur Miller, to Roberta
Beck Connolly, in an Episcopal
ceremony at the Church of the
Heavenly Rest in New York City.
Patrick McInerney to Betsy
Heckert McInerney on March
13, 2010, in Birmingham, AL.
Among the attendants were the
groom’s sisters, Meghan ‘98,
Briana ‘04, and Katie ‘06, and
classmate Sanjay Rama ‘01.
1993
Gayle Brooker Wilkinson to
William Neilson Wilkinson III of
Memphis, TN, on May 22, 2010,
at Lowndes Grove Plantation in
Charleston, SC.
Thea Van der Zalm Pitzen to
Wayne Pitzen, Lieutenant Junior
Grade, United States Navy, on
June 5, 2010, in Greenville, SC.
1995
Angele Rishi to Ashish
Vakharia, on April 11, 2009, in a
traditional Indian wedding with
four days of celebrations, below.
Courtney Tollison ‘95 was one
of Angele’s bridesmaids.
2004
1995
Stephanie Nickell Holland to
James Holland,on June 6, 2010.
To Mary Beth Fischer Ginn and
husband, Stuart, a son, Charles
August, on September 10, 2009.
BIRTHS
To Janie Mebane Mobley and
husband, Joe, a daughter, Harriet
Wingfield.
1979
Bobby Stewart and wife,
Ann, adopted Elenore “Nellie”
Chengshun on September 21,
2009, in Guangdong Province,
China. She turned 2 on February
18, 2010.
1985
To Gwinn Earle Kneeland
and husband, Matt, a daughter,
Emilyn Prior Kneeland, born
October 30, 7 lbs., 13 oz., 20
inches long. Emilyn joins her
three older brothers, Hew, Herb,
and Henry, and older sister
Eleanor.
1989
To David Dixon and wife,
Melanie, a daughter, Emily
Marion Christine Dixon.
1990
Elizabeth Marion Short to
Michael Short, May 8, 2010,
at Christ Church in Greenville,
above. Among the wedding party
were alumni Katherine Ballard
‘01, Douglas Marion ‘04, Hunt
Marion ‘06, Foster McKissick
‘00, and Melissa Jimenez
Nocks ‘01.
2002
1999
Shelby Pool Ruehling to
Michael Ruehling, on July
3, 2010, at Christ Church
Episcopal. Amanda Pool ‘99,
Charlotte Pool ‘01, and Emily
Holt Siracusa ‘99 served in the
wedding party.
2000
Greta Reed Cleveland to
Harvey Cleveland ‘01, on June
26, 2010.
Adam David to Hayley Mize of
northern California on August 1,
2009.
2003
Pam Ryan Brueck to David
Brueck in April 2009.
Meagan Miller Haas to Zach
Haas, from Rhode Island, in
Greenville on May 1, 2010.
Alissa Green Yeargin to Charles
Yeargin ‘02, on May 15, 2010 in
Charleston, SC.
To Grayson Davis Marpes and
husband, Stephen, a son, Barrett
Alexander, on September 5,
2009.
1991
To Brooks Gibbins and wife,
Ashley, a daughter, Ashton Penn
Gibbins.
1993
To Amy McCauley Farnsworth
and husband, Stephen, a son,
Colin McCauley, on
March 26, 2010.
To Rory Payne Foster
and husband, Dolph, a
daughter, Evelyn “Evie”
Guerry, on February 26,
2010.
To Lillian Prevost
Monroe and husband,
John ‘88, a, John “Jack”
Riser, Jr. on April 9,
2010, right.
To Catharine Mebane
Sturtevant and husband, Drew, a
daughter, Beverly McGee.
To Josh Williams and wife, Julie
Yip-Williams, a daughter, Mia
Seng Williams, on October 23,
2009.
1996
To Montague Laffitte and wife,
Lauren Bell Laffitte ‘97, a son,
McNeill Jackson, born February
15, 2010.
To Jennifer Allison Reidenbach
and husband, K.B., a daughter,
Allison “Alli” Breeland, on March
11, 2010.
1997
To Sallie Small Holder and
husband, Paul, a daughter,
Catherine Scott, on May 24,
2010, weighing 7 lbs. 8 ozs.
To Annie Wood Parker and
husband, Drew, their first baby,
James Robert Parker, born
September 29, 2009.
To Amanda Travis Parrott and
husband, Will, a daughter, Elena
“Ellie” McCallum, on May 10,
2010, weighing 6 lbs. 12 oz.
To Kate Meyer Patterson and
husband, Alex, a son, Griffin
Meyer, born January 21, 2010.
Class News
DEATHS
1973
1973
Candy McCall
907-683-0149
[email protected]
Buck Mickel, on May 3, 2010.
CLASS NOTES
1964
1998
To Bern DuPree and wife, Mary,
a son, Frank Morris DuPree, III,
born on April 11, 2010, above.
To Elizabeth Cleveland
Kwitchen and husband, Jeff,
their first son, Wyatt Jeffrey, on
May 14, 2010.
To Rob Slater and wife, Jessica,
a daughter, Harper Jean, on May
7, 2010 at 3:30 p.m., weighing 7
lbs. 15 oz.
2000
To Blair Dobson Miller and
husband, Jon, a daughter,
Randy Stoneburner received two
honorary degrees from his alma
mater, Presbyterian College, in
2008: Doctor of Human Letters
and Doctor of Public Service.
After graduating from Tulane
Medical University, where he
received an M.D. degree, and
Harvard University, where he
received a master’s degree in
public health, he served as an
epidemiologist in the World
Health Organization. He is
currently the senior analyst for
United Nations AIDS in Geneva,
Switzerland.
1967
Francie Cochran Markham
returned to Zimbabwe for her
sixth mission trip last July, this
time traveling with her son,
Aaron, and his girlfriend, Casey.
They worked at the Fairfield
Children’s Home (fosakids.org) in
the 117 year-old Methodist Old
Mutare Mission Centre.
1972
Mary Jane Gilbert Jacques
[email protected]
Campbell Elizabeth, on March 8,
2010, above.
To Kristy Nix Young and
husband, Thomas, a son, Thomas
“Ty” Rudolph Young V, on July
7, 2010.
2002
To Lila Kittredge, a son, Murray
Jeffries Kittredge, on March 22,
2009.
To Brett Lanzl and wife, Abby
DeFronzo Lanzl ‘02, a daughter,
Ava Rose, born on December 9,
2009, weighing 6 lbs. 6 oz., 19
inches long, right.
Lucie Bethea Earhart became
a grandparent in April 2009
to Nathan, son of daughter,
Carolyn, and her husband, Daniel
Whittington. She reports, “Nathan
is not only our first grandchild but
also the first great-grandchild of my
father, Rufus Bethea.”
Gay Wallace Peden Sadly, Gay’s
husband, Don, passed away
suddenly on June 1.
1974
Elizabeth Bethea Patterson
[email protected]
615-353-0559
1975
CCES Alumni Office
[email protected]
864-299-1522 x1294
Bob Morgan writes, “As we
celebrate ten years back in
Greenville and ten years as realtors
with Prudential C. Dan Joyner,
our daughter Lauren married Chris
Winchester of Greenville on June
26. Both Clemson grads (Class
of 2009), they will live here in
Greenville after a honeymoon in
St Lucia. She works with Erwin
Penland, and he is with TIC
Properties. Life is amazing and
we are blessed!! Jennie and I also
celebrated our 25th on May 25th!!!
What a special year! We are blessed
with all three children. Robert is
a senior at Clemson, and Shirley
Ann is a junior at Greenville High.
Lee Moseley reports that he enjoys
writing and sports.
1976
Kirk Stone
[email protected]
864-235-5967
Elizabeth Webster Cotter ‘s
daughter, Beth, is a freshman at
Wake Forest, Caroline is a senior
at Wofford, and son, Junior, plays
football for Hammond School in
Columbia.
Gena Farr Haskell has been
named Head of the Advisory
Council for Camp Courage, a
camp for children with cancer
or blood disorders. Gena has
been involved with Pediatric
Hematology/Oncology for 25 years
and states, “We are so blessed to
have a camp for this population,
who otherwise would not get
to attend a summer camp. I
welcome any Cavaliers who
want to see the camp or become
involved in any way.”
John Walter has been appointed
to the Head position at The Wesley
School in North Hollywood,
CA. Wesley is a K-8 school whose
graduates go on to attend premiere
Los Angeles area schools, such as
Buckley, Harvard-Westlake and
Campbell Hall.
Laurie Steinman Watral has
started her own business, Raleigh
Geriatric Care Management
(www.rgcmgmt.com), a service to
assist the aging population and
adult children of aging parents
in sorting through the myriad
of services for the elderly. Her
oldest daughter, Jill, graduated
from UNC Chapel Hill in May;
her middle daughter traveled to
Israel for the summer; and her
youngest enjoyed the summer
working on her tennis skills.
1979
Lynda Harrison Hatcher
[email protected]
804-387-4873
Ted Hassold
[email protected]
864-271-7303
Sadly, Kitty Richardson Allen’s
husband, Tim, passed away on
March 16, 2010.
Ron Coleman is the chair of
the Litigation group at Parker,
Huydson, Rainer and Dobbs in
Atlanta. He and his wife have two
children, Will and Claire. Will
is a senior who will be attending
Sewanee next fall, and Claire is in
8th grade.
1977
Rebecca Clay
[email protected]
864-233-6650
Class News
Elizabeth McColl’s novel, Opening
Arteries, has been published by The
Main Street Rag in Charlotte.
Jan Shaw owns and operates The
Balance Institute in Columbia,
where she is in her ninth year of
providing personal training and
massage therapy.
1980
David Sagedy
[email protected]
864-422-0423
Nicie Yohn Phillips
[email protected]
Becky Wilson Ahlberg and her
husband, Greg, have just moved to
Evanston, IL, after living for four
years in Sydney, Australia. She is
working for the Southeast Regional
Sleep Disorder Center.
Caroline Gowan reports that eight
years ago, after 17 years on the
LPGA Tour, she became a PGA Tour
rep. She recently assumed the role of
Tour Rep for Sunice Outerwear, the
outerwear sponsor for the Winter
Olympics in Vancouver.
& Bartlett in New York City. She
is working full-time focusing on
the energy sector; she specializes
in project and energy finance, as
well as regulatory matters. She is
married and has two sons, 9 and 6
years old.
Travis Allison has released a new
album, Migrant Heart.
Charles Runge has opened
his own business, Advanced
Maintenance of Greenville/
Spartanburg, to service commercial
fleets at the customer’s business site.
1991
1985
Pepper Horton
[email protected]
864-234-5641
Christopher B. Roberts
864-271-9768
[email protected]
Harrison Kisner is living in
Greenville and has a six-yearold daughter, Elizabeth. He is
teaching full time at Clemson and
has a clinical therapy practice on
Cleveland Street in Greenville.
1987
Ross Grimball is living in Baton
Rouge, LA, with his wife and three
sons.
Katy Glenn Smith
[email protected]
864-271-3891
1981
Amy Bowles Propst reports
that her son, Patrick, is loving
kindergarten, and she is loving
being able to walk him to
school every day. Amy’s new
photography business is going
well. You may purchase her
photographic notecards at Roots
and at the Pickwick Pharmacy on
Augusta St. in Greenville. Amy
loves doing something creative
with her time and looks forward
to a successful Christmas season.
Check out her website at www.
amileephoto.com!
Allison Martin Mertens
[email protected]
864-233-9358
Maylon Hanold is leaving The
Overlake School as a sixth-grade
teacher after 13 years. She’ll
be homeschooling her son and
working as an adjunct professor
at Seattle University in the Sport
Administration and Leadership
Program.
1983
Scott Odom
[email protected]
650-596-0177
Jennie Arnau is touring the
country promoting her fourth
album, Chasing Giants.
1984
Daniel Varat
[email protected]
864-233-6340
Amy Therese Beller is an attorney
with the law firm Simpson Thacher
1989
C. Langdon Cheves III
[email protected]
864- 271-0962
Katherine Russell Sagedy
[email protected]
864-233-7932
1990
Grayson Davis Marpes
[email protected]
864-895-9399
Clayton Hunt's business, The
Graphic Cow Co., won the 2010
Greenville Chamber of Commerce
Small Business of the Year Award.
David Belk
[email protected]
502-742-1232
Mills Ariail
[email protected]
864-467-9015
Kate Sijthoff Snoots
[email protected]
704-708-5442
Wayne Hopkins has graduated
from Fuller Theological Seminary
with a Masters of Arts in Theology.
He started a revival-preaching series
in Greenville this spring and spent
the summer working to complete
his first book—more details to
come!
Charles Reyner Windsor/Aughtry
Co. named Charles Reyner, Jr.,
the new Broker in Charge. Reyner
will take over duties that Paul
C. “Bo” Aughtry III, one of the
company’s principals and president
of the commercial division, has
filled since the company was
founded 21 years ago.
1992
Micah Kee
[email protected]
770-962-4182
Clark Gallivan was named one of
Greenville First’s Best and Brightest
Under 35.
Chopper Johnson is about
to rejoin the ranks of college
undergraduates. After almost
fifteen years working in print
journalism in Charleston, SC,
with The Post and Courier and
the Charleston Regional Business
Journal, he is headed back to
the College of Charleston to
complete a double major in
history and education. He has
also started to tick off a longterm goal by beginning to hike
the Appalachian Trail. He hiked
76 miles over six days in May,
and headed back for another
seven days in August. (No Mark
Sanford jokes, please.)
1993
Nicole Swalm Bell
[email protected]
205-879-6702
Nicole Swalm Bell has joined
Marguerite Ramage Wyche ’65
at the Wyche Company, a new
real estate company in Greenville.
Leigh Anne Wellons is still at
GE, still single, and has two dogs
and a cat. She is also taking
classes towards a masters in
natural health.
Gayle Brooker Wilkinson and
her husband spent two weeks
traveling around Italy on their
honeymoon. They will continue
to live and work in Charleston,
SC.
1994
Anne Genevieve Gallivan
864-235-0705
Brooks Ariail Conner
[email protected]
864-236-9879
Katherine Aiken White
[email protected]
864-242-6634
1995
Marie Earle Pender
[email protected]
828-694-0733
Marsha Kennedy has passed the
FSM bar examination. She is also
a member of the FSM national bar
and the Pohnpei state bar. Marsha
is now a law clerk for the judges at
the Pohnpei State Supreme Court
in Micronesia.
Angele Rishi and husband,
Ashish, are living in Atlanta. She is
still practicing real estate litigation
at Weissman, Nowack, Curry &
Wilco, PC. Ashish practices general
and cosmetic dentistry.
Courtney Tollison spent five
months in western Ukraine
teaching American history as
a Fulbright Scholar. Courtney
traveled quite a bit throughout
the country and region, speaking
on behalf of the U.S. Embassy’s
Outreach program. She reports, “It
was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime
experience!” (See article this issue,
p. 56)
Class News
1996
David Sickinger
dsickinger@garvindesigngroup.
com
803-739-9695
Do you enjoy Highlights?
Do you appreciate your CCES education?
Sam R. Zimmerman
b.zimmerman@gordian-group.
com
864-288-0326
Do you treasure your CCES friends?
Do you contribute to Annual Giving?
Tina Block traveled to the
Bahamas last summer for her
father’s 65th birthday, and she
ended up getting engaged!
Last year 12% of CCES alumni participated in Annual Giving.
Lizzy Holt Delfino has just earned
her Ph. D. in Epidemiology at
Tulane University in New Orleans.
This year, our goal is 25%.
Jennifer Allison Reidenbach
continues to operate her speechlanguage private practice, Allison
Therapeutics. Her husband, K.B.,
is an SEM analyst manager with
Levelwing Media in Mt. Pleasant,
SC.
Whether you can give $25 or $2,500, your participation in our 2010-11
Annual Giving campaign is important.
By participating, you affirm the value of a CCES education in your own life, and you help ensure
that today’s students will enjoy an excellent education too.
Mimi Yarborough Webb and
her husband, Paul, are living
in Simpsonville with their two
daughters, Rebecca and Mia, and
Paul’s son, Eli.
Your Annual Giving investment provides dividends not only today, but also in
the future. As an essential part of the school’s operating budget, Annual Giving helps
CCES meet the challenges of preparing today’s students for a future of integrity,
collaboration, achievement, and responsibility.
1997
Bentley DeGarmo
[email protected]
410-347-0007
For more information on Annual Giving and how to participate go to www.cces.org and click
on Giving to CCES. Or call Dolly Durham, Director of Annual Giving, at 864-331-4242.
Kathleen Meyer Patterson
[email protected]
229-247-1110
Sarah Rogoff
[email protected]
864-420-4899
Sallie Small Holder and her
family have moved to Charleston.
Lauren Bell Laffitte and husband,
Montague ’97, have a new baby,
McNeill, who “is such a wonderful
addition to our family. Big
brother, Monty IV, is really sweet
to him when he’s not throwing
baseballs his way.”
Annie Wood Parker and
husband, Drew, have started their
own real estate business, The
Parker Company, specializing in
residential and commercial real
estate in the Greenville area.
Kate Meyer Patterson and her
husband, Alex, are living in
Valdosta, GA, where they now
have three children, Ellen (4),
Campbell (3), and Griffin (9
months). Kate is the Preschool
Director at First United
Methodist Church Preschool,
and Alex is the Executive
Director of The Presbyterian
Home of Georgia.
Stacy Small Smallwood After
a year of hard work, Sallie has
re-launched her website with
an entirely new design to make
shopping easier. Check out her
website at www.hampdenclothing.
com.
1998
Anna Johnson
[email protected]
859-245-8598
James D. Sparkman IV
[email protected]
864-616-5985
Kelson McKnew
[email protected]
864-277-4064
Robbie Cunningham has
moved back from the “Left
Coast” to the “Right Coast” to
practice law in Washington, DC.
Katherine L. Sickinger
[email protected]
864-277-8166
Anna Johnson, still living in
Lexington, KY, is now working
for the National Thoroughbred
Racing Association. She was
4th in the 2009 National
Reining Horse Association
Rookie of the Year Finals in
Oklahoma City.
1999
Craig Ragsdale
[email protected]
864-420-6983
Kenneth Cosgrove was appointed
to the SC Tax Re-Alignment
Commission by the Chairman of
the Ways & Means Committee
in the House of Representatives,
Dan Cooper. Kenneth has since
been named Chair of the Fuel Tax
Subcommittee.
David Hamilton has moved back
to Greenville after nine years in
Florida. He continues to travel and
work as a freelance sports TV host/
reporter, but is happy to be back in
Class News
the Upstate. David was featured
as senior reporter on the 2009
Butkus Award TV Special on Fox
Sports Net, broadcast on national
television.
Kelson McKnew is still in Sumter,
SC, working as an assistant solicitor
and really enjoying criminal
prosecution. She is also still
teaching kickboxing, lifting, and
abs classes at the local YMCA.
Kelly Gavron Scoggins completed
her MBA and graduated with
honors from the McCombs School
of Business at the University of
Texas at Austin in May 2010. She
will be joining the investment
management division of Goldman,
Sachs & Co. as a private wealth
advisor in Houston, TX. Kelly
and her husband, Drew, recently
celebrated her graduation and
their five-year wedding anniversary
with a trip to England, Italy, and
Austria.
Russ Wagner, a media sales
representative for WYFF-TV and
an active member of the Kiwanis
Club, shaved his head as part
of a fundraiser for St. Baldrick’s
Day, held last March 14 as part
of “Shaving the Way to Conquer
Kids’ Cancer.” Last year’s efforts
raised $50,000 locally for a grant to
the Greenville Children’s Hospital
Cancer Center.
2000
Allison Buck Ellis
[email protected]
864-414-1472
Grace Hungerford Trail
[email protected]
864-630-2360
Lauren Jacques graduated from
Dental School at MUSC in May,
2010.
Amanda Lanzl Salas and her
husband, Dan, and Bernese
Mountain Dog puppy now live in
Charlotte. Dan received his MBA
degree from University of Texas
in May and is working at Bank
of America. Amanda starts work
in September as Development
Manager for Teach for America.
Melissa Morrow Threatt recently
spent a day at the CCES Lower
School giving presentations to
each class of second-graders,
relating to their “Communities”
and “World of Work” units of
inquiry. Melissa has BS degrees
in architecture and Spanish
from Clemson, and an MS in
architecture from LSU. She
and her husband live in Easley,
where he is a Ph.D. candidate
in architecture at Clemson.
Melissa prepared a PowerPoint
presentation for the students, and
shared architectural models she
created during her undergraduate
program at Clemson and for her
terminal project at LSU. She also
presented the LS art room with a
favorite book by Leo Leoni. “The
students were fascinated,” reports
LS art teacher Marilyn Mullinax,
who added, “Maybe one of these
young students will decide that
architecture is what they’d like to
do!”
Chelsea White has completed her
masters in social work degree and
is working with families that have
children with significant mental
health issues.
2001
Rutledge Johnson
[email protected]
Lauren Sheftall
[email protected]
K.B. Ballard is living with
Meghan McInerney ‘98. She just
returned from Ecuador, where she
was working at the U.S. Embassy.
Esther Lee is working on her
Ph.D. in Sport Management from
the University of Georgia.
Elizabeth Provence McMillian
and husband, Everett, live in
Greenville with their dog, Hunter.
2002
Brooke Carpin
[email protected]
512-694-5233
Moutray McLaren
[email protected]
864-246-5285
Adam David, a corporal in the
United States Marine Corps,
recently returned from combat
duty in Afghanistan, after
completing his third tour in the
Middle East. He and his wife,
Hayley Mize, currently reside in
Placentia, California.
Amy Jacques, as part of the
editorial team at PR Tactics, the
monthly newspaper published by
the Public Relations Society of
America, has received two industry
awards for editorial excellence, the
APEX and the Magnum Opus
awards.
Drew Perraut is currently working
as a regulatory policy analyst
at the Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs in the
Executive Office of the President in
Washington, DC.
Charlie Yeargin and Alissa Green
‘03 were married on May 15,
2010, in Charleston, SC. They will
continue to reside in Greenville,
SC, where Alissa works as a speechlanguage pathologist at Greenville
Memorial Hospital and Charlie
works as a LEED- accredited
professional and IT consultant
at Yeargin Potter Shackelford
Construction.
2003
Ashley Page Mooney
[email protected]
864-616-1069
Britten Meyer Carter
[email protected]
864-380-5795
Caitlin Wood
[email protected]
864-238-8762
Meagan Miller Haas is working
as an RN at St. Joseph’s Chandler
Hospital on the orthopedic floor
along with her husband, Zach.
He graduated with a BS degree in
nursing from Columbia University
in New York City in May 2009.
Daniel Holman has been accepted
into the Peace Corps and assigned
to Botswana as an advisor to a small
non-governmental organization
(NGO) called Light and Courage
in Francistown, Botswana, that
provides palliative care for people
living with HIV. His first three
months in Botswana were spent in
training, living with a host family to
learn the language and culture. He
writes, “I will be helping Light and
Courage expand their services for
AIDS patients and possibly work on
HIV prevention in the community,
and will live in Botswana until June
of 2012.” He began volunteering
at a local HIV/AIDS group in Reno
called Northern Nevada Outreach
Team (NNOT), “and it quickly
opened my eyes to how much
disease impacts our lives,” Holman
said of his decision to join the Peace
Corps. “I look forward to learning
more about the impact HIV/AIDS
has had in Botswana and working
to address it from a grass roots
level.”
Graham Moseley has been sent by
the Navy to Charleston for three
months. He is thrilled to be back
in SC for a while.
Coley Sitton completed the San
Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon on
June 6. She writes, “It was a huge
accomplishment for me!”
2004
Andrew C. Waters
[email protected]
864-244-6019
Elizabeth Morrow Gailey
[email protected]
864-232-1578
Jessica Anderson has been
accepted to the University of
Georgia’s College of Veterinary
Medicine and will be starting her
first year in the doctor of veterinary
medicine program this fall.
Mary Elizabeth Carman will be
starting in the Physician Assistant
Program in Savannah, GA, in
January 2011.
Sean Evins is living and working
in Washington, DC. He enjoys
his job with the House of
Representatives by day and going
to grad school by night. “Hope my
old classmates are doing well,” he
writes, “and if you are in DC, look
me up.”
Whitney Howell, creative
communications account executive
at Debbie Nelson & Associates in
Greenville, was honored with the
Silver Wing Award for promoting
the Greenville Housing Fund’s
Homes for Teachers Program. The
award was presented at the SC
Chapter of the Public Relations
Society of America’s Mercury
Awards banquet.
2005
Fletcher McCraw
[email protected]
864-370-2339
Class News
Helen Doolittle
[email protected]
864-297-4131
Anthony Bucci is training as a
countertenor. After graduating
from the University of Michigan
with a degree in music, he was
accepted into the Manhattan
School of Music and as a student
of Pat Misslin, who taught Renee
Fleming, Stephanie Blythe and
Margaret Lattimore, to name a
few.
Courtney Crandell has
completed her double major
in accounting and music from
Furman University. She has
worked as an audit intern with
one of the Big 4 accounting
firms, KPMG. Upon
graduation from Clemson, she
began working full time as an
audit associate for KPMG in
Greenville. She still loves living
downtown.
Heather Hodgetts is now
living in Lund, Sweden, and
working on her masters at Lund
University.
Meredith Johnson graduated
from Presbyterian College in
May 2009. She is currently in a
master of counseling program at
Loyola University Maryland in
Baltimore, MD.
Michael West recently completed
a 1500-mile bike ride through
Spain, Italy and Croatia, where
he camped in orchards “and
other hospitable locations.” He
blogged about his trip at http://
detourswithdetours.blogspot.com.
2006
Ellis Bridgers
[email protected]
864-288-0619
Zay Kittredge
[email protected]
864-233-5525
Haley David graduated
cum laude from Wake Forest
University with a BA in
psychology and a minor in
health policy and administration.
She is currently living in
Winston-Salem, NC, and began
graduate studies for a masters in
management from Wake Forest
School of Business this summer.
Gauthier Guicherd is attending
medical school at the Université
d’Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand,
France.
Rachael Holman graduated with
a degree in communications from
Northwestern University.
Eva Jorgensen-Graham
graduated early from Elon
University in December 2009,
thanks in part to the 11 credits
she brought with her from the
CCES IB program and that gave
her almost a semester head start.
She has returned to Greenville,
lives downtown, and is working
as an agent for New York Life
in their offices near the baseball
stadium.
Elizabeth Troutman was
honored as a senior in the
Furman Paladins women’s
basketball program at the regular
season home finale against Elon.
The game was Furman’s WBCA
Pink Zone Game, designated
to raise breast cancer awareness
and funding for the Kay Yow/
Women’s Basketball Coaches
Association Cancer Fund.
tennis champs my freshman year,
and, of course, meeting a lot
of amazing people.” He spent
three weeks last summer traveling
in India and afterwards held a
summer job at Credit Suisse in
New York City.
Buckley Jacques studied abroad
in Florence, Italy, during May and
June 2010.
Elizabeth McDonald and Mary
Elizabeth Watson spent spring
break 2010 in Barcelona, Spain.
Neal Moseley and Jack Mann
just spent the summer in
Barcelona, Spain.
Alice Stewart has recently been
awarded membership in the
Phi Beta Kappa Society, Delta
Chapter of South Carolina. She
is a senior at Clemson University
majoring in political science
with minors in legal studies and
French.
Beat Wuest took a break from
his mechanical engineering
studies at the Technical University
in Munich, Germany, to visit
Greenville in April.
Russ Williams has graduated
from Clemson University with a
degree in mechanical engineering.
He is now living in Norfolk, VA,
where he is a civilian engineer at
the Naval Shipyard.
2008
2007
Laura David is currently a junior
at Clemson University, where
she is studying economics. She
is a member of Sigma Kappa
Sorority and Delta Sigma Pi
Business Fraternity. She spent the
summer interning at PropertyBoss
Solutions in Greenville, SC.
Lauren Page
[email protected]
Kendra Abercrombie graduated
in May with a double major in
history and African-American
studies with pre-law intent. “I
just want everyone at CCES to
know that I am so thankful for all
the support that I received from
everyone there, and I am also
very thankful for being given the
experience and opportunity to
attend CCES.”
Will Guzick reports that he is
enjoying his time at Harvard,
where he is now a senior.
“Highlights so far have been jobs
that have taken me to Korea,
China, and Peru (and New York
this summer), doing research
with a Harvard Business School
professor, being Ivy League
Kelsey McCraw
[email protected]
Elizabeth Beeson
[email protected]
Madelaine Hoptry, a sophomore
at USC Upstate, has been
appointed the editor of their
literary magazine, writersINC.
She is an English major and has
been on the Dean’s list each of her
three semesters at college.
Warren Moseley is a junior at
Clemson studying graphic design.
2009
Elizabeth Blake will be studying
abroad in Ireland for her second
semester.
Drew Brandel is at Presbyterian
College and part of the PC and
Men’s Choirs.
Timothy Butler earned Dean’s
List at the University of Alabama
and has been invited to join
Alpha Lambda Delta, a national
honor society for first-year college
students.
Sarah Guzick has finished her
freshman year at Yale. This past
summer she worked as an intern
at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
in Rosseau, Ontario, Canada
(130 miles north of Toronto).
Her new hobby is photography,
and her internship allowed many
opportunities to photograph the
wild animals.
J.K. Jay has returned to Clemson
but will not continue his football
career due to a back injury. He
served as a student football coach
for the remainder of the 2009-10
year.
Andrew Rovner is attending
Vassar College in Poughkeepsie,
NY.
2010
Ellison Johnstone
[email protected]
Laurel Gower
[email protected]
Sheldon Clark has finished
recording his fourth studio album.
The record, called All the World’s
a Stage, features all original music
“with a little help from my friends,
Cody Cobb and Eric Evert ‘09.”
FORMER FACULTY NOTES
Shirley Fry passed away on June
25, 2010, in Beaufort, SC. She
taught fifth grade from 1960 1979.
Frank Tabone, former school
office manager, passed away on
July 17, 2010. He served the
school from 1978 - 1993.
Jennings Johnstone
[email protected]
Bailey Davis
[email protected]
04.30.11
Save the Date
6:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Carolina First Center
Live and Silent Auctions
Dinner • Dancing • Live Band
An unforgettable evening to benefit CCES.
To volunteer, contact Jenny Pressly in the
Development Office at 864.299.1522 x1298.
Christ Church Episcopal School
245 Cavalier Drive • Greenville, SC 29607
Address Service Requested
Non-profit
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Highlights - Front Page - Christ Church Episcopal School

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