the latest Overlaker!

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WINTER 2015
ALUMNI AND SCHOOL NEWS FOR THE ENTIRE OVERLAKE COMMUNITY
OVERLAKER
THE
TheOverlakeSchool
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Overlake Arts Program
PAGE 6
Experiential
Education
Senior Project
Update
Alums in
the Arts
Sports Wrap-Up
and Preview
PAGE 2
PAGE 4
PAGE 10
PAGE 26
WINTER 2015
CONTENTS
ACADEMICS
2
4
5
Overlake’s Experiential Education Department
One Last Assignment
What a Typical Overlaker Looks Like
ARTS
6
10
13
14
14
Creativity, Courage and Collaboration
• Crafting the Visual
• Practicing the Music
• Realizing the Drama
• Show Time!
Alums in the Arts
OFTA, Overlake’s Booster Club for the Arts
Celebrating Our Rich Diversity
Upcoming 2016 Arts Season
ALUMNI NEWS
15
16
18
19
Where Are They Now?
Class Notes
Congratulations to Our New Alums
2015 Alumni Reunion
FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS
20 Meet Our New Faculty and Staff
We work towards creating an
environment where students not
only grow their understanding and
appreciation for the arts, but we
instill in them how vital creativity,
imagination and taking on
challenges are in the world.”
Danielle Troy
Art and Photography Teacher
23 Retirements and Departures
25 When the Bell Rings
25 Celebrating Milestones at Overlake
ATHLETICS
26 An Owl Athletic Fall to Remember
28 2015–16 Winter Sports Preview
28 Overlakers Inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame
THE OVERLAKER
EDITOR: Susan Messier, Director of Communications,
[email protected]
ASST. EDITOR: Kelly Erlandson, Communications Associate,
[email protected]
ALUMNI NEWS: Christian Fulghum, Alumni Manager,
[email protected]
COVER PHOTO: Emily Blackburn, drama and technial theater
teacher and 10th grader Betsy Campbell in the Fulton tech booth
Dear Overlake Community,
One of my favorite Overlake events is The Benefit Concert, an annual student-run evening, where
a host of student performers sing, dance, read poetry, play instruments and more, all to raise funds
for a worthy cause chosen by the student leaders. In fact, The Benefit Concert itself came from
student leadership: Nadia Goodman ’03, who’s featured in this issue, started the event in 2003.
The enthusiasm and confidence on display at the concert, as well as the impressive diversity of
talent shown, illuminate a larger commitment to the arts at Overlake. This is a community that
packs Fulton for concerts, plays and ArtsFest. Further, it’s not uncommon that students dart from
the gym to play practice, given the number of students who participate in not only the arts but
also athletics.
In this issue of The Overlaker, we celebrate the arts, highlighting all aspects of our robust program.
Additionally, we profile Overlake alums whose professional lives reflect their dedication to the arts.
Many of their interests began at Overlake, whether behind the scenes working on the technical
side of theater productions or on the stage in plays or performing music.
What our alums describe about their experiences in the arts at Overlake echo what I’m currently
hearing from this year’s seniors. At the start of the school year, I initiated a new tradition of
interviewing each senior about his or her experiences at the school.
What has surfaced over and over is their appreciation for all the varied
offerings at Overlake, most especially in the arts. Students who regard
themselves as “math and science focused” have also relished being
in theater productions and feel grateful that these opportunities are
open to everyone. Frequently, the students note how influential their
arts teachers have been as well as the passion these teachers bring
to their work.
Beyond the arts, enjoy reading about several senior projects, the
consolidation of three departments into the Experiential Education
Department, recent alumni inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame and our new faculty and staff
members. As you’ll swiftly see: there’s a lot going on at Overlake!
Of course, we welcome everyone to the arts performances! Mark your calendars for this year’s
all-school musical, Annie, on March 4–5 and ArtsFest on April 29.
Warmly,
MATT HORVAT, HEAD OF SCHOOL
THE OVERLAKER WINTER 2015
1
ACADEMICS
Overlake’s Experiential
Education Department
New Name — Same Mission
The mission of the Experiential Education Department
is to generate opportunities for student learning and
growth through authentic and interactive experiences.
A
lthough the official formation of the Experiential
Education Department is new this school year, in
many ways it feels like it has been years in the
making. The three programs that comprise the
department — Outdoor Education, Service Learning, and Project
Week — have roots that took hold as early as 1992, when former
faculty members Sue Haviland and Benj Wadsworth began
running outdoor trips using volunteer time and their own equipment. The Service Learning program took shape in 1992 as
well, with current Social Studies teacher Dave Bennett as its
first Program Coordinator, and within three years had instituted
school-wide service days and graduation requirements. And
Project Week is really a culmination of the creativity of every
teacher who ever sent their students outside the classroom for
hands-on experience — basically every teacher since the
founding of Overlake in 1967.
Outdoor Education – Backpacking trip in the Teanaway Mountains
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Since their inception, these three programs, which share
common learning goals and outcomes such as leadershipdevelopment, resilience and global citizenship, have worked in
collaboration with each other on a regular basis. Often a service
project will work hand-in-hand with an outdoor trip, like the
recent river cleanup of the Sammamish slough, led by Director of
Outdoor Education Kent Renno. Other times, a trip for Project
Week will incorporate initiatives from all three programs, the
most prominent example being the global service trip to help at
our sister schools in Uruguay and Cambodia. In this way, the
formation of the Experiential Education Department is really just
a formal recognition of the past, present and future collaboration
between these like-minded programs. But it also serves an
additional, and equally important purpose — as a platform to
enhance connections with other departments throughout the
whole school, and ensure experiential education best practices
permeate every classroom.
“An outcome of creating the Experiential Education Department
is to put learning in to motion, with others” shares Beth Highland,
the Director of Service Learning. “We are building bridges back
Project Week – Rock and Roll Boot Camp
How Experiential
Education at Overlake
Impacted my Life
BY ALLISON SCHOENING ’08
I
was fortunate enough to participate in the Global Service
Trip to our sister school in Pailin, Cambodia both my
sophomore and senior year at Overlake. The Overlake
community created a safe space that encouraged students
to take risks and step outside their comfort zones.
I am now a teacher in the Tacoma School District but taught
and lived abroad in Guatemala for a year after receiving my
M.A.T. It was my time at Overlake that provided me with
global learning opportunities, such as the Cambodia
Service Trip, that eventually drove my passion for teaching
and international education.
It is in these moments of being thrown outside of
our comfort zone that we learn and grow the most.”
Service Learning – Middle School Service Day at 21 Acres
to the classroom, and are able to work cohesively with teachers
to integrate these interactive learning experiences in to their
curriculum,” adds Project Week Director, Joey Pauley. In short,
this collaboration provides better support to teachers who are
valued facilitators of these programs, thus better supporting
student learning. Having these programs under one department
also provides a common language and unified presence of
experiential learning at The Overlake School.
An important, final piece of the Experiential Education model is
that these authentic and interactive experiences, which often put
a student in a scenario they wouldn’t encounter otherwise, have
an impact that may surface again much later in life. It might
surface in a student’s decision to switch majors in college, as
recent graduate Maddie Gwinn did when she realized the impact
of outdoor filmmaking on her life (read an update on her decision
on page 4). Or it could be a career choice made decades later.
As Pauley sums up, “We are planting seeds that will bear fruit
years from now.”
Did one of the three programs that now comprise the
Experiential Education Department impact your life? We want to
know! Email us with your story at: [email protected].
The cultural exchanges between students are some of the
most valuable, and personal ways to really learn about a
lifestyle different from one’s own. I will never forget the
universal language of laughter that filled my classroom as
I stumbled over my Spanish and my Guatemalan students
stumbled over their
attempt at translating
my errors. These are
moments of the most
profound sense of
understanding…even
amongst such seeming
misunderstanding.
I also participated in the
Outdoor Education
program while I was at
Allison with two of her students at
Overlake. While rafting
the Atitlán Multicultural Academy in
down the Deschutes
Guatemala.
River for my 8th grade
Project Week, we learned a range of skills such as collaboration, teamwork, and survival. After days of shelter building
practice, we spent a solo night out in the wilderness. I’ll
never forget the piercing rain beating down on my predrenched rain gear, filling the one dry spot in my appointed
camping area with water. It was a long, lonely, wet night but
the sun did rise and my parka did dry! I often reflect upon
that night and the sense of independence and grit I established as I am thrown into other challenges in my life. It is in
these moments of being thrown outside of our comfort
zone that we learn and grow the most. Thank you Overlake
for these profound lessons.
3
ACADEMICS
One Last Assignment
The Senior Project might well be considered the culmination of an Overlake education. A capstone project, if
you will. It provides students with the kind of experiential
learning that has become a hallmark of an Overlake
education.
And if Mell decides to pursue another path upon graduation, his
time spent on the ball field will always have an impact. “Being
able to continue playing baseball in college is important to me
because I love the game, but it also forces me to work on time
management skills, challenge myself physically, and play with a
group of teammates that I’ll form life-long relationships with.”
For three weeks in the spring, seniors are involved in off-campus,
self-directed, independent projects intended to enrich an area
in which they have a strong interest. In past years this may have
meant learning to fly a plane or spending time at a monastery.
Last spring the class of 2015 shared their projects with the
community. And as you might expect, they were as varied and
interesting as our students. We reached out to three recent
grads to see how their Senior Project impacted them since
commencement.
Aaron Mell
freshman at Willamette University
SENIOR
PROJECT
Working in Ballpark Operations Department
of Seattle Mariners
Aaron Mell has a love of baseball. Not only did he play while at
Overlake, he turned his interests to the ball field during his Senior
Project as well. “I interned in the Ballpark Operations department
of the Seattle Mariners,” explains Mell. “The last night of the
internship, I walked into the office of the Manager in the Ballpark
Operations department and told him that I really had enjoyed my
time during the internship and that I would like a summer job. He
responded with, ‘Sure, can you start tomorrow?’ I was then hired
on with the Fielders’
program with the
Mariners that is a group
of high school and
college students who
hand out promotions at
the gates and run the
attractions in the ballpark
during the game.”
Mell transitioned that
experience to his first
year at Willamette, where
he plays on the varsity
baseball team while
studying business management. “I believe that the internship and
summer job with the Mariners, along with my experience playing
baseball and my plans for pursuing a degree in business, have
set me up well to find employment in professional sports
someday, if I decide to follow that route.”
4
Maddie Gwinn
freshman at Chapman
University
SENIOR
PROJECT
Capturing Video of Pacific Northwest
Outdoors
Maddie Gwinn’s senior year was one of choice- deciding to go
to the University of Washington or Chapman University’s Dodge
College of Film and Media Arts. “Although film was my passion
and a logical career, I was also very involved in the outdoors and
could not bear to leave my beautiful home of Washington for the
commercial concrete desert of Southern California,” explains
Gwinn.
“In the time after choosing to attend the University of Washington,
I was given three weeks before graduation to explore an area
of passion for my Senior Project. With the approval of Overlake,
I embarked on one of the most life-changing experiences that
would reshape my future entirely. For two weeks I traveled
around the Pacific Northwest filming and gaining skills along the
way. As I started to edit the film upon my return to Seattle, I had
a searing regret for not choosing to attend film school at
Chapman University.”
Gwinn contacted Chapman and was granted admission for the
fall. “I have now completed my first month at Chapman and am
already loving my decision to follow my passion and attend film
school. Although I miss the outdoors and Seattle more than
anything, I know this is the right community for me. I hope to
earn a degree in Film Production with a focus in editing or
ACADEMICS
directing documentary style films and return to Seattle for a
career in outdoor filmmaking.”
Sakthi Vetrivel
freshman at California Institute of Technology
SENIOR
PROJECT
Developing an App for
the Apple Watch
Sakthi Vetrivel’s Senior Project was the development of an app
to coordinate the calendar on Canvas with other personal
calendars. Her high-tech project seemed only natural given
Vetrivel’s passion for computer science. That passion carries
forward as Vetrivel currently attends Caltech.
Caltech and am slotted to be captain next year. I’m taking a lot
of really interesting classes, one of which is called Science of
Music taught by Nobel Laureate, David Politzer, which has to do
with how our brain interprets music and why we enjoy certain
sounds.”
And as for the app, Vetrivel is excited for the next phase. “Ideally
I wanted to incorporate more elements before I released it, such
as video playback and connection to iCalendar from the iPhone,
but these options weren’t available for external developers until
the Apple Watch 2 came out. So, as soon as I can configure
those options, on the App Store it goes!”
“I am studying mechanical engineering and business and having
an amazing time so far,” says Vetrivel. “I play volleyball for
Meet Ian
What a Typical
Overlaker Looks Like
L
ast spring the Communications Department had some photography fun. We
asked students to come to a photo shoot
dressed in their favorite campus activities. The
results are seen here. As you can see, our students
are truly renaissance kids, jumping in with enthusiasm for all aspects of an Overlake education.
be
Meet Phoe
To see more photos, go to
www.overlake.org/admission#visit
TheOve
rlakeSc
hool
keSchool
TheOverla
5
ARTS
Creativity, Courage
and Collaboration
The 3 C’s to Overlake’s Arts Program
H
enri Matisse said, “Creativity takes courage.”
It’s true. Ask any student who has sat in front of
a canvas, or stepped into a drama class, or
opened a sheet of music for the first time. Add
Collaboration into the mix, and you have three
principles that have guided the Arts program at Overlake since
the very beginning.
The arts faculty at Overlake places a high value on being fearless,
learning from mistakes, and working with others. And they do it
in an environment that supports the idea that for each student,
their arts classes should create a healthy balance with the rest of
their Overlake life. In a world where studying the arts is constantly
being connected to higher academic achievement, tolerance,
empathy, and critical thinking skills, Overlake is proud of the way
in which its arts program has not only served the mission of the
6
school (Excellence, Diversity, Compassion, Responsibility, and
Curiosity) but has consistently provided an outlet for students to
explore their own ideas and grow as artists. “I love so many
things about our program. We have an incredible variety of
courses taught by teachers who love what they teach,” says
Danielle Troy, art and photography teacher. “We work towards
creating an environment where students not only grow their
understanding and appreciation for the arts, but we instill in them
how vital creativity, imagination, and taking on challenges are in
the world.”
“Our philosophy is based on the belief that all students should
have a basic introduction to all arts, do a lot of exploring, and also
have the chance to commit to something they really love doing,”
explains Erin Gabriel, choral instructor and Chair of the Arts
Department at Overlake. “We want to create safe spaces for
THE ARTS
kids to discover what moves them, and support each other in
doing so. The visual and performing arts give opportunities for
every student to find a place to belong.”
Throughout their Overlake journey, students have exposure
to Visual Art, Music, and Theater, with a variety of options in
each. Offerings include theater production classes, band,
choir, orchestra, painting, drawing, graphic and industrial
design, and technical theater, along with more broad-based
courses in each discipline. Unique offerings like Sculpture and
Architecture, Improvisation, AP Art History, and even fully
integrated music programs, are rare in most schools, and
Overlake students get these courses daily, not just as activities
or after-school options.
Because of such robust offerings, Overlake students find ways
to get involved and stay involved. Their experience usually
goes far beyond the 2-credit/4-semester requirement. “On
average, about 65% of each graduating class takes significantly more than the required credits in the arts,” says Gabriel.
“Most students fall between 5 to 10 credits, but some achieve
as high as 15 or 16 credits. Those are the students who know
early on what they love to do, and make a conscious choice to
stay committed to their art form.”
Number of Overlake students taking above the
required number of arts credits:
CLASS OF 2010
67%
CLASS OF 2011
62%
CLASS OF 2012
59%
CLASS OF 2013
62%
CLASS OF 2014
66%
CLASS OF 2015
69%
Crafting the Visual
Visual art at Overlake takes many different forms, from twodimensional drawing and design to three-dimensional sculpture, from photography to video production. Each class offers
students a chance to take creative risks, learning from professionals in their fields who care as much (if not more) about the
process of creating the art as the final product. “In teaching
many of our courses, we allow our students to work in the
hands-on 3rd dimension, something less and less available to
young people in our computer world,” says C Jaap, sculpture
and architecture teacher. “They discover the personal ownership inherent in long term construction and the honest giveand-take of totally physical problem solving.” Mollie Montgomery, woodshop and industrial design teacher, explains further,
“Students are learning life-long skills working with their hands.
Students learn how to use power and hand tools safely, make a
mechanical drawing of their project, and use two-dimensional
materials to make a 3-D project. All of these skills help develop
students’ sense of what it takes to be an artist.”
In addition to classes, students can do even more during
Project Weeks and Clubs. This allows them to focus on more
in-depth skill building, resulting in a noticeable visual art
presence on our campus.” One can see these displays in the
colorful stairwells of the Humanities building, paintings on the
Campus Center columns, or on the various outdoor tree stump
sculptures around campus. “I was so impressed by the creativity
of our students — both middle school and upper school — who
made “The River of Past Technologies,” a 2D/3D mural of
pinball imagery, old phones and computer innards, spanning
35 feet in the lower Technology hallway,” shares Jaap. Beyond
that, the Fulton Gallery, Humanities lobby, and the Campus
Center showcase revolving art shows from classes in Photography, Experimental Design, Drawing Basics, Studio Art, or
5th and 6th grade Art. At times there are even special project
presentations from seniors who are developing their own
portfolio of work, sharing the final projects on our campus.
7
THE ARTS
We have had several students go on to highly ranked
music programs, while another large percentage seek
out opportunities in music just for the love of it.”
Steve Mraz, Director of Bands
members and performers, but are honing skills in good citizenship, respect, responsibility, and excellence; all the while seeing
how music touches people’s lives.” Mark Lotz, orchestra and
strings instructor, has travelled to New York City with the
Chamber Orchestra, and Mraz will be attending the Heritage
Festival in Los Angeles, with the Jazz Band later this year.
Practicing the Music
There are a lot of excellent studies that showcase the benefits
of music; from studies on music and the brain, to how music
can heal, and even how making music can be a transformative
learning tool. The music faculty understand this and support
those theories every day. Music certainly has the power to move
people in profound ways, but here at Overlake, the students are
challenged to dive deeper into their craft where they develop
real skills and artistry.
The students involved in Overlake’s Chamber Choir have been
known to take their talents on the road from time to time,
travelling as far as Italy to compete in the International Days of
Choral Music festival in Verona. “I have been fortunate to take
the Chamber Choir to Italy four times over the past 12 years,
and each time the experience is unique and life-changing.”
says Gabriel. “The trip gives students an incredible opportunity
to create and share music beyond our own community and
experience a new culture with a common, shared passion for
singing.”
The musical arts offerings at Overlake begin in the 5th grade
with introductory band, choir, or strings, and continue building
with additional program offerings through Middle School. Andy
Jackson, Middle School music teacher, teaches both the 5th
grade beginning band and choir, providing a solid start to their
musical studies. In the upper grades, students have many
choices, including chamber orchestra, concert choir, chamber
choir, concert band and jazz band. Again, these classes give
students a chance for ongoing development of their musicianship over several years, resulting in a deeper understanding and
opportunity to honor their passion for music.
Many students continue to study music in college, or participate
in college or community music programs. “We have had several
students go on to highly ranked music programs, while another
large percentage seek out opportunities in music just for the love
of it,” says Steve Mraz, director of bands. “It’s great to see these
kids continue their music-making beyond their Overlake experience.” (See special Alums in the Arts section on page 10)
“In addition to our classes, Overlake’s music ensembles travel.”
explains Gabriel. “We take our groups outside of the campus as
often as possible, into our local community and beyond. These
outreach experiences are an important part of a solid music
education. The students are not only learning to be ensemble-
8
See the Overlake Chamber Choir’s performance
at Santuario Basilica Madona Della Corona,
Italy at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
a6bEl8gEJew&feature=youtu.be
Realizing the Drama
Getting in front of an audience takes skill as well as courage.
Overlake’s drama teachers work to harness the students’ natural
exuberance and use that to help make their choices clear, and
their intentions believable and true. When the fifth graders enter
the program the faculty have a more creative play approach.
By the time they are in the Upper School they understand the
conventions of theater and are ready to delve into more complex
characterization. The lessons these students learn on stage — how to communicate, convey emotion, empathize, project their voices, and work
as a team, are lessons that can be taken to any boardroom or
business setting later in life. “We want students to be confident in
expressing their ideas and we want them to learn how to listen,”
says veteran drama teacher, Sarah Fitzpatrick. “In this day and
age of instant feedback and so many distractions, being able to
listen to a variety of viewpoints is really important. We try to help
our students to think “out of the box” and express themselves
creatively through movement, vocal expression and understanding the human condition in a deep way.”
And then they get technical. Overlake students who study the
technical side of theater certainly know how to do just that. “We
offer theater tech classes for 7th and 8th graders where students
learn the fundamentals of theater design and technology, from
lighting and sound techniques, to costumes and scenery,”
explains Emily Blackburn, drama and technical theater teacher.
“Stagecraft is a course for Upper School students to learn the
process involved in a full scale production. This means script
analysis, design selection and creation, design construction
We want students to be confident in expressing their
ideas and we want them to learn how to listen.”
Sarah Fitzpatrick, Drama teacher
including rigging of scenery and special effects, as well as
striking of all scenery.” This is where the technical elements of
storytelling merge to create the world of the play/performance.
Because students have the hands-on experiences of what it
takes to make a production come to life, they will most likely
never experience a play or performance the same way again.
Overlake has also created a strong student-mentoring program
where students can further pursue their interests in sound, lights,
and stage management. Students involved in technical theater
are part of a legacy of mentorship. Every year a seasoned Upper
School student who has mastered lighting, sound design, or
stage managing supports an up and coming younger student to
help them learn the ropes of the theater. This is done with
guidance and support of our technical directors, Emily Blackburn
and Bill Johns, who instill leadership, responsibility, and artistry
to our student designers. Students’ skills are put to the test at
many different events (plays, musicals, or concerts) each year, in
a state-of-the art facility, providing them with a professional
experience that often leads them to pursue further education or
even a career in technical theater.
continued next page >
9
THE ARTS
Overlake Arts Program
continued
Show Time!
This year, several unique events are happening that illustrate
Overlake’s commitment to creativity, courage and collaboration. The Advanced Drama production of Tina Howe’s
Museum (shown December 4th and 5th) provided an opportunity for collaboration between theater and visual arts. Beth
Highland, drama teacher and director, shared some of her
thoughts about this piece. “This production was a true
merging of student efforts in theater and the visual arts. We
felt so fortunate to feature student artwork on our stage, and
as set pieces for this production. The student actors were
so excited to work around these pieces of art, knowing that
their own friends and classmates created them.”
This spring, the community will get ready for the
All-School Musical,
Annie, on March 4 and
5. “Every other year we
produce an all-school
musical, offered for
students in grades 5–12.
It’s a great way for the
community to come
together,” says Blackburn, the stage director of Annie. “Traditionally, there are
around 80 students involved on stage, backstage, working in
the booth, or helping with other elements such as costumes,
hair, or make up.”
The culminating event in the arts is the annual ArtsFest,
which will be April 26, 2016. It is the day Overlake students
and faculty, as well as parents and community members,
come together to celebrate art at Overlake. There are no
awards, just a community-wide party to see, hear, and live in
the world of the arts on campus. “What began as a simple
Art Walk in the early 2000’s has evolved into a fun evening
festival of art, with music, theater, food, and a silent auction
to benefit music group travel opportunities,” explains Gabriel.
Overlake Friends of the Arts (OFTA) organizes this event
with the help of many parent volunteers.
That’s a Wrap
At the heart of the Arts program is a dedicated faculty that
truly believes an arts education is for life. Each student is
given a chance to shine, and most take that opportunity far
beyond what is required. A life-long appreciation for the arts
is crucial in today’s world, and the students at Overlake get
a unique lens into what it takes to be an artist, and how to
take that knowledge into their life beyond campus.
10
Alums in the Arts
Daniel Osterman ’10
Daniel Osterman will be graduating from The Ohio State University
in December after transferring
from Oberlin College in 2013. He’s
pursuing degrees in theoretical
mathematics and music with the
intention of getting a Master in
Education and teaching high
school choir. For having been out
of Overlake only five years,
Osterman has been very busy. As he puts it, “I’ve performed with
a semiprofessional circus troupe, had an internship with an
internationally renowned Shakespeare repertory theatre and
with a similarly well-regarded circus school, worked in almost
every possible job in college theatre, was part of a world
premiere of a piece of music based on one of Maya Angelou’s
poems, scored above a 0 on the Putnam Exam (which is a bigger
deal than it sounds), am currently employed by a small college
preparatory school similar to Overlake, traveled to Ireland on an
archeological expedition, and I am in the midst of developing a
tabletop role-playing game. All of these things I can directly
attribute to the opportunities and amazing teachers provided to
me by Overlake. I’ve had a lot of amazing opportunities since
going to college and I was ready to take them (and sometimes
make them) because of the amazing Overlake environment.”
Paul Cockerill ’78
Paul Cockerill recently took time
to reflect on his six years at
Overlake, and his professional
journey in television production.
“I guess you could say I was a
dreamer in my teenage years. I
watched a lot of television, and
remember buying a VCR when
they first came on the market so I
could record game shows while I
was at school. Although not a “Rhodes Scholar” at Overlake, I
was most importantly nurtured by a staff of educators who
dedicated themselves to teaching life lessons that didn’t always
come from text books. One of my biggest regrets to this day was
not going on Jean Orvis’ summer European excursion.”
Cockerill did not come from a privileged background. “Growing
up in a single parent household, I had to support my mother by
working from the age of 13 at the apartment/hotel she managed.
THE ARTS
I always held this job and sometimes two if not three others after
school. In my senior year at Overlake I found my single most
rewarding experience in the final semester of my senior year with
Project Week. On my own, I reached out to KING Radio and got
myself an internship that began my career of now 40 years in
entertainment.”
Cockerill attended the University of Washington, but soon grew
disinterested. He felt the call to go into entertainment and left for
Hollywood in 1980, “with Mount St. Helens erupting in my rear
view mirror!”
He started out humbly in Guest Relations at ABC as a Page, a job
he still considers rewarding and fun. From there, he worked his
way up in virtually every creative position in unscripted television,
holding jobs in broadcast, cable and syndication, and most
recently adding digital media production to his extensive resume.
When given the opportunity, seize it. This is why your
time at Overlake is so valuable.”
Cockerill is grateful for the wide variety of experiences he has
had in television: “I have been blessed with the opportunities a
career in entertainment has offered me. From working at MTV
when it was cool, to field directing late night television with
Arsenio Hall and Jimmy Kimmel, to creating the original robot
fighting competition BattleBots, revived this past summer on
ABC. No two jobs have ever been the same and that’s what has
kept me going. Work has never been a job for me, it’s been fun!”
To Overlake students and young alumni interested in pursuing a
career in the arts, Cockerill offers these thoughts on the changes
which have occurred since he came to Hollywood: “In 2015, it’s no longer an option to not have a college degree.
A BA if not a Masters is essential. The world doesn’t work like it
used to on connections alone in the job application process. If
you can’t check the box “college graduate” at the site for the job
you’re applying you are electronically eliminated. Also, look at majors in Journalism and Marketing. No matter
what you do in the arts, you can always be a better writer, and
Journalism will reward you throughout a career. I always have
said the M in MTV stood for Marketing. In today’s splintering of
entertainment, marketing is an exciting career to pursue with so
many outlets. Everyone wants eyeballs to reach their screens no
matter if it’s traditional television, movies, video games, internet
or social media.
Finally, adapt or die. When given the opportunity, seize it. This is
why your time at Overlake is so valuable.”
Chris Genovese ’09
When he started as a freshman at
Overlake, Chris Genovese selected
the Stagecraft elective as his first
step into the world of theatre.
Genovese was new to the Pacific
Northwest, having just moved from
New Jersey. Part of the reason that
Stagecraft caught his eye is that it
was wildly different than anything
he would have be able to take in New Jersey. “I thought it might
be an interesting class for a semester, and truly had no idea how
much of an impact it would have on me,” explains Genovese.
“To this day I still tell stories about the second week of class
when I was handed a jigsaw and some 2x4 and asked to build
props for the upcoming show. I’m a hands-on learner anyway,
and at this moment I knew this class would be perfect for me.
I just remember how passionate Bill Johns was every day and
how he really brought even the simplest of tasks to life in the
context of the shows we were working on.”
When Genovese started college at George Washington
University in the fall of 2009, he signed up for core classes with
plenty of science and math to work toward his planned pre-med
Biology major. For the first semester he completely gave up the
arts, but found an emptiness. So moving forward he jumped
into every theatre production he could, helping out with a variety
of technical roles well into his junior year.
“By the time I graduated, I had worked with all three theater
groups that were around when I was a freshman, plus a new one
that had started during my time there.”
His success at George Washington helped him realize how
important the skills were that he learned at Overlake. “I’m now
one of the resident lighting designers at a 1500-seat venue four
blocks West of the White House, and I freelance on the side
working on all different kinds of events and shows. I couldn’t
imagine doing anything else. I know I wouldn’t be where I am
now, or as happy as I am, if it hadn’t been for that first semester
of Stagecraft I took 10 years ago at Overlake. The teachers that
either pushed me towards the arts, or the arts faculty themselves
like Bill, Erin, Beth, C, Troy and others that gave me so many
opportunities to learn and grow doing what would eventually be
my career path. I cannot express my gratitude enough!” Chris offers some advice to current students or recent alumni
interested in following this path: “Take some time to think about
how you spend your time, what you enjoy doing, and what makes
you happy. I know plenty of people who look down on the arts as
a career choice and compare it to careers they call “successful”,
which often boils down to a number on a paycheck. But if you
love doing something you are good at and you can make enough
to live, you’ve found your purpose and should not let anyone tell
you otherwise.”
11
THE ARTS
Hannah Nieh ’03
Hannah and her brother Hamilton
Nieh ’01 are both professional
dancers. They grew up in Hong Kong
before resettling in the Seattle area.
Hannah graduated from Overlake,
and Hamilton transferred to a ballet
school in San Francisco prior to
graduation.
“I feel fortunate and deeply grateful to
be able to do what I love for a living.
My older brother Hamilton and I not only spent our childhood
putting on elaborate performances at extended family reunions
and the like, but we were called upon regularly for child dancing
roles in just about every Hong Kong Ballet production that
required it,” explains Nieh.
At Overlake, Nieh found a supportive, warm environment to
experience school life. “I always felt like my dreams were not only
valid and respected, but also embraced and taken seriously.”
Like so many other Overlake alumni, Nieh cites the faculty who
were so encouraging and supportive: “I have wonderfully fond
memories of honing my talents with the Overlake arts faculty
such as Erin Gabriel, and Sarah Fitzpatrick. I am forever grateful
to have had their coaching in the arts and life.”
Nieh has danced professionally in a number of different settings
including Ballet Chicago, Richmond Ballet, Columbia Dance
Collective and American Ballet Theatre. She has also danced in
Broadway national tours and top regional theater productions
including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Dreamgirls, Smoky
Joe’s Cafe, Hot Mikado and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
She has also had an opportunity to perform as a featured vocalist
with jazz legends Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, in LA and
Tokyo. In addition, she is now singing at top venues all over Asia.
To aspiring Overlake students and young alumni, Nieh offers this
inspiration: “The impossible truly is possible. I would encourage
anyone and everyone to never give up on that burning dream
inside, that inner voice that won’t quiet, that thing that makes
them tick, no matter how farfetched it may seem.”
Sam Tilles ’09
Upon graduating Boston University in
2013, Sam Tilles received the Esther
B. and Albert S. Kahn Career Development Scholarship. The scholarship
was established in 1985 and honors
students at Boston University with
grants to pursue careers in the arts.
After working the Boston fringe
theatre scene for a year, Tilled used
12
the funds to travel the proposed route of the Keystone XL
pipeline (northern Alberta to southeastern Texas) to generate
content for a new play. He conducted interviews, took photos,
videos and plans to incorporate them into the audience’s
experience. The plan is to go into workshops at the end of the
year, and raise funds for a production in the spring of 2016.
While Tilles has done his share of acting, he has put his acting
career on hold until the play is off the ground and he has a
chance to settle into life in New York.
On reflection, Tilles says he was “amazingly lucky to have come
across the Overlake Arts Department when he did. It was such a
vast privilege to explore the arts and myself inside the Fulton
Performing Arts Center, where I was always met with limitless
support from my teachers: Bill Johns, Sarah Fitzpatrick, Erin
Gabriel, Beth Highland, Steve Mraz, among others.”
“The arts department taught me that everyone (even me) is an
artist”, says Tilles. “They taught me to try things, take risks,
explore, commit, practice, and to not compare myself too much
to others. I couldn’t think of any more valuable qualities for a
developing human being to cultivate. “
Scott Heiner ’10
Upon graduation at Overlake,
Scott Heiner attended the USC
Popular Music Program, which
was only in its second year.
The program is unique among
music schools in the US
because of its focus on popular
music from the 1950s to today.
As Heiner describes it, “it was
very small, sort of like Overlake.
Only 25 kids per grade. It became a community, a family of kids
all doing the same thing. There was tons of music happening
outside the official coursework.”
Since graduating USC, Heiner works as a professional drummer,
playing for hire at live dates in LA and as a touring drummer. “It’s
lots of fun,” explains Heiner. “I graduated a year and a half ago
and I’ve been on four national tours and the UK. I leave for the
next tour in a couple of weeks to South America.”
Asked about his ambitions going forward, Heiner says,
“Ultimately what I would like in the next five years would be to
have one of the projects I am really invested in become a full
time job. The downside right now is that I am limited in how I can
grow musically and professionally. I’d like to be touring consistently with one or two acts and have it be financially sustainable.
Something that is making an impact.”
Reflecting back on his experience at Overlake, Heiner says,
“I find Overlake to be so responsible for so many of the qualities
that have led to the modest amount of success I have had so far:
THE ARTS
the work ethic, the arts department, being a “lifer” from 5th
grade, getting this education and value placed on working hard
and doing excellent work. There are guys who can play circles
around me who don’t get as much work because they don’t do
the work. There were two semesters of writing in the music
program, and I had the classic Overlake experience of finding
I was a better writer than others, and willing to really craft an
excellent piece of work.”
Heiner shares some advice: “When I look back at how I spent
my time at Overlake, one thing I am thankful for is that I didn’t
ever sacrifice academics and grades for music. You will need
crazy time management skills to go into the arts. Find a way to
make both happen.”
Eva Anderson ’98
Eva Anderson is a writer for the FXX
TV show You’re The Worst as well as
IFC’s Comedy Bang! Bang! When asked
about her path to writing for television,
she starts by praising Sarah Fitzpatrick
and Erin Gabriel for encouraging her
in the theater arts at Overlake. While a
sophomore, Anderson started a film
festival at Overlake. She rounded up
some classmates, and “we started making films, built our own
trophies, and hand dubbed VHS copies to circulate to the judges.”
Anderson attended film school at USC. She also started writing
plays, one of which won a contest called the Young Playwrights
National Playwriting Competition in New York. After USC, she
worked in television story-producing for reality TV shows while
also writing and producing plays in Hollywood and studying
sketch comedy at the UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) theater.
“I’ve been very lucky,” says Anderson. “I’ve written on two
narrative shows, which have both been very positive situations
with smart, funny, kind people. There is a lot at stake when you
move to TV from the small stage. It took me years to build my
craft and confidence. Theater and UCB gave me lots of practice.
I am fortunate that I had a safe space to experiment and fail.”
Asked to offer advice to Overlake students or alums considering
a career in television or theater, Anderson says, “Move to NY
or LA. Seek out a community of like-minded folks. Find a place
or people who do the thing you like the most, and go there. Be
willing to work for free for a while. Be willing to humble yourself,
and learn from people you respect. Find a group of friends to
make art with. Finally, if you’re doing art that you care about,
don’t question your timeline. There were times that I wondered
if writing plays was worth it, but my job on You’re The Worst
happened because of a play I wrote.”
Anderson also wanted to give a shout out to the following
teachers not already mentioned earlier: Walt Hoesel, Lynn Pierle,
Emma Alenduff, C. Japp, and Army.
OFTA, Overlake’s
Booster Club for the Arts
O
verlake Friends of the Arts (OFTA) has been the backbone of the school’s arts program for nearly 20 years.
Started by a group of families with a desire to support their
children’s passions in the arts, OFTA now reaches beyond the
classroom setting, supporting teachers and their programs.
“Those first members were also pivotal in fundraising for the
Fulton Performing Arts Center,” explains Erin Gabriel, Chair of
the Arts department at Overlake. “Today, this group of dedicated
volunteers ensures that arts classrooms, programs, teachers,
students, and activities continue to have a network of support.”
“We are very, very lucky! Every year we have a new, dedicated
and enthusiastic group of parents, and they all care deeply
about what the arts are doing for their kids,” says Gabriel.
“Quite frankly, we would not be able to produce the number of
public events we do without their support, nor would we be able
to offer the depth of curriculum without some important extras
within the structure of our classrooms. Not only does the support of OFTA enhance each class room experience, but it
spreads into the public eye as well.” OFTA projects range from fundraising (selling poinsettias
during the winter holidays or flower baskets for Mother’s Day)
to providing production support for the theater department,
and individualized assistance for the band, choir, and orchestra
programs. OFTA’s major event each year is the spring ArtsFest.
“ArtsFest started as an Art Walk on campus meant to highlight
all of the visual art creations of our students,” explains Gabriel.
“The event has now evolved into a community-wide celebration
of the arts. It showcases the varied talents of Overlake students
in both visual and performing arts, and provides a great opportunity for students to share what they have learned through the
arts with the families at Overlake, as well as with their peers.”
ArtsFest also includes a silent auction to support the music
groups and any travel-related expenses, helping to reduce the
cost of these trips for each family. “Being involved in OFTA is a terrific way in which parents can
actively support the arts program at Overlake,” explains Randi
Hedin, OFTA Committee Chair. “Our involvement, from
fundraising to volunteering at concerts to hosting ArtsFest is,
I believe, an important component of the arts program. We are
here to help our teachers and students succeed!”
The Overlake School is one of only a handful of independent
schools which has its own dedicated booster club for the arts.
Each member of the Arts department knows how valuable this
group is, and feels fortunate to have that kind of support
throughout the school year. Sarah Fitzpatrick, drama teacher,
adds again; “The support we receive from OFTA is such a gift.
We are all so very grateful.” THE OVERLAKER WINTER 2015
13
THE ARTS
Celebrating Our
Rich Diversity
I
t’s long been known that Overlake is a community with a
rich culture. And for one day in October, the community
gathered on campus to celebrate this rich diversity. Celebrate
the World at Overlake brought together various countries
and regions around the world so that our community could
discover and learn with informational booths, food, music
and dance.
OVERLAKE ARTS: UPCOMING 2016 PERFORMANCES
Benefit Concert
Saturday, January 23 at 7:00 pm
Upper School Choirs Concert
Thursday, April 21st at 7:30pm
Annie (All-School Musical)
Friday, March 4th at 7:30pm
Saturday, March 5th at 2:30pm & 7:30 pm
5th Grade Music Night
Friday, April 29th at 5:00pm
Orchestra Concert (with Int. Strings)
Tuesday, April 19th at 7:30pm
ArtsFest
Friday, April 29th from 6:00–8:30pm
Throughout Campus
Concert Band & Jazz Band Concert
Wednesday, April 20th at 7:30pm
Upper School Film Festival
Friday, May 6th at 7:30pm
14
Middle School Play
Friday, May 20th at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 21st at 2:30pm & 7:30pm
6th Grade Band & Choir /
7TH & 8th Grade Band Concert
Tuesday, May 31st at 7:00pm
All performances held in the Fulton Performing
Arts Center unless otherwise noted.
ALUMNI
NEWS
Where Are They Now?
Nadia Petschek Goodman ’03
Emily Parzybok ’07
N
E
adia Petschek Goodman ’03 talks to us as she rides the
night train between Washington, D.C. and her home
in Brooklyn, NY. She is the Social Media Editor at TED,
which means that she manages the social team and develops
TED’s strategy on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
YouTube, and more.
Like so many Overlake graduates, Goodman cites her time here
as having been where she learned to write well, to think critically,
and to find a way to be of service to others.
Asked for a specific thing that Overlake did for her, she does not
hesitate to answer: “Overlake helped me to find my voice, both
as a writer, and as a person.” While at Overlake, Goodman also
began The Benefit Concert.
Goodman earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature
from Northwestern University. In addition to her academic load,
she found time to take on the daunting task of running
Northwestern’s Dance Marathon, one of the largest student-run
philanthropies in the country. The 30-hour marathon was a huge
success and raised $708,711 for epilepsy research. Overlake helped me to find my voice, both as a writer,
and as a person.”
mily Parzybok graduated from the Overlake School in
2007. During her time at Overlake, she was active in the
theater program, played volleyball and, in her own words,
“terrorized the faculty with her obsession with getting As.”
After graduation, she
attended Boston College
where she received a
B.A. in Biology and a
B.A. in Sociology with
a Minor in Women’s
Studies and Philosophy.
Parzybok also holds a
Post-Baccalaureate
Certificate in TESOL
(Teaching English to
Speakers of Other
Languages) from
Seattle University.
Upon graduation, she
lived in Namibia for a year where she set up house on a sheep
farm in the Kalahari Desert and worked with a family group of
San people as an English teacher, financial advisor, and “jack of
all trades.” Parzybok has travelled extensively, visiting 37
countries on five continents.
She later received the Senior Woman Award for Volunteer
Service from the Alumnae Board of Northwestern and the
Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award from the Association
of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). She currently works at the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility and Center for Gun Responsibility, serving as an Outreach
Director. She works to build a strong, broad coalition to strengthen
the movement for gun responsibility and stricter gun policies.
After graduation from Northwestern, Goodman moved to New
York City to work for an education non-profit.
In 2014, Parzybok worked on the Initiative 594 campaign that
brought comprehensive background checks on gun sales to
Washington State. She also volunteers her time with various
political campaigns and with Social Justice Fund, a philanthropic
organization in Seattle focused on building racial equity by
funding grassroots social justice organizations.
She also found time to earn a Master’s in Clinical Psychology
at Columbia University.
Prior to TED, Goodman wrote for online magazines
Entrepreneur.com and YouBeauty.com.
She married Eli Goodman in 2010.
Parzybok recently joined the Overlake Alumni Board. When not
working to teach gun responsibility, Parzybok teaches yoga in
the Columbia City neighborhood of Seattle where she lives and
writes creative non-fiction in her spare time, usually with both of
her cats on her lap. THE OVERLAKER WINTER 2015
15
ALUMNI NEWS
Class Notes
1970s
David d’Heilly ’79 shared this picture of his
son Sai and his friends enjoying an early
Halloween, Japanese style, along the Meguro
River. d’Heilly has lived in Tokyo for the past
twenty years.
Overlake’s early years would find a lot to relate
to, although Overlake’s campus would be our
envy.”
Laura Graham ’92 has recently moved to
Walls (also known as Waas) in the Shetland
Islands, where she is working for a software
company. Outside of her work, she is pursuing
her interests in wildlife preservation and
growing organic vegetables.
1980s
Pam Sheffield ’84 and her friend, Swedish
exchange student Lena Krameus ’83 (who
lived with Sheffield’s family while she attended
Overlake) toured the campus recently and
marveled at how much had changed since
their days here. On hand to greet them was the
seemingly unchanged Bill Armstrong.
Kathryn Rogers Portteus ’88 was on
campus earlier this year for an interview about
her Overlake experience. Portteus maintains a
family law practice, but her passion is teaching:
“It is absolutely my joy and honor to be
teaching now and trying to positively affect the
lives of the 175 kids I work with every day in
the same way that my Overlake teachers
touched mine.” Portteus reflects on what a
“beautiful an inspiring place” the Overlake
community is, and like so many Overlake
Alumni, she looks forward to mentoring some
Overlake Owls in the future. She is planning to
visit the campus again as a teacher observer.
1990s
Greg Bamford ’92 currently heads The
Watershed School in Boulder, Colorado. “Our
Global Education May Term program sent the
entire high school to either Guatemala or
Cambodia,” explains Bamford. “And we have
not one, but two Project Weeks. Enrollment is
up 20% since this time year, and at ten years
in it’s an exciting time in the school’s history,
full of idealism and growth. Alumni from
16 THE OVERLAKER WINTER 2015
After Overlake, Keith Wells ’98
attended Western Washington
University from 1998–2002,
where he majored in Finance,
with a minor in Economics. He worked in real estate from
2003–2007 and then went to Willamette
University Law School from 2007–2010. Married to his wife Katie since 2008, and as
Wells puts it, “we came back to Seattle right
after graduating from law school with our
‘Salem Souvenir’ (our first son).” The Wells
have had a couple more boys since and describe their house as “full and chaotic.” Wells
opened a solo law practice in Woodinville in
2010, and purchased the Windermere Real
Estate office in Chelan in 2013, the office in
Woodinville in 2014, and the office in Monroe
in 2015. He recently joined the Overlake
Alumni Board as a volunteer.
2000s
Post-graduation from Overlake,
Andrew Stearns ’00 spent
several years on the East Coast
before returning to Seattle,
where he works in finance. He is
a proud Owl and describes himself as “grateful
for the opportunity to give back to an institution that played such a meaningful role in
shaping” him as a person. Stearns has served
on the Overlake Alumni Board since 2012.
Outside of his professional and volunteer
work, his interests include: exploring the
outdoors; international politics and travel;
networking; and playing lots of mediocre
squash.
Jonathan Nordin ’00
married Jennifer
DeRaspe-Bolles ’02
in September at Ray’s
Boat House and spent
their honeymoon in
South Africa.
After graduating from Overlake in 2001,
Samantha Chan Hillyer ’01 attended USC’s
Keck School of Medicine to earn a degree in
Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Studies
and Pre-Med. She then moved to Arizona to
pursue a Masters in Acupuncture and a
Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine. After
living with all the heat of the Southwest, she
decided to move back to beautiful Seattle to
put down roots with her husband Adrian.
Together, they opened up a Natural Medicine
clinic, Pins and Needles Acupuncture and
Wellness in Bellevue, where they both work.
Hillyer is currently the President of the
Overlake Alumni Board. In her spare time she
is an actor/model and she recently gave birth
to her future Owl, Hunter. Sarah Hoffmann Menne ’01 writes: “Hi
there, I just wanted to send some greetings
from Germany. I am so glad that you guys
always send me The Overlaker all the way to
Germany. I always love to read what’s going
on, especially the alumni news. I only went to
Overlake for one year as an exchange student,
but Overlake had such a big positive influence
on my life! I became a more confident person
because of my year at Overlake. And I will
always be grateful for all the great people I met
there. 2015 has been a very special year for
me so far: I became a mother, my first child
was born on January 20. And she will always
remind me of my year at Overlake because we
named our baby girl “Aurelia” after my host
sister Katherine Aurelia “Lia” Ball ’03.”
Sandy
Stonesifer ’02
married Neal
Humphrey in
September at
a wedding
attended by
a number of
Overlake
ALUMNI NEWS
Alumni, including Hilary Pentz ’02, who
missed her induction to the Overlake Athletics
Hall of Fame to attend the nuptials.
Upon graduation, Chelsea
Mortell ’03 attended Seattle
University and graduated in
2008 with a BS in Mechanical
Engineering Cum Laude. She
attended Oregon Health &
Sciences University and graduated in 2012
with a DMD in Dentistry. She recently opened
her own dental practice, Juanita Family
Dentistry in Kirkland. She also married Vincent
Petisme, September 25, 2015. The newlyweds
reside in Kirkland with their two dogs, Betty
and Xena.
Overlake Alumni Board member
Betsy Noelle Hansen ’03
attended Overlake for four
years. She left in her junior year
to pursue the Running Start
program, and then attended a
boarding school in Lugano Switzerland to complete her senior year. She earned her BSBA in
Economics and Finances at the University of
Denver. Hansen worked at a couple of “think
tanks” before moving to graduate school at
The London School of Economics, where she
was awarded a Masters in Economic History.
After school she stayed in London to work at
a couple of start-up research companies that
produced newsletters and white-papers on
macro trends related to select markets and
industries. She returned to Seattle in 2013,
where she joined a team of financial advisers
at the Pacific Wealth Management Group at
Morgan Stanley. symptoms, medications and more for each
child or family member. So far, Kinsa has not
only gained much media attention, but also
won the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation
award. Singh lives in the Bay Area, and also
found time to get married this past summer to
Inder Singh. She also serves on the board of
the Nanubhai Education Foundation. After
Overlake, she attended Claremont McKenna
College and Columbia University.
On July 19,
2015, Chloe
Sommers
Wilson ’09
married Ron
Sommers III.
The happy
couple met
while serving
as Jesuit Volunteers in Omak, Washington
after college. Chloe attended Santa Clara
University ’13; and Ron, Boston College ’13.
They currently reside in Chicago, Illinois where
Ron attends the Loyola University Stritch
School of Medicine. Chloe started at Loyola
University Chicago School of Law this fall as a
recipient of the Civitas ChildLaw Fellowship.
Nita Nehru Singh ’08 works at Kinsa, a
startup which manufactures the first-ever
FDA-cleared smartphone connected thermometer that allows parents to remember fever,
Keep those stories coming; we love to hear
about our alums in action! Send your updates
to Christian Fulghum, Assistant Director of
Development and Alumni Engagement at
[email protected] or (425) 868-6191 x604.
2010s
Alumni Reflections
Recent Videos Featuring
Our Alums
Congratulations to Anthony Colello ’04 who
is now teaching 5th Grade English and History
at Eastside Prep.
After graduating from Overlake,
Alan Everitt ’06 studied
business at Santa Clara University. He returned to Seattle for
his current job as a network
engineer at AT&T. He is preparing to start his MBA in 2016. When not
racking up miles on his bicycle (including the
trip to Overlake Alumni Board meetings), you
can find him paddling on Lake Washington!
Erika Sasaki ’14 stopped by campus recently
to meet with our new Director of Diversity,
Mahtab Mahmoodzadeh. Sasaki is enjoying
her sophomore year at Santa Clara, and
writing for a number of online blogs on diversity and college life.
Adrianna Gildner ’13 earned the NESCAC
Player of the Week Honors playing soccer for
Middlebury College.
Graham C. Husick
’14 played goalie
for Team USA at the
U-19 World Indoor
Lacrosse Championships in Toronto
in September. Team
USA took fourth
place out of the twelve teams competing.
Husick is in his sophomore year at Macalester
College.
We love to hear from our alumni.
And over the summer we had the
opportunity to sit down with a few
to gather their thoughts and
reflections of their time spent at
Overlake. Our conversations
resulted in the following videos.
www.overlake.org/alumni
17
ALUMNI NEWS
Congratulations to Our New Alums!
Class of 2015 — College Enrollment Plans*
Riley Albright-Borden ............Santa Clara University
Sophia Alhadeff .........................George Washington University
Aneesh Bhamidipati ................University of Southern California
Erica Bishop .................................Occidental College
Meike Buhaly ...............................Occidental College
Matthew Charchenko ............University of Utah
Richard Chavez...........................Northeastern University
Talia Clark ......................................George Washington University
Nicholas Culbert ........................Kenyon College
Catherine Cunningham .........American University
Kathryn Dawson ........................Willamette University
Kenneth Dyer ...............................Washington State University
Madeline Finch ...........................Lewis & Clark College
Wyley Frank..................................Occidental College
Ryan Fredrickson ......................University of Portland
Charles Friend .............................Chapman University
Madison Gwinn...........................Chapman University
Rebecca Hachamovitch .......University of St. Andrews
Laurine Hanston.........................Western Washington University
Pranav Harikrishnan ...............University of California, Berkeley
Khadija Haveliwala...................Seattle University
Laura Isaza ....................................Georgetown University
Mitali Karmarkar .......................University of Southern California
Vanessa Kent ...............................Rhode Island School of Design
M. Cole Kenworthy ..................Gonzaga University
Thomas Kern ................................University of Washington
Sarah Khalidi................................Santa Clara University
Madeline Klineman ..................University of Southern California
Raguram Kodungudi ...............University of Washington
Emily Lautch.................................Emerson College
Sabrina Lester .............................Western Washington University
Anjani Ludu ...................................Seattle University
Tucker Lutz ....................................University of Alabama
Trevor Marcus .............................Western Washington University
Shawn McCall..............................Gap Year
Kai McConnell .............................Whitman College
Ian McPherson ............................Occidental College
Aaron Mell ...................................Willamette University
Bryce Merrill...............................University of Southern California
Srihari Mohan ............................Johns Hopkins University
Cassandra Moore ....................American University
Nomin Munkhbayar ...............American University
Zain Natha ...................................Occidental College
Anne-Chloe Olix.......................University of Washington
MacKenzie Olsen.....................University of Washington
Samantha Paley .......................New York University
Rishi Paramesh .........................University of Washington
Cole Paxton ................................Northwestern University
Augustus Peterson.................Western Washington University
Ethan Pothering .......................University of Washington
Nicholas Rollman.....................Colorado School of Mines
Rina Rosnow...............................Haverford College
Evan Sather.................................University of Portland
Jack Sather..................................Carnegie Mellon University
Grace Shaw.................................Gonzaga University
Annaka Shewchuk ..................Scripps College
Pranay Shoroff..........................Purdue University
Carly Silvernale ........................Massachusetts Institute of Tech.
Benjamin Smith ........................Loyola Marymount University
Maria Steen .................................College in the UK (TBD)
Hudson Stuck ............................California Polytechnic State U.
Abigail Szkutak ........................College of the Holy Cross
Quinn Taylor ...............................Occidental College
Rachel Teper...............................University of Miami
Jack Toland..................................University of Colorado at Boulder
David Treadwell........................University of Puget Sound
Cole Tsang ...................................University of California, Los Angeles
Julia Turner ..................................Amherst College
Keshav Ummat..........................University of Washington
Aditya Uppala ............................University of Southern California
Mridul Verma .............................U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Subhadra Vetrivel ...................California Institute of Technology
* List as of June 23, 2015
T H E OVE RLAKE SC H O O L
Alumni Reunion 2015
Mark Your Calendars
for Alumni Reunion 2016!
SATURDAY, JUNE 18
Overlake Alumni are encouraged to come back to
campus this summer right after commencement, for our
annual Alumni Reunion.
Festivities will take place Saturday, June 18th —
two months earlier than past reunions.
For more information and to RSVP, please e-mail
[email protected]
19
FACULT Y AND STAFF NEWS
Meet Our New Faculty and Staff
Samanta Ascaso, Middle and Upper School Spanish Teacher
Samanta has taught high school Spanish in
multiple countries including the U.S., Germany
and in her home country of Spain. She recently
earned her Master in Applied Languages degree
from the Universidad Antonia de Nebrija in
Madrid. Samanta excels in multicultural
environments with students of different backgrounds because
of her experiences living and teaching abroad, and is excited to
embrace the diverse opportunities at Overlake.
Katherine Asgari, Associate Director of College Counseling
Kate comes to Overlake with extensive college
guidance experience: she is a former Director
of Admission at Whitman College and is the
founder of ALCHEMY, an educational consulting
service focused on college advising. Additionally,
Kate has taught at the university level in South
Korea, and was Director of MBA recruitment for Microsoft. She
earned a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration
from Harvard University. When not busy at Overlake, Kate enjoys
reading, international travel, and local adventures with her family
and two dogs, Enzo and Cleo.
Kelly Clifford, Technology Mentor
Kelly joins Overlake with 13 years of working
in education, both as a French teacher and a
Japanese teacher, a role which she prepared
for by earning her Master’s in Japanese at
Harvard University. Throughout her classroom
experiences, Kelly always found creative ways
to integrate the latest technology into learning exercises and
homework assignments. Smart boards, LCD projectors,
DropBox, social media and Google Voice were just a few of the
programs and tech that she used in her lesson plans. She is
excited to tackle this brand-new role at Overlake, inspiring
faculty with sustainable technology solutions to support teaching. In her free time, Kelly enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, and
studying Japanese literature.
Sarah Deschamps, Director of Development
Sarah comes to Overlake from McLean, Virginia,
where she was the Director of Development at
the Langley School. She has an ambitious and
adventurous resume, which includes four years
working in Tokyo, Japan. She was first at The
American School in Japan where she was the
President of the PTA and served on the Board of Directors. She
then worked as the Assistant Head of School for The Montessori
School of Tokyo. Sarah’s love of travel translates to fun vacations
with her husband and two teenage daughters, as well as local
explorations of Seattle.
Kelly Erlandson, Development & Communications Associate
Kelly joins Overlake with 4 years of experience
working in development and communications
for non-profit organizations, including United
Way in San Francisco, and the Boys & Girls
Clubs of Monterey County. She earned her B.A.
in Sociology from Cornell University in 2009,
after which she spent a year serving in the AmeriCorps program
in Northern California. Prior to accepting her role at Overlake,
Kelly spent the last year living and working in New Zealand
and Australia as a sales photographer. In her time away from
Overlake, Kelly enjoys traveling, hiking, and discovering new
places to camp in the Pacific Northwest.
Christian Fulghum, Assistant Director of Development &
Alumni Engagement
An alumni of Overlake, Christian has returned to
campus to engage and inspire his fellow alumni,
and be a vital member of the Development team.
Since graduating, Christian has worked
in a variety of industries in high-level leadership
roles, including software, international manufacturing, and most recently the recording industry as a Founder
and Managing Partner for both Jupiter Studios in Wallingford,
and the independent Fin Records. He has also served on the
board of trustees for many organizations, including The Lakeside
School, The Evergreen School, KEXP, LiveWire! Radio and Overlake. When he’s not on campus or bringing alumni back to
campus, Christian likes to play guitar or watch Noir.
Jay Heath, Director of Technology
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Jay comes to
Overlake after working in New York for 8 years,
building a resume that includes being an Apple
“Genius,” technology consultant, and ultimately
Associate Director of Technology for Academic
Programs at the Ethical Culture Fieldston
School. Before moving to New York to be a “Genius” and for
graduate school, Jay studied Environmental Studies & Philosophy at Whitman College. When Jay is not at Overlake leading an
ambitious technology program, which includes launching the
“Bring Your Own Device” initiative, Jay can be found camping,
hiking and kayaking.
Jacqui Jackson, Middle & Upper School Coordinator
Susan Lin, Learning Specialist
Jacqui has worked in Idaho, Arizona and
Washington in positions that reflect her apt
administrative skills, and her education in psychology. In Gooding, ID she worked at ProActive
Advantage as a Psychosocial Rehab Specialist,
helping patients with mental and/or emotional
disorders function and integrate in their community. For the last
three years, she worked as a Case Coordinator in Lynwood for
Behavior Management for Adults and Children. When not taking
care of a million things at Overlake, she finds time to sing Alto in
the Seattle Ensign Symphony, coach cheer for multiple teams
around King County, and study for the GRE test.
Susan joins Overlake with a Ph.D. in Education
from the University of Washington and numerous professional experiences in educational
settings, including four years as the Learning
Specialist at Mesa Robles School in California.
She also spent four years as a University
Supervisor for the College of Education at the University of
Washington, and later became a Teaching Associate where she
developed evidence-based, effective curriculums. Susan has an
extensive background in volunteerism, for such varied organizations as University District Food Bank to Special Bunny Rescue.
Janet Jones, 7th Grade Science Teacher
Mahtab comes to Overlake after years of
classroom experience engaging students on
global issues in a multicultural world. Mahtab
just recently served as the Director of Diversity
at University Prep school during a sabbatical
leave. Mahtab has also worked at Rainier
Scholars, The Bush School and other institutions teaching
sustainability and global issues to a variety of students. Beyond
the classroom, Mahtab has led workshops and conferences
dedicated to diversity issues, including Myths about Congo,
Oneness of Humanity, and the Iranian Revolution. Mahtab keeps
busy outside of work dancing, rowing and looking after her
two young children.
Janet graduated with honors and ultimately a
Master’s from Pennsylvania State University,
and has taught middle school science for the last
two years in the Lake Washington School
District. In her experience, she is accustomed
to using technology as a key learning resource,
which will serve her well in the Overlake community. On the
opposite end of the spectrum, Janet is a Certified Interpretive
Guide, meaning she is trained to give informative walks and to
use the outdoors as a classroom. She hopes to continue to
teach kids in both the classroom, and in non-traditional settings.
Steven J. Karaiskos, Learning Specialist
Mahtab Mahmoodzadeh, Director of Diversity
Steven joins the Overlake community having
taught and developed academic programs at
Soundview School, Madrona Elementary School
and University Child Development School in
Seattle, as well as at the Wheeler School in
Rhode Island. Through the Denver Public
Schools, Stephen supported curricular development and teacher
training needs across 88 schools. After completing his Master’s
in Psychology in 2014, Steven is currently pursuing a PhD in
Education with a specialization in instructional leadership from
Northcentral University. Margaret Marks, Admission Assistant
Katherine Lavine, Upper School Math Teacher
Courtney S. Massey, Middle & Upper School Math Teacher
Katherine joins the Overlake team from North
Carolina, where she taught Honors and College
Prep level Geometry and Pre-calculus at the
Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill. Prior
to teaching to Upper School students, Katherine
was a visiting lecturer at the University of North
Carolina. Outside of academics, Katherine has an athletic
background, having rowed for the Varsity Women’s Crew Team
at her alma mater, Dartmouth College, was an active member of
the Association for Women in Mathematics, and is a new mother
as of May 2015.
Margaret is a Seattle native, having attended
Lakeside High before majoring in Psychology
at Colby College. Margaret’s career path has a
particular focus on program coordination with
roles ranging from Program Assistant at Fred
Hutchison Cancer Research Center to Administrative Assistant with Microsoft. Her wide-ranging abilities maker
her a perfect addition to the Admissions team. When she’s not
at Overlake, she is spending time with her family, including two
children aged 6 and 3.
Courtney comes to Overlake from Salt Lake
City, UT where she taught Honors Mathematics
for three years. After graduating from Cornell
University with a Civil Engineering degree,
Courtney earned her Master’s degree in
Mathematics from the University of Utah in May
2015. Prior to her move to Salt Lake City, Courtney was a math
teacher and swim coach at The Island School in Eleuthera,
The Bahamas where she was a huge advocate for experiential
learning in her lesson plans on Celestial Navigation. Courtney is
excited to transition from teaching in the large classrooms of her
previous school, to Overlake’s smaller learning environment.
21
Greg Morse, Technology Support Specialist
Joey Pauley, Project Week Coordinator
Greg comes to Overlake with an impressive
resume in the IT industry. For twenty years, Greg
worked his way up the ranks at Boeing Company,
eventually taking the role of Enterprise Application Packager, packaging and supporting
numerous applications through all phases,
including design, Alpha testing, Beta testing and large-scale
deployments. Prior to accepting our position of Technology
Support Specialist, he worked for Dell in an Advisor role,
ensuring the successful deployment of applications to over
170,000 desktops. When he’s not at Overlake, Greg loves soccer,
hiking and bicycling — he can ride his bike from Seattle to
Portland in one day!
Joey may be new to the position of Project
Week Coordinator, but he is hardly a stranger
to Overlake. Through his involvement as an
outdoor education instructor on campus, Joey
was inspired to become more involved in the
experiential education program as a full-fledged
faculty member. His professional experience includes being an
Experience Coordinator at Living Social, Director of Corporate
Programs at Adventura Consulting, and the Founder of Applied
Leadership Teams, a consulting company that develops workplace leadership through training and one-on-one coaching.
Not surprisingly, outside of Overlake Joey is usually outdoors,
involved with Washington Alpine Club, The Mountaineers, and
Outdoors for All.
Hannah Moskat, Counseling Assistant
Hannah is a Redmond local who recently
returned from Walla Walla, where she was a
Resident Director at Whitman College for two
years. Through this experience at her alma mater,
she learned a great deal about community
development and communication by training
and mentoring student leaders, and balancing budgets for three
halls. While at Whitman, Heidi also volunteered at Walla Walla
High School as a College Coach, and worked in the admissions
office of Beloit College. In her spare time, Hannah can be found
cooking dinner with friends, spending time with family and her
dog, and swimming in local lakes.
Laura Triebold, Health and Life Skills Instructor
William Neil, Transportation Coordinator
Heidi joins Overlake with eight years of experience at the Fredericksburg Academy in Virginia,
both as a middle and upper school teacher, and
as History Department Coordinator from 2010
to 2015. She has honed her skills not only in
front of the classroom, but developing and implementing department wide curricula and directing an independent
study program. Heidi is a big advocate for teaching through
real-world experience and project-based learning. When not
teaching History, Heidi is outdoors kayaking and hiking, or frequenting the local vinyl record store.
Bill fully understands the pressures, demands
and dynamics of running a transportation
business, both as a driver and a manager. For
the past three years, he has worked for Starline
Charter Bus Company, Hopelink, and the Mercer
Island School District as both a bus driver and
Para Pro for Special Needs children. He entered the transportation field after years of working as a Franchise Manager for
Pepsi-Co, and owning and operating his own business. Bill is
excited to be a part of our energetic community.
Karl Olson, Fifth Grade Humanities Teacher
Karl has a Master’s from City University and
a B.A. in History from the University of
Washington. Karl has six years of experience
teaching general education curriculums in
diverse elementary school classrooms. He also
has two years of volunteer experience tutoring
Sudanese immigrant students in both math and reading. In his
free time, Karl can be found outside — playing soccer every
week, cross-country skiing, fly fishing, or listening to live music.
Laura has an educational background in
religious studies, and a professional background
in teaching adult life skills such as conflict
resolution, stress reduction, and handling grief
and loss at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred
Heart. Laura is a huge advocate for diversity on
campus, and looks forward to facilitating important conversations in a co-ed classroom, as opposed to the single sex classrooms of Forest Ridge. When not on campus, Laura can be
found gardening, learning Spanish, or traveling.
Heidi Wilbrandt, Upper School History Teacher
Retirements and Departures
Bob Wood
CONTRIBUTED BY BOB BRISTOL
I
first got to know Bob in the winter of 1987. He was the boys’
varsity basketball coach and I was helping with the girls’ varsity.
I took over the team after the winter holiday when I became a full
time teacher so we shared the gym for the remainder of that year
as well as the following winter. Those were in the days of the
carpeted floor and no heat.
We got to know each other a bit better in the 1989–1990 school
year when I became Athletic Director and moved into an ‘office’
next to Bob’s in the old Math Science building. We shared a
dutch-door but more importantly it gave me a window into what
his classroom was like. This was very enlightening as any former
student of his can tell you, Bob’s classes were always educational
and never boring. He taught in a dynamic fashion where he
combined high expectations, with high entertainment. I know
Bob gave 30 years to Overlake, the second longest tenure in
the history of the school. He was among other things a science
teacher, a basketball coach, a golf coach, project week coordinator, Middle School Head and served on countless committees.
He attended untold numbers of games and performances, not
because it was part of his job, but because he loved seeing kids
performing in all areas of Overlake life. He immersed himself
in all that was Overlake.
Walt Hoesel said best what many who know Bob might be
thinking, “Though not good friends by a classic definition, I love
the man. He brightens my day whenever he drops in.” We at
Overlake will certainly miss him and we hope he always continues to drop in.
Larry Metzger
CONTRIBUTED BY DAVE BENNETT
L
arry Metzger’s story continues. He retired from Overlake in
June 2015 after 16 years of teaching history here and 23
years elsewhere. During his 39 years in the classroom, Larry told
a lot of stories.
Larry told stories for a living. He told stories about peoples and
places and events of the past, putting them together in ways that
enabled hundreds upon hundreds of students to clearly understand the world and how it works. Larry’s classroom was a place
of laughter and hard work and deep thinking, often all at the same
time. Larry’s students, and in particular his advisees, looked
forward to whatever was happening in his class on any given day.
Bob Wood with his homeroom.
that now and then after some loud noise or outburst I had to just
peak in to see what was going on and I was never disappointed.
The kids were fixated on what he was doing and every one of
them was just happy to be in that class. He made learning fun
and that is the key to success. You can look at any guide for good
teaching and somewhere it will say passion, and Bob had this in
abundance. Whether it was passion for the subject, for the kids,
for his peers or for Overlake in general, Bob had it.
Larry’s story continues. He is putting together some history
teaching curricula for a course he will be teaching at an alternative high school near his home in Seattle. He can be found most
mornings at one of a handful of Capitol Hill (continued next page)
But what I think stands out the most about Bob was his story
telling. Dave Bennett once said that teaching history is about
storytelling and that means Bob would have been a great history
teacher. No matter how many times Bob would tell a story, it was
always funny. He knew how to stretch the story, to build anticipation and to burst out laughing as the final punch line was given.
Whether it was to start off a MS meeting or to entertain some
friends at dinner, Bob knew how to make people laugh.
23
cafes, drinking coffee, reading, schmoozing and telling stories.
When he’s not at a café he can be found on mountain trails all
around the Pacific Northwest, or in his kitchen, cooking meals
for himself and his beloved wife Elizabeth.
Larry’s stories live on in the students who he taught over his
39 years of teaching. That’s quite a legacy!
Chris Berry
Chris Berry, former Life
Skills teacher has spent the
first month of her free time
exploring her family roots
in central Europe with a
“Project Month” in Poland,
Czech Republic and
Hungary. Her travels continue with visits to daughters
Kate at Columbia Law in NYC
and Maddy, a counselor at the Child Study and Treatment Center
near Tacoma. Berry is now spending long overdue time with her
91-years-and-going-strong mom, Loretta, in Toledo, Ohio. Berry
and her four siblings are meeting for a “Nana-Palooza” celebration focused on her mom this coming winter.
Gloria Califf
Since retiring from
the Transportation
Department, Gloria
Califf has been
enjoying spending
more time with her
grandkids and connecting with her family
in the Vancouver area.
Califf is doing more
triathlons and is now
able to do the bulk of
her training during
the day, which is a
nice change. She’s also increased her involvement at her church.
Califf plans to join Northwest Christian Writers soon and begin
writing again. “I want all of you to know that I love Overlake
and you feel like family to me,” says Califf. “Thanks for being
the awesome faculty and staff that you are. I will never forget
Overlake.”
Anna Gavin
Since Anna Gavin left the Technology
Department at Overlake, she has been
enjoying the shorter commute time to her
new position at Snohomish County as
Information Systems Tech II. She has also
been spending a lot of time with her family.
Mark Manuel
Mark Manuel left his
position as Overlake’s
Director of Diversity last
spring. Since then, Manuel
has been busy building a
comprehensive diversity
plan for the City of Bellevue
as their new Diversity
Outreach & Engagement
Administrator. He is also
enjoying spending time
with his family, including his one year old daughter, as well as
a daughter that he is preparing to send to college next year. On
a recent college tour to southern California, Manuel was happy
to find himself running in to six Overlake grads at Occidental
College!
Robin Wheeler
After five years at Overlake as Project Week Coordinator, Robin
packed up her bags and her small dog, Sadie, and moved to
Bogotá, Colombia to teach at Colegio Nueva Granada. She is
loving the beautiful environment that surrounds her mountainside classroom, the warm nature of Colombians, street art, and
coffee that rivals Seattle’s.
When the Bell Rings
Faculty and Staff Involvement Outside of Overlake
Ann Ewel
Celebrating
Milestones at
Overlake
LIBRARY SERVICES
20
Ann Ewel has been a tutor for the past seven years at the Bellevue Library U.S.
Citizenship class. Here’s a link to an article featuring Ann and her work in the
Bellevue Reporter.
www.bellevuereporter.com/news/230572551.html
Bill Johns
YEARS
STAGECRAFT
Bill Johns will be performing in Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike at the Harlequin
Theater in Olympia opening January 22. He’s also teaching acting for directors at
the Seattle Film Institute and helping build sets for Ingraham High School productions of You Can’t Take it With You and Macbeth.
harlequinproductions.org/season-2016/vanya-sonya-masha-spike/
C Jaap
John Wiley Erin Gabriel
Diane Freytag
15
VISUAL ARTS
YEARS
C Jaap recently silver-coated the roof
of her garage as she continue to work
toward turning it into an art studio.
Jim Swayze
Erin Gabriel
Mireille Machefert
10
CHOIR
YEARS
Erin Gabriel sings with Seattle Pro Musica. This will be her second year with the
choir. She is particularly excited about the upcoming Northern Lights concert.
www.seattlepromusica.org
Susan Essex
COUNSELING
Susan Essex has begun a “youth board” at her church to help gather and train
youth leaders for the church’s youth group. She volunteers on Sunday nights to
help lead the youth group.
Susan Lin
COUNSELING
Susan Lin presented at a conference this fall at the University of Washington.
The Center of Teaching and Learning holds an annual “TA/RA Conference for
Teaching, Learning, and Research.” Lin’s workshop topic was “Including all
Students: Diversity in the Classroom.”
Here is more information from their website: www.washington.edu/teaching
Sarah Fitzpatrick
Rebecca Moore
Matt Haddock
Mollie Montgomery
5
YEARS
THEATER
Sarah Fitzpatrick has been kicking up her heels studying African-based dance
at WASSA Dance as well as taking yoga classes.
wassadance.com
Brenda Leaks Cipriano (June) Castro
Tina Proctor Ben Castro
25
ATHLETICS
An Owl Athletic Fall
to Remember
Owl fans have been treated to a great fall season of
sports. The number of students school-wide competing
hit an all-time high (283) and we had some great stories.
Here is the Varsity Report:
Varsity Boys’ & Girls’ Cross Country
Varsity Volleyball
Under first year head coach, Caine Jette, the Owls have had a
stellar season. The Owls won the Emerald City League regular
season with a 9–2 league record (11-6 overall) and showed both
depth in personnel and resiliency. Tournament wins over 4A
Redmond, 3As Edmonds-Woodway, and 3A Marysville-Getchell
gave this team a level of confidence as it entered a tie-breaking
round robin against volleyball foes Annie Wright and Forest
Ridge on November 2nd. The Owls came out on top that night
and only fell in a winner-to-state, loser-out match, 3–2 against
state power Cedar Park Christian. It should be noted that this
group had a large student section following, often coordinating
white-outs, black-outs, pink-outs and green and gold attire
throughout the home season. Overlake’s gym was the loudest in
the league and as one opposing coach said after being swept
3–0 by Overlake, “Our girls have never seen anything like this: It’s
loud, it’s intimidating, but your kids are also classy in the stands.”
This young boys’ team flourished and put themselves back into
the State Tournament for just the third time in school history.
Led by fast underclassmen, the Owls were in the State Top Ten
for the majority of the season. Highlights included winning first
place as a team in the Three Course Challenge in Seaside
Oregon, claiming first place in the Nisqually Meet at Kelsey
Creek, in addition to multiple Emerald City League first place
team finishes. Our Girls’ Varsity was our strongest ever and the
girls consistently held on to second place in league meets,
trailing only the state’s #1 team (Northwest). These Owls also
claimed first place in the Three Course Challenge in Seaside,
Oregon, and were also a regular in the State Top Ten coaches’
poll. Peri Wallent, our senior captain, returned to State again and
finished 55th overall, bettering last year’s mark of 105th.
Varsity Girls’ Soccer
Girls’ Soccer had a renaissance of sorts. Fifteen talented
freshmen joined, an (undefeated) JV was added, and this team
passed many schools in the standings in just one season. The
Owls were 8–3–1 in league (12–5–1 overall) and had a great
playoff run, which included their first trip to State since 2011.
ATHLETICS
Considering the improvement from 19 players and two league
wins one year ago, to 31 players in the upper school and the
performance on the field, this was a tremendous season on both
fronts. Credit to the coaching staff led by veteran Head Coach
Sally Goodspeed and the leadership of our four seniors (Allie Hill,
Ruthie Nordhoff, Sophie Stuhura, and Rio Wilson).
players qualify for the league tournament at Bellevue Municipal.
There they competed well and will send five of those golfers on
to Bi-Districts in May (Mihir Velagapudi ’16, Alan Ngouenet ’17,
Rohit Sirosh ’17, Justin Pong ’18, and Trent Gardner ’18). Rohit
Sirosh, as talented a golfer as Overlake has ever produced, shot
a 72 to tie for medalist, only to fall short on the second sudden
death hole. This is the first time in his three-year career which
Rohit has not won this tournament, but certainly is a contender
for the state title in May at Liberty Lake in Spokane (2nd in 2013,
3rd in 2014).
Varsity Boys’ Ultimate
Varsity Boys’ Tennis
Jeff Loranger’s program is consistently one of the most competitive in the state. Each year a full Owl varsity and JV play in the
most competitive 1A league (ECL) in Washington. This season
the Owls put together a respectable 9–4 record, with solid wins
over South Whidbey, Archbishop Murphy, and 2A Sammamish
High School (and the JV was undefeated). Though this program
was young, two of the doubles teams and a singles entry made it
to the final day of the Bi-District tournament. Overlake finished
2nd in this and will return many to the program next season.
Though one might look at the record (2–8) and not see an
improving program, those close to Varsity Boys Ultimate will
find reason to be hopeful about the future. In 2014 this program
unfortunately went winless so yes, they were better this year.
This squad had more heartbreaking one point losses than you’d
want to count. More importantly, on a day when Seattle Academy
hosted their “Ultimate Mania” event on September 25th at the
Starfire complex in front of hundreds of red and black clad
spectators, it was the Owls who walked away with a welldeserved 10–7 win. Seattle Academy was actually a victim of
Overlake’s first Ultimate season sweep in years, beating the
Cardinals in October 12–11.
Varsity Boys’ Golf Like tennis, golf at Overlake is played in the fall but the majority
of the playoff season is in the spring. The Owls played tough nonleague matches against 4As Redmond and Eastlake prior to a
winning season in the ECL. Sprague Kolp’s team had a record six
27
ATHLETICS
2015–16
Winter Sports Preview
L
ast season reminded our great community just how much
fun the winter can be when you put quality basketball teams
on the court every night. Both our boys’ and girls’ varsities were
very competitive and this year should see a continuance of that,
especially considering the talent of the returning players in both
programs and the leadership from the veteran coaching staffs.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Led by charismatic Head Coach Dennis Black, the Owls look to
improve upon last season’s 12-4 record in league (13-8 overall).
The Owls bring back three sport standout Allie Hill ’16, who is a
terror for opposing perimeter players, as well as Oli Wilson ’17,
who led the Owls in rebounding last season. In addition, the
Owls return their top four scorers from last season (Hill, Wilson,
Victoria Friend ’17 and Holly Harris ’18) to combine with the
possibilities of a strong freshman class making this version of
Owls basketball a promising one. Look for the Owls to be a
contender for the girls’ title in the Emerald City League.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Expectations are heavy but Head Coach Justin Prohn has the
shoulders to handle them. The Owls return key pieces from last
year’s 19-6 squad who reached the State Regional level. ECL
Most Valuable Player LT Cosmos ’16 and 6’9 shot-blocking big
man Owen Friend ’17 should help solidify a young group of
ballers. Look for the Owls to get big performances from senior
shooting guard Katon Minhas, power forward Zeyad Daher ’17,
as well as do-everything sophomore Tellier Lundquist. Last
season the Owls made a strong, late run at the league title,
falling short by just a game. This year the team brings back the
confidence from that journey and the state experience and they
should be in the thick of things in February.
Overlakers Inducted into
Athletics Hall of Fame
This fall, an Overlake tradition continued as
four alumni were inducted into the Overlake
Athletics Hall of Fame.
D
uring their time at Overlake, Ashley Fisk ’02,
Beckley Mason ’04, Hilary Pentz ’02, and
Jamie Weaver ’02 earned a collective 42
varsity letters, were named to 25 all-league teams,
appeared in 18 state tournaments, won four state
championships, and were honored three times as
league most valuable players. All four went on to
play in college programs.
Student staff of the Overlake Independent, the
school newspaper, talked with several of the
honorees and asked them a few questions that
were on their minds.
28
ATHLETICS
Q: Ashley Fisk, what
was it like being a
female athlete on
a dominantly male
team?
A: The two years that
I played, there was
another girl on the
team. There were
not other girls in the
league that I can
remember. If I have
ever been sure about anything about myself, it is that I am an
athlete. I didn’t mind hearing the other team commenting and
saying, there’s a girl on the team. I loved when I got up to bat,
got a really nice hit and quieted them up. Baseball was certainly
my weakest sport and I was far from the best on the team, but
I am proud of myself for playing.
Q: What are you doing now?
A: I am a nurse working in an endoscopy center in Fremont.
I married Bruce Stead, who was in my grade at Overlake and
a teammate on the baseball team. We live in Bellevue with our
cats, Barnum and Bailey and our charcoal lab, Emmett.
Q: Beckley Mason, what are
the differences between
playing high school and
college sports?
A: For starters, everyone’s
better and bigger in college. In
high school you go from being
the pip squeak freshman to
being one of the older, most
physically developed kids in the
game by your senior year. Then
it starts all over. You’re playing
22-year-olds who have been in
college weightlifting classes
for four years. It takes some time to catch up to the speed of the
game. Also the commitment level is just way, way different. You
have to lift in the morning, practice in the afternoon for a few
hours, watch film, then study and get to sleep. It’s much more
like a job.
Q: What was your usual practice routine?
A: Well, I always loved just shooting by myself and I’d do that
whenever I could. Finding time to get in an empty gym or getting
in a good 30 minute session on the hoop in my backyard to work
on things. Routines are important but the main thing is you really
want to make your time on the court count.
Q: Hilary Pentz, what are a few lessons that you learned
from lacrosse?
A: How to work with different individuals, be a team player,
organize my available time, manage work with fun.
Q: Who was your favorite teacher at Overlake?
A: I had a lot of inspirational teachers at
Overlake. They were all such good role
models and helped me develop my
identity. I think it would be difficult to say
just one, but I probably spent the most
time with Sue Haviland. I felt so lucky to
have her in my life as my teacher, coach
and friend.
Q: Jamie Weaver, what is your favorite Overlake memory?
A: I have so many favorite Overlake memories but my favorites
definitely involved sports. I learned so much from my coaches
and teammates and having a common drive to win and take
Overlake sports to a new level was always something I thrived
on. A few favorites are leading the basketball team to our first
State tournament, as well as winning State in golf for two years!
The excitement of having all your friends, classmates and
teachers cheering you on on a Friday night in the Barn (the old
Overlake gym) felt so powerful. You had the whole school behind
you and were proud to be an Owl.
Q: What is something that
playing sports has taught
you? What are some
challenges that you’ve overcome in playing sports?
A: Sports have taught me a lot
and have been very valuable in
my life. I believe the team aspect
of sports really teaches you
how to deal with different
characters, backgrounds and
how to effectively communicate
with people with differing
personalities. This has been very valuable for me in the business
world and developing relationships. Due to sports I have become
extremely competitive and love to win! This competitive drive
allows me to put 200% into what I am doing both in my professional life as well as personal life. I always want to be the best I
can be and see those results on a daily basis.
29
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“All That Jazz” Auction Sizzles!
The annual Overlake Auction brought our community
together for a joyful, positive night. The 20’s inspired theme
saw plenty of flapper dresses and zoot suits
among our parents, alumni, faculty, staff
and friends of Overlake.
This year’s auction included an online
silent auction, live auction and,
new this year, an after-party.
The Fund-A-Need — to bring
new learning opportunities into the TLC
labs — raised more than $140,000.
Thank you to our sponsors and auction package donors for
your support. Special thanks go out to the dedicated volunteers
from the auction committee and especially to the auction
chairs, Andrea Jones and Maria Lubienski (pictured), for your
tremendous leadership.

the latest Overlaker!

Transcription

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