ON THE HORIZON MARIN HORIZON SCHOOL2014 –2015 ANNUAL REPORT & BULLETIN

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What Have We Been Up To? And Where Are We Going?Letters from: Head of School, Board Chair, and Parent Association President; Meet the four new Direc-tors who are sharing their expertise with our community.

Let the Sun Shine!Check out our new solar initiatives and find out how they not only help us be sustainable, but are a great learning tool as well.

Around CampusCheck out our new entrance, and see how well you know our campus!

We Are GratefulNotes from the Development Office, Board & Parent Associa-tion members, auction high-lights, operating budgets and donor lists. Thank you to our many generous supporters!

It’s About More Than Winning...Read about our Athletics program and how doing your personal best builds character.

Over the HorizonWhat are our alumni up to? Plus, Mums of Alums, 21+ Reunion, Alumni Outing Day, 8th Grade and Beyond, Class of 2015.

Marin Horizon School believes that every child can grow up to make a difference in the world. Every day, our faculty enthusiastically delivers a top-notch education to children from preschool through middle school in joyful classrooms where academics and character are of equal importance. We do this because we believe the world doesn’t just need smart people. The world needs smart people with the courage to be kind and to stand up for what’s right.

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Dear Marin Horizon Families,

Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset

Recently, I have heard a number of new families remark on our students’ ability to articulate the importance of taking risks and venturing out of one’s comfort zone.

In fact, last year during our 8th grade graduation one of our students had this to say, “If I learned anything from my time here at Marin Horizon, it is that you are always supported when you dare to venture into the unknown, or the unpredictable, or the ‘yuck, I don’t want to

do that’ zone. In the words of the comedic Will Rogers, ‘even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.’”

This fundamental belief represents a mindset encouraged at Marin Horizon, one that I dare say will serve this student well in life as he stays open to the possibilities that lie ahead of him.

Recent research has given voice to this theory, espoused by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., of Stanford University, who found evidence of two types of mindsets and writes about them in her book, Mindset. Her work has focused on the distinction between what she has labeled a “fixed” and a “growth” mindset, and the powerful effects they can each have on one’s performance.

According to Dweck, “In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intel-ligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success —without effort. They are wrong.”

In a growth mindset, she continues, “People believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work — brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplish-ment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.”

I would argue that all great schools must be committed to, and must engender in their stu-dents, a growth mindset. 2014–2015 was a year in which we modeled that behavior as an institution. We committed ourselves to be a school that not only talks about a growth mind-set, but strives to put it into practice.

Last December we completed our California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) Self Study report, which set the stage for our CAIS accreditation visit. The process included a full year of self-reflection, culminating in a visit by five practitioners from all over the state to observe the connection between what we described in our Self-Study report and what was experienced by our students, parents, and faculty.

This year we also concluded the Leadership Phase of our Facing Forward Campaign, which raised $4 million. The Board then approved an ambitious and growth-oriented total goal of $7 million, making Facing Forward the largest major giving campaign in the school’s history. Looking ahead, the Community Phase of the campaign represents a growth opportunity

that will allow us to increase teacher compensation, provide more professional development for our staff, increase our tuition assistance, and make necessary campus improvements that will better serve our programs.

Last year, I wrote about the Innovative Revenue Initiative, and this year, the Board took the bold step of approving the launch of two programs that were generated by the IRI Committee. Helmed by a group of parent volunteers, I know these will complement our other long-term financial sustainability goals.

The first program is ¡Hola Panamá! a two-week, full immersion program in Panamá. Begin-ning in the summer of 2016, students entering grades seven through ten will have the opportunity to dramatically improve their Spanish language skills in this first-of-its-kind program. The two sessions will run from June 18th – July 2nd and July 30th – August 13th. The sessions are designed to immerse students in innovative, hands-on activities in a “real world” setting for five hours in the mornings, and offer community-based service projects and recreational outings in Spanish in the afternoons.

If you are interested in learning more about the program, please contact Carla Wilkins, at cwilkins@hola-panama.com and visit our website at www.hola-panama.com.

The second program is a coding camp that will help hone the skills that our students are already learning, and allow people outside of our immediate community to come learn from us as well.

An incredible year of growth for Marin Horizon and the excitement for what lies ahead is palpable. My promise will continue to be that as a community of learners, we will never tire of challenging our minds, listening to one another’s voices, and nurturing our hearts. That is our recipe for the growth mindset our children and our world need.

Warmly,

LUIS OTTLEY, MBA, Ed.D.Head of School

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Dear Marin Horizon Families and Friends,

Serving as President of the Parent Association the last two years at Marin Horizon has been a very rewarding experience for me. Not only have I been able to work on interesting projects, I’ve gotten so much out of working alongside a talented and engaged parent body. I am overwhelmed by the energy and generosity of the parents, and the spirit of volunteering they each bring. I genuinely appreciate being able to create a feeling of welcome and inclusion, as the foundation for the wider school community.

Together, we had a lot of fun in 2014–2015! We were busy organizing potlucks, hosting Moms’ and Dads’ Nights Out, organizing teacher appreciation luncheons, and of course, checking for lice. We had our second annual shop-ping night at The Store in downtown Mill Valley. Carolina also participated, enabling us to raise $2,000 for the school in just a few hours. We also hosted interesting and educational community events: a downtown lunch; our annual Chili Cook-off & Bingo Night, chaired by Sonia Lee; several Parent Education events; Dine & Donate dinners at local restaurants, and Grandparents and Special Friends Day, chaired by Katie Dyos. Last year we also held our inaugural Fun Run in the Spring which was a huge success with participation from grades 1–8.

The Annual Art Auction was a fantastic night at the Corinthian Yacht Club — we were suc-cessful in our fundraising efforts and had record attendance! I would especially like to thank our incredibly talented and dedicated Auction Co-Chairs, Bethany Freed and Jen Cromar, along with a dedicated group of volunteers including Sonia Lee, Rebecca Lien, Susanne Carek, Rachel Wynne and Regan Ural to name a few.

Thanks to the hard work of countless volunteers, and all of you, our generous school com-munity, the Parent Association contributed over $170,000 to the school’s operating budget!

I have learned so much from my experience and want to thank this wonderful community for working so hard on behalf on Marin Horizon and its students! I am confident that our incoming Parent Association President, Kim Gallelli will take our community to even greater heights!

Warmly,

BARI CESSNAPresident, Parent Association, 2013–2015

Cade ’17, Hope ’18 and Shane ’23

Dear Marin Horizon Families and Friends,

The 2014–2015 school year was a productive year for the Board. This last year saw the realization of a number of important goals that the Board has been working to advance over the last several years.

First, we successfully launched the school’s first major giving campaign, Facing Forward. Thanks to the efforts of my predecessor, Trigg McLeod, and current Trustee Doug Grant, the school raised over $4 million to support our endowment including teacher salaries and tuition assistance, as well as capital improvements. Our efforts will continue into 2015–2016, when we plan to reach our $7 million goal.

The Board is also proud to have adopted a Campus Master Plan. It is a transformative vision of our campus and reflects the future of facilities that support our already excellent programs. Many of you have had the opportunity to see the plan and I hope you are as excited about it as we are. I would specifically like to acknowledge the efforts of our Site Chairs, Tim Dixon and Craig Croteau, who carried this process throughout the last few years and were tenacious and diligent in finally bringing this work to fruition. Thank you Tim and Craig.

In addition to adopting the Campus Master Plan, we set to work on launching a new strategic plan. This represents a collaborative effort, joining together Trustees, Faculty, Administration, Staff and current parents under the leadership of Trustee Lauren Cooks Levitan, Luis Ottley, and our outside consultant Irvenia Waters of Strategic Perspectives Consulting. We expect to share the plan with the community in Winter 2016.

Finally, in June 2015, the Board of Trustees decided to acquire a new Head’s residence. This was an exceptional opportunity for our school and, in the tight Bay Area housing market, required a bold and nimble response by the Board. Strategically located close to our campus, it offers much needed space for school functions and supports both current program goals, as well as future initiatives. Throughout the Fall, the school hosted many events at the new residence and we are pleased with how well it fits the needs of our community.

It is a privilege to work alongside this talented and dedicated group of trustees. Hundreds of volunteer hours are spent every year to optimally position our school for the future, and I am proud to represent the Board’s work on the school’s behalf.

With warm regards,

ANDREA ELKORTChair, Board of Trustees, 2014–2015

Kate ’14 and Chloe ’17

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ISA ELIASCHEVDEAN, TODDLER & PRIMARY PROGRAMS

“As a teacher, I truly enjoy working with young children, nurturing their creativity and passion for learning. As a Dean, I enjoy the responsibility of main-taining and improving the quality of a program for the benefit of the students. As well as supporting teachers with new and useful professional develop-ment, materials or just by being their cheerleader.”

Isa, who grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, comes to us via Gulliver Schools in Miami, where she held various roles including Pre-K Head Teacher and Coordinator for 10 years. She has a passion for Early Childhood Education and was inspired early on by a literature teacher who made her “think outside of the box” and made her love reading. Her favorite book is Rayuela by Julio Cortázar, which translates to Hopscotch and has an even more international pedigree than Isa herself, having been written in Paris in Spanish!

Isa earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Admin-istration with a minor in Finance from the New York Institute of Technology and a Master of Arts in Educa-tion/Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix.

Isa, her husband Ale, and their three children, Nikki, Mila, and Alex, all seem to be adapting nicely to the West Coast, where they are enjoying the outdoors and can even still find her favorite food, mangos!

CAMILO WILLIS Ed.D.DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

“I love seeing a student’s excitement when they learn something new. It’s even more gratifying when the student discovers that he or she excels at that task or skill.”

Camilo was inspired by professor and mentor Arthur France at San Francisco State, and brings a passion about technology in education to Marin Horizon. “When I interviewed with Dr. Ottley, I was impressed by his vision (for the technology program) and the available resources.”

Self-taught in web design, Bay Area native Camilo was in New York working on his Doctorate in Instructional Technology and Media at Columbia University when he started doing freelance work. When he redesigned an independent school’s website, they quickly hired him as Assistant Director of Technology, and he’s been a technologist in independent schools ever since.

Combined with his interest in broadcasting and stint as a web production intern at Carnegie Hall, it’s easy to understand why the Upper School students love working with him! Walk into his classroom on any given day and you might find him giving a lesson on SketchUp or Photoshop to an engaged and excited group of students. And surely he’s had plenty of opportunity to put his knowledge to use, on the photos he has taken on trips to Glacier National Park, or kayaking in Monterey!

EMILY BROCKMANDIRECTOR OF LEARNING SUPPORT

“I love helping children find and develop their indi-vidual skills, strengths and talents and then celebrating their progress and success as individuals in class, at school and in life.”

Emily found her path to becoming an education spe-cialist by first being a volunteer at her children’s school. She was inspired to pursue her Education Specialist Credential at Cal State Northridge after being asked to work with a student with special needs.

Originally from the East Coast (growing up in Pennsyl-vania, New Jersey and Ohio), Emily spent some time in San Francisco after college as an apprentice to a master weaver before choosing to stay at home with her children for several years. After moving to Southern California, Emily started teaching in 2002, and spent the last ten years as the Special Education Coordinator at Odyssey Charter School in Altadena, CA.

She was drawn back to the Bay Area after a 20-year hiatus by Marin Horizon’s philosophy and broad cur-riculum, in particular the Outdoor Education, Arts, and Music programs, as well as the commitment to supporting students with learning differences.

With a BFA in Fabric Design from the University of Georgia, Emily has a passion for weaving, reading (Willa Cather is a particular favorite) and exploring all the great walking to be done throughout the Bay Area with her dog, children and family friends.

JUSTINE LEWISDIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

“I have always been passionate about education… I get a kick out of writing about all of the fun things that go on in the classrooms and on campus. I love seeing and relating the joy in the classrooms here at Marin Horizon (through our many communications avenues).”

A Bay Area native, Justine has spent much of her life in the independent school community. She attended Maybeck High School in Berkeley, where she later worked with the Board as a marketing consultant, but cites her grandmother, a retired high school biology teacher, as her favorite teacher. “She made learning a part of our everyday play; we would do science experi-ments collecting pond water and looking at it under my junior scientist microscope.”

That love of learning stuck, and Justine went on to earn her undergraduate degree in Urban and Environmental Policy at Occidental College, where she ran several co-curricular educational programs bringing art and organic gardening to several schools within LAUSD. She later received her MBA from Mills College.

When she’s not drafting the Wednesday Bulletin or maintaining the school website from her post at the Toddler Cottage, Justine is spending time with her two young children, Holden and Jackson, her author husband, and her large, local extended family. She’s also an avid bookworm (can you name the books that inspired her children’s names?!). Her other hobby? Ballroom dancing!

New Leadership at Marin Horizon School

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WHERE ON

CAMPUS

?Our first change was to add stairs to the front entrance, so students coming up from the lower chute can walk up without having to negotiate the narrow space between idling cars and the wall. Secondly, we are in the process of adding a buzzer system to our front doors. In the future, we will require all guests to the campus to sign in and get a visitor badge. We know this is a significant change to how we welcome guests to our campus, but one we strongly believe is in the best interest of everyone in our community. Since we were already doing construction in that area, we also took the opportunity to update the front office itself, making it more

welcoming and less cluttered, with an actual waiting area for guests!

Eventually, we will also add daytime locks to our parking lot fences and secure the pathway between our campus and the Homestead Valley Community Center. Of course the safety and well-being of our entire community will be taken into consid-eration as we move into the design stage of Facing Forward’s capital campaign.

We hope you’ll stop by soon to say “hi” and check out our new look. We think it’s pretty spiffy!

AROUND CAMPUS

Not only have the roofs of Marin Horizon gone solar, but the front of our school is shining bright too! Last summer, as part of our Campus Master Plan, we made some changes to our entrance and front offices. These changes not only give us a much-needed freshen-up, they will help us stay more secure as we roll out a long-range security plan.

Can you guess where on campus these photos were taken? Answers on Page 33.

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In recent years, we’ve also seen our alumni reach great heights as they go on to higher education…we’ve had one get accepted to the University of Arizona as a swimmer on the Wildcats (psst…we like your team name!); several compete on the Planet Granite climbing team, which competes in USA Climbing Competitions in local, regional and national stages; one is a starting QB on the freshman football team at Marin Catholic; yet another is the captain of the boys’ Varsity Cross Country team at Bran-son. Go, Wildcats, indeed!

But beyond the trophies, ribbons and high fives lives a deep-seated belief that athlet-ics are about more than a score. At Marin Horizon, athletics are a way for students to build character by learning resilience, humility and good sportsmanship. Our Athletics Department is about school spirit, being part of the team, and achieving one’s personal best.

Helmed by Athletics Director Joel Booth and Coach Stevie Lee, our Athletics Department provides a great opportunity for students of all abilities to participate at all levels, learn new skills, increase fitness and have fun with friends. Everyone is invited to join every team, regardless of ability.

At every opportunity, Joel works closely with our Outdoor Education team to make sure sports and an appreciation for our magnifi-

cent own backyard (Mt. Tam…Tomales Bay…Tahoe…not too shabby!) are integrated when-ever possible. This includes stand up paddle boarding, kayaking and trail running, in addition to the “usual” basketball, cross country, flag football and track and field.

“What I love about our program,” says Joel, “is that our students always have the best time out there. They are the ones with smiles on their faces no matter the outcome. I always remind them to ‘Participate, go for PB (personal best), and finish strong.’

By joining in, our students are learning valuable character development skills that they will use throughout their lives beyond Marin Horizon. I encourage them to always lift each other up and celebrate each and every little win, even when it’s “just” how hard a student tried.

I’ll never forget the year that, during a race, one of our fastest runners didn’t cross the finish line with the first group of runners. Or the second. For a moment we all got wor-ried. Where could she be? Then we realized that she, along with another one of our runners, had stopped to help a competitor who had tripped and scraped both knees and hands and couldn’t run any more. Our runners carried her the rest of the way, and across the finish line, giving up their own opportunities for a win. That, to me, is the true story of a Marin Horizon athlete.”

ATHLETICS“Go for PB and finish strong!” – Joel Booth, Athletics Director

The Marin Horizon Wildcats excelled last year, with our girls’ and JV Boys Basketball teams winning the Southern Marin Small Schools Competition, close to 30 runners participating in the Cross Country County finals, and several students medaling in track and field.

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SOLAR

Just a few weeks ago, a new generation of kindergartners built solar ovens out of pizza boxes and treated themselves (as well as our Panamanian exchange students and many a lucky staffer) to solar-baked s’mores.

In their triennial “Nukes to Rays” energy unit, Middle Schoolers design even more elaborate solar cookers and test them in cookie baking and soup production. Middle Schoolers also experiment with solar car design. Given a kit including the chassis, wheel assemblies and a photovoltaic cell, students play with the variables that impact a solar car’s speed and maneuverability. Our Earth Day solar car races inspire cre-ativity as kids compete to avoid shadows and get their vehicles across the finish line.

These future Tesla employees are honing their engineering skills as surely as those MIT grad students are! From electric cars to solar powered cars — Marin Horizon students will get us there…they get that fossil fuels are on their way out…they get that converting to solar energy is an essen-tial step in curbing the green house gases that contribute to global warming...they get that solar power is cheap and green…they get that solar is IN!

It has long been a dream of ours to “go solar” right here on campus. At the 2015 Auction, many generous parents raised their paddles during the Fund-a-Need to support the installation of solar panels on the roof of the Primary building. The goal is that the

Marin Horizon students have always known that “going solar” is the right thing to do. For years, they’ve been investigating the clean, economical, earth-friendly power of our very own star. They’ve experimented with both active and passive solar energy by creating passive solar home models and water heaters, creating sun prints, and engineering gizmos that convert solar energy to electricity.

GOING

BY MO POXON, MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER

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Environmental stewardship is a cornerstone of a Marin Horizon education. Not coincidentally it is a deeply-held value of our faculty. We teach here because we believe that our students — armed with both knowledge and appreciation of the power of green technology — will make a wonderful difference in our world.

savings from using solar as opposed to standard utilities will help offset our yearly operating budget.

Teachers can now take solar energy inves-tigations to new heights, with access to an up-close, real life example of sustainable energy technology in action. Students can monitor real-time energy output, monitor weather and usage variables, and bask in the knowledge that Marin Horizon’s carbon

footprint just got a lot smaller. Math and sci-ence teachers now have fabulous fodder for lessons on energy consumption, costs and benefits, green technology and much more. The solar panels are already producing sig-nificant savings on the school’s energy bills. For years to come they will provide students and teachers with an invaluable teaching and learning resource.

2014–2015 was a year of firsts at Marin Horizon. In the Horizon Fund annual giving campaign, we reached our highest percent-age of family participation — 90%! — and blew through our goal of $375,000 to raise $390,000. Thanks to a very strong showing in our Fund-a-Need, we were able to install solar panels around campus (see the previ-ous article to read all about it). Lastly, we launched the Community Phase of Facing Forward: The Campaign for Marin Horizon School, having raised $4.1 million in the Leadership Phase, well on our way to our $7 million goal.

And we owe it all to our amazing communi-ty — current and alumni families, Trust-ees, Faculty and Staff, grandparents and friends. I am proud to be able to acknowl-edge everyone here for your support in every way — your generous donations, your hours upon hours of volunteer work, and for giv-ing us the gift of educating your children. Thank you!

In this issue, you will find updates about our strong financial position which we owe to your support the careful stewardship we practice as an institution. I would especially like to thank my hardworking, fast think-

ing, dedicated 14–15 Development Chair, Rebecca Lien, along with Horizon Fund Co-Chairs Gillian Mishalko and Jennie Skelton. It is thanks to your diligence that we moved the needle so far!

Further thanks go to Bari Cessna who completed her second year as Parent Asso-ciation President, and brought us together in new and exciting ways. And no year would be complete without our Annual Art Auction, deftly co-chaired by Jen Cromar and Bethany Freed (see page 17 for more!).

Over the next few pages you will find infor-mation about our finances, as well as the names of the many generous donors and volunteers who choose to support our stu-dents and programs.

We couldn’t do what we do without each one of you.

Thank you!

LYLA MAXDirector of Development

WE ARE grateful!

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The 2015 Annual Art Auction, Step Right Up, was a thrilling carnival-themed eve-ning featuring contortionists, plate spin-ners and fortune telling! Held once again at the beautiful Corinthian Yacht Club, the auction raised much-needed resources for teacher salaries, professional development, and tuition assistance.

Our co-chairs, Jen Cromar and Bethany Freed (pictured above, top left in their best Flapper Girl finery!), helped create an elegant, fun evening that brought together over 200 guests as the sun set over the beautiful San Francisco Bay. The silent and live auctions were both well-attended and the Wine Toss, back for a second year, provided some lively entertainment.

Deftly emceed by our very own Middle School teacher, Danny Scuderi (in top hat,

bow tie and vest!), the Live Auction and Fund-a-Need were both successful, with hands flying up for art projects, vacation homes and the ever-popular “Head for the Day.” The Fund-a-Need raised enough for us to be able to install solar panels on our buildings, providing savings in year one to support three years of Artists-in-Res-idence, as well as a fascinating learning tool for our science teachers (see page 12).

Of course, we also have to thank the 60+ volunteers who supported the co-chairs. People pitch in in so many ways – design and branding, donation procurement and organization, data entry, budgeting, event planning, decorations, video production, and so much more. Thank you!

AUCTION highlights

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2014–2015 Parent Association Board

PRESIDENT

Bari Cessna

AUCTION CO-CHAIRS

Jennifer CromarBethany Freed

CLASS PARENT

COORDINATOR

Kerrilyn Garma

CHILI COOK-OFF

Sonia Lee

SWEETHEART BALL

Lizelle Green

DINE N DONATE

Samira Willson

GRANDPARENTS &

SPECIAL FRIENDS DAY

Katie Dyos

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Regan UralRachel Wynne

DECORATIONS

Dyer Grote

LOST AND FOUND

Livia Glasgow

PARENT EDUCATION

Kim Gallelli

2014–2015 Board of Trustees

CHAIR

Andrea Elkort

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Luis Ottley, Ed.D.

VICE CHAIRS

Abby AdlermanDiana Greenstone

SECRETARY

Daniela Manning

TREASURER

Kirk Hobbs

PARENT ASSOCIATION

LIAISON

Bari Cessna

FACULTY MEMBERS

Kathleen Hazelton-LeechKristin Lorenz

PARENT MEMBERS

Elizabeth Brown-LewinCraig CroteauTimothy DixonMarsha DuganDoug GrantGina HectorLauren Cooks LevitanRebecca LienCliff Mishalko

COMMUNITY MEMBER

Scott Duyan

Of course, we at Marin Horizon couldn’t do what we do so well without the incredible dedication of our Board and Parent Association volunteers. These parents, alumni and community members devoted countless hours and talents to our school and our students, and we are a better place for it. Thank you!

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MARIN HORIZON STATEMENT OF OPERATING ACTIVITIES School Year 2014–2015

This issue of On the Horizon was produced by Marin Horizon’s Development Office and includes all gifts received between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015. In preparing this report, every effort was made to ensure that all information is accurate and complete.

If there is an omission or an error in spelling, please accept our apology and notify Lyla Max, lmax@marinhorizon.org.

REVENUE Amount Percent

Tuition & Fees $7,937,738 99%Daycare, Enrichment, LSP 397,528 5%Summer Camp 134,265 2%Investment Income 78,963 1%Fund Raising 608,146 8%Other Income 94,252 1%Less Tuition Assistance -1,215,720 -15%

Total Revenue net of tuition assistance 8,035,172 100%

EXPENSES Amount Percent

Personnel $5,219,531 66%Plant & Transportation 590,250 7%Program 641,555 8%Operations & Overhead 635,844 8%Interest Expense 319,066 4% Depreciation 496,693 6%

Total Expenses 7,902,939 100%

Fund Raising

Other Income

Tuition & Fees

Operations & Overhead Program

Plant & Transport Interest Expense

Personnel

We are grateful to the many parents, Trustees, Faculty, Staff, grandparents, friends, foundations and corporations that support Marin Horizon.

2014–2015Horizon Fund Participation

We are very proud to have once again reached 100% participation from our Trustees, Faculty and Staff. This year we also reached a record 90% family participation. Thank you!

FOUNDER$10,000+

Anonymous (2)Nina and Christopher BuchbinderBeth and Neil CherryThe Schow FoundationKathryn Van Dyke and Doug Grant

BENEFACTOR$5,000–$9,999

AnonymousEimile and Spiros BouasSarah Chao and Chris DowningAndrea and Daniel ElkortJennifer Gosselin and Reed E. MaltzmanLizelle and Martin GreenHollie and Jay HaynesKristine JaegerElizabeth and Darrell KrasnoffRebecca and Chris LienLove Family Charitable FundThe MacDonald FamilyElizabeth and Michael MooneyCatherine and Stephen SimonSarah Slaymaker and Ryan SteverMarina and Alan Terpins

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE$2,500–$4,999

Abby Adlerman and Brian PlatterHannelore Barnes and Bruce PflaumSusanne and Paul CarekJennifer and Craig CroteauWhitney and Lansing DavisKathryn and Spencer FastNancy and Jarom FawsonBonnie Frank and Alan BearTay and Matthew FranklinNatalie and Ian GottsDiana and Scott GreenstoneDyer Grote and Rob EdingtonColleen and Hunter HancockKaryn Hillman and Timothy DixonStephen JaegerAngie and Noah KnaufLauren and Paul LevitanNatalie and Richard LogginsTrigg and Bill McLeodPatti and George OliverMeeta and Vipul PatelTatem and Morgan ReadJulie and Narendra RocherolleSusan Sakmar and Kirk HobbsAnne and James SmithRegan and Tim UralSally and Bill Van IngenAnnie Williams and Harry ShulmanThe Wyman FamilyPam and John Zissimos

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE$1,000–$2,499

Corinne and Djamel AgaouaAnonymous (3)Candice and Todd BarkerElizabeth Brown and Janet LewinBari and Sean CessnaJoanne Chan and James KramerMary and Todd ClydeJade Dalton and Tom BassettSuzanne DiBianca-Lieser and Ted LieserLeslie DixonRachel and David DuffyCarrie Eagles and Luis Ottley, Ed.D.Mr. and Mrs. William C. Egan/ Wood Family FoundationAlisa and William EganArah and Brett FoleyAllison and David GeislerLivia and Mutahar GlasgowCharlotte Gronseth and Jagrit MalhotraAmy Hershman and Richard Patterson

Vanessa and Bill HigginsMarlis and Kjartan JansenDanielle and David JarvieLiz and Kirt JorgensonKeith KallweitMira Kim and Darren MalvinAron KnickerbockerSue Kreusch and Kevin SmeadSharon Lange-KallweitSonia Lee and Alan M. GrumetJohn LittlefordMarrie and Tom LyonsShruti Mathur and Rohit AgarwalAmanda and Stuart McLeodNicole and Andrew McWhorterKimberly Oxford-Barna and Peter BarnaShirley and David ParksMs. Sue PearlstineLisa and Allen PregerCecilia and Fred QuezadaStaci and Tom ReillyMimi Rowe and Chris RodzewiczMary Russell and Nicholas OustJade and Charles SchoenhoeftChristine and John SimpsonJennie and Christopher SkeltonCatherine and Gregory SternRobin and Geoffrey StrawbridgeLisa Tenorio-Kutzkey and Tim KutzkeyMargret and Kevin TrilliMichelle Verloop and Robert AhearnRavee Vorachard and Steven PughTiana Wimmer and Warren LeidenAnthony Zanze

CONTRIBUTOR$500–$999

Tateyuki and Akiko AdachiHilary and Eric BaderAlison and Jon BaradChristopher BermudezShelly and Brett HortonHelena Chaye and Key ShinGwynne Church and Christopher BullThe Courant FamilyRachel Courtney and Sean ReillyLauren Cuthbert and David RobinsonMichael Duncan and Thomas RichardWendy and Alexander FraserGianna FrazeeBrad FrazeeKim Gallelli and David BrownJohanna and Michael GridleyMr. and Mrs. Robert Hermanos

Daycare, Enrichment, LSP

Summer Camp

Investment Income

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Kate G. KnickerbockerNatalie and Theodore LeeSoYoung Mack and Michael NashDaniela and Mike ManningWilliam and Kathryn MassaraLawrie MottJessica and Dan ParisiStacy PaskoSuzanne Passalacqua and Peter GobosRick and Georgia PimentelJade ProsperoElia and James Robinson (in memory of Lucy Robinson)Beth and Jonathan RutchikMichal and Adam ScheerThe Stone-Grijalva FamilyGloria and Mark ThomasChristina Mace Turner and Alex TurnerCarol Schussler Van WinjenNashara and Scott WisenbakerCatherine and Kenton WolfersRachel Wynne and Van WilshireSally Xu-Plants and J. Daniel Plants

FRIENDUP TO $499

Dorie AkkaBeth and Dain AndersonAnonymous (4)Christine Armstrong and Lou DanglesPaul AustinChris BakerJennifer and Guy Bar-NahumCara and Chris BardeLinda Baron and Thomas LuehrsenEllen ElizabethSoraya Betterton and Brian UreyBoorman FamilyAnnie and Paul BrennanAshleigh and Chris BrodyFatima and Manuel CastanedaJane and Ron ClydeKristen and Louis CommessoAmber CopelandJennifer and Matthew CromarWilliam DacusDana Dacus-Hare and Kemp HareMaxine De CookPaula DeLuca and Dr. Francis DeLucaCharlie DenbyMarcello DiazDebbie DickerRachel Dobkowski

Linsly and Chris DonnellyKyle DonohoeLaura DugganBrenda and Scott DuyanKatrina and Jamie DyosMeg and Steve EdelsonChristopher ElbersAnjuli EliasAngie EvansDennis and Amy FitzpatrickDebbie FreedBethany Freed and Chris ArianKerrilyn GarmaClaire GarwoodOxana GodfreyConstance, Paul and Ashley GoldsmithAnnie GordonGeoff and Kathy GougionNasimiyu GreenJunnitta GreenNancy GreenfieldSusan Guadagno and Al TommeiHarriet HaywardKathleen Hazelton-Leech and James LeechGina and Byron HectorChandi and Lewis HemapalaCatherine Hills and Audrey BordenVictoria and Jeremy Huerta-MillerMerrill HunnHillery Jaffe-UrellDana Sugarman Johnson and Matthew JohnsonJennifer Johnston and David PennyMerel Kennedy and Adrian LurssenAmy Keroes and Jeff FisherJohanna Kleppe and Stephen SchneidermanWhitney and Swen KoltermanSuji Kong and Matthew BennettLois E. Kortum and George W. Mc BrideAngella and Erik KriensToshiko and Eijun KujoCori Ladd and Michael BeermanEmily and Jamie LandKim and Josh LarsonAndrea LenziHilary LeveyMeg and Jeremy LevieMr. Andrew LienMr. and Mrs. Anthony LisskaJacqui Pearson LongPashia LordKristin and Todd LorenzAnita Franklin Love

Marin Hearing CenterLyla Max and Thomas PaffelSharon and Stephen MayoCurtis McCreadyMichelle and Michael McCullochChristopher and Veronica McGregorDesmond McKissockThe David and Diann Melnick Family TrustAshley Mevi and Kevin KneafseyKate Milliken and Adam KarstenJill MinusVictor Morales and Sharon HalpernNafysa and Salim ParpiaJesse PearsonMaria and Joe PennyVeronica Perez and Luis CortezMs. Beth PerryAnn and Gary PolumbusAnne Porter-RothLizzie Porter-RothMaureen PoxonDavid RiversPatricia and Jason RobertsLaura RocheClaudia Rodriguez and David JohnsonJennifer RundMary Sample-MattosLisa and John ScarsellaAlison and Yair SchersUshi and Jon SchickCatherine SchoenDanny ScuderiLaura Seligsohn and Rich WilliamsKristina and Christopher ShafferBarb SharpJessica ShaversMark SherburneLois SheridanAnna ShubeauBarbara and Stephen SiskinMr. and Mrs. James SkeltonSuzanne and Dan SmileyColleen SmithSusan SmithJennifer SpielbergKathryn and Steve StarkeMona and Mark SteinbergTenisha TateKarin Taylor and Steve HermanosThe Thistle FamilyCourtney C. TindallGreson TorchioThe Trammell FamilyKoji and Satoko TsutsuiDeborah TurneyRebecca and Michael Wara

Katie and Gene WebbTalley and Paul WebbThe Westbrook FamilyCarla WilkinsSamira and Nick WillsonKaren WoodallCristin YangJami and Andrew Zakem

GRANDPARENTS & FRIENDS

AnonymousJane and Ron Clyde Elliot Clyde ‘17William Dacus Adriano Hare ‘24Alonzo Hare ‘20Paula DeLuca and Dr. Francis DeLuca Isla Robinson ‘26Mr. and Mrs. William C. Egan/ Wood Family Foundation Brooks Egan ‘24Debbie Freed Taylor Arian ‘21Nancy Greenfield Adriano Hare ‘24 Alonzo Hare ‘20Chandi and Lewis Hemapala Ishan Lewis-Gabriel ‘23Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hermanos Ansel Hermanos ‘21Merrill HunnToshiko and Eijun Kujo Kaia Land ‘22 Maxwell Land ‘19Mr. Andrew Lien Danny Lien ‘17 Henry Lien ‘20Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Lisska James Bryan ‘25John LittlefordAnita Franklin Love Milo Franklin ‘24 Winston Franklin ‘22William and Kathryn Massara Chloe Elkort ‘17 Katherine Elkort ‘14The David and Diann Melnick Family Trust Elianna Bar-Nahum ‘20Victor Morales and Sharon Halpern Alexandra Stone ’11 Natasha Stone ‘17Maria and Joe Penny Andrew Penny ‘24 Noah Penny ‘22

Ms. Beth Perry Isabelle Brennan ‘21 Maeve Brennan ‘23Rick and Georgia Pimentel Audrey Jaeger ‘21 Daniel Jaeger ‘18Ann and Gary Polumbus George Lyons ‘17 Mac Lyons ‘13Mr. and Mrs. James Skelton Rawlings Skelton ‘25 Reid Skelton ‘26Deborah Turney Rex Rutchik ‘21Katie and Gene Webb Carter Read ‘24 James Read ‘26

ALUMNI & ALUMNI FAMILIES

Beth and Dain AndersonChristine Armstrong and Lou DanglesKristen and Louis CommessoRachel Dobkowski ‘04Meg and Steve EdelsonChristopher ElbersAnjuli Elias ‘96Constance, Paul and Ashley ‘97 GoldsmithAnnie GordonKathleen Hazelton-LeechHillery Jaffe-UrellLois E. Kortum and George W. Mc BrideJacqui Pearson LongCurtis McCreadyMichelle and Michael McCullochLawrie MottMs. Sue PearlstineJesse Pearson ‘88Lizzie Porter-Roth ‘01Maureen PoxonLisa and Allen PregerThe Schow FoundationMark SherburneAnna ShubeauKathryn and Steve StarkeMona SteinbergCarol Schussler Van WinjenThe Westbrook FamilyCarla Wilkins

FACULTY & STAFF

Dorie AkkaBeth and Dain AndersonPaul AustinChris BakerEllen ElizabethBoorman FamilyKristen and Louis CommessoAmber CopelandDana Dacus-Hare and Kemp HareMaxine De CookCharlie DenbyMarcello DiazDebbie DickerKyle DonohoeLaura DugganCarrie Eagles and Luis Ottley, Ed.D.Christopher ElbersAnjuli EliasAngie EvansClaire GarwoodAnnie GordonSusan Guadagno and Al TommeiHarriet HaywardKathleen Hazelton-LeechChandi and Lewis HemapalaCatherine Hills and Audrey BordenMerrill HunnHillery Jaffe-UrellAndrea LenziHilary LeveyKristin and Todd LorenzLyla Max and Thomas PaffelMichelle and Michael McCullochDesmond McKissockJesse Pearson ‘88Anne Porter-RothLizzie Porter-RothMaureen PoxonDavid RiversJennifer RundMary Sample-MattosLisa and John ScarsellaAlison and Yair SchersDanny ScuderiMark SherburneLois SheridanAnna ShubeauColleen SmithSusan SmithJennifer SpielbergKathryn and Steve StarkeCourtney C. TindallGreson TorchioCarla WilkinsKaren WoodallCristin Yang

@for the

Marin Horizon School

Annual Auction

Saturday, April 30th 2016

Mill Valley Community Center@@@

SAVE THE DATESAVE THE DATE

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@for the

Marin Horizon School

Annual Auction

Saturday, April 30th 2016

Mill Valley Community Center@@@

SAVE THE DATESAVE THE DATE

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22 23

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, DONOR ADVISED FUNDS & MATCHING GIFTS

Artisan Partners Limited PartnershipBlackrock Matching Gift Program (2)Electronic Arts OutrEAch ProgramFidelity Charitable Gift Fund (2)Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationHawthorn PNC Family WealthJewish Community FederationLevi Strauss & Co.Love Family Charitable FundMCM FoundationR.S. Evans Foundation, Inc.Salesforce Foundation (2)The Schow FoundationSchwab Charitable Fund (3)The Benevity Community Impact Fund / AppleThe Clorox Company FoundationThe Hanley FoundationUnited Way of the Bay AreaWalt Disney Company FoundationWells Fargo Community Support Campaign (2)Western Union FoundationWood Family Foundation

FUND-A-NEED

The 2015 Fund-a-Need was a great success, raising close to $80,000 to help fund the installation of solar panels around campus. See page 12 for the full story. Thank you!

The Adlerman/Platter FamilyDorie AkkaAnonymous

Cara and Chris BardeCandice West Barker and Todd BarkerSoraya Betterton and Brian UreyBev and Rolly BoormanEimile and Spiros BouasAnnie and Paul BrennanSusanne and Paul CarekHelena Chaye and Key ShinKatie and Jamie DyosCarie Eagles and Luis Ottley, Ed.D.Andrea and Daniel ElkortNancy and Jarom FawsonNina FrankTay Via Franklin and Matt FranklinKerrilyn GarmaLivia and Mutahar GlasgowAnnie GordonCindy Grijalva and Sandra StoneDyer Grote and Rob EdingtonColleen and Hunter HancockShari and Bjarne HansenHarriet HaywardHollie and Jay HaynesKathleen Hazelton-LeechKaryn Hillman and Tim DixonVicotoria Huerta-Miller and Jeremy Huerta-MillerMerrill HunnKristine JaegerStephen JaegerLiz and Kirt JorgensonMira Kim and Darren MalvinSusan Kreusch and Kevin SmeadSonia Lee and Alan GrumetHilary LeveyLauren Cooks Levitan and Paul LevitanRebecca and Christopher LienNatalie and Dick LogginsJacqui Lopez-Wyman and Matt WymanAshley and Elvin MacDonaldAmanda and Stuart McLeodTrigg and Bill McLeod

Elizabeth and Michael MooneyLawrie MottStacy Pasko and Matt MiottelElia and James RobinsonSusan Sakmar and Kirk HobbsSusan and Roger SchowJennie and Chris SkeltonKathryn StarkeCatherine and Greg SternRobin and Geoffrey StrawbridgeMarina and Alan TerpinsMichelle Verloop and Robert AhearnTiana Wimmer and Warren LeidenCatherine and Kenton WolfersRachel Wynne and Van WilshireTony Zanze

8TH GRADE LEGACY GIFT

The Class of 2015 worked hard all year to raise funds for their Legacy Gift, culminating with the 8th Grade vs. Faculty and Alumni Basketball Game Day in June. It was a fun-filled afternoon of good sportsmanship, popcorn and slushies. All-in-all, the students raised a whop-ping $800 towards the Class of 2015 Legacy Gift, supporting the endow-ment, and ensuring that lots of students after them will get to enjoy our amaz-ing program!

$1,000,000 and Above

Anonymous

$250,000 – $999,999

Anonymous (2) Nina FrankThe Schow FoundationKathryn Van Dyke and Doug Grant

$100,000– $249,999

AnonymousThe Adlerman/Platter FamilyThe Bouas FamilyNina and Chris BuchbinderStephen JaegerHollie and Jay HaynesThe William G. Irwin Charity FoundationLauren and Paul Levitan and FamilyTrigg and Bill McLeodStaci and Tom Reilly

$25,000– $99,999

Anonymous (4)Candice West Barker and Todd Barker

Hannelore Barnes and Bruce PflaumHenry and Glenda CorningAndrea and Daniel ElkortAllison and David GeislerLivia and Mutahar GlasgowColleen and Hunter HancockKristine JaegerSonia Lee and Alan GrumetRebecca and Christopher LienSteve MinusSusan Sakmar and Kirk HobbsRobin and Geoff StrawbridgeMarina and Alan TerpinsSally and Bill Van Ingen

$5,000– $24,999

Elizbabeth Brown-Lewin and Janet Brown-LewinHelena Chaye and Key ShinJennifer and Craig CroteauCarrie Eagles and Luis Ottley, Ed.D.Fleishhacker FoundationDiana and Scott GreenstoneShari and Bjarne HansenAmy Hershman and Richard PattersonDaniela and Michael Manning

Gillian and Cliff MishalkoThe Negley Flinn Charitable FoundationOlive and Roby RobinsonBeth and Jonathan RutchikMona Steinberg

Up to $4,999

AnonymousSusan BakerSkyler Bakken-FrenchEllen BellerThe Boorman FamilyClass of 2014 Legacy FundClass of 2015 Legacy FundVeronica and Luis CortezDebra Wetherby Fund for MarinScott DuyanAmy Keroes and Jeffrey FisherKerrilyn GarmaGina and Byron HectorVanessa and Bill HigginsSusan Kreusch and Kevin SmeadDara and Scott PotterMeme and Peter ScherrMolly West and Chuck SlaughterSusan and Chris Yates

FACING FORWARD: The Campaign for Marin Horizon School

In the spring of 2015, we launched the community phase of Facing Forward: The Campaign for Marin Horizon school, an opportunity to build our endowment and make capital improvements to our campus. This major giving campaign will be transformational to our community as we ensure long-term support for our beloved teachers and Tuition Assistance while also supporting our newly adopted Campus Master Plan. We are extremely grateful to the donors listed below, who helped us reach a record $5.1 million in gifts and pledges by October, 2015. We will continue to invite every family to learn more about how they can support Facing Forward throughout the 2015–2016 school year, in an effort to reach our goal of $7 million.

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ALEX SCHMITZ ’98After graduating from Branson, Alex earned his Bachelor of Sci-ence degree with a concentration in Finance from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado. In addition, he completed advanced coursework at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies in his pursuit to become a CFP® practitioner.

He recently started a wealth management firm, One Wealth Advisors in San Francisco where he is Driector of Financial Plan-ning, after serving as a Financial Advisor for The Steele Group at J.P. Morgan Securities. He was also a financial analyst at Schmitz Capital Partners and worked during college as an intern at Morgan Stanley.

An active outdoorsman and sportsman, Alex enjoys basket-ball, golf, hiking and skiing.

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98SPRING 2015 ALUMNI REUNIONCHRIS BAKER, OUTDOOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, AND ANJULI ELIAS, MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES TEACHER

Marin Horizon’s alumni maintain a strong connection to our Outdoor and Environmen-tal Education program long after they have moved on. In fact many alumni have become guides for our Outdoor Education trips. Most recently Sam Schow ’02, Micah Vassua ’02, and Adam Sterry ’08, have participated, along with Simone Wainwright ’11 who is following up her experience in the Team Program at Tamalpais High School with a NOLS Program in South America before heading off to college.

The Spring 2015 Alumni Reunion took place, once again, at Planet Granite, where the influence of their former teacher (and avid rock climber) Joel Booth, was definitely felt. The majority of the alumni were certi-fied to belay, so instead of hiring staff, they were able to belay each other (and their teachers!). Take a look at the photos to see if you recognize any of the smiling faces.

After a fun morning at the gym, the group ventured down to the waterfront for lunch overlooking the bay before returning to Marin Horizon. For Anjuli and Chris it was a pleasure to watch old friends reconnect, and to hear about everyone’s experiences at high school. It is a testament to our program and community that our alumni remain so active, engaged and committed to these kinds of activities.

ALUMNI NEWS over

the horizon

ASHLEY GOLDSMITH ’97Now in her 2nd year on the Alumni Council, Ashley works for Counseling and Support Services for Youth (CASSY) and is a school-based therapist for an elementary school in Palo Alto. After finishing her internship, she hopes to become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

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KYLE LEMLE ’03After attending Marin Acad-emy, Kyle went on to study at Northwestern University, then earned his B.A. in Environmen-tal Studies and International Development Studies at Brown University. His focus has been on community-based natural re-source management and climate change in the developing world, and he most recently worked in Bhutan and Thailand.

He is currently back in the Bay Area, working as the Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator with Friends of the Urban Forest, where he is coordinating 30 neighborhood campaigns to plant 1,200 trees a year.

03

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KATIE SUGARMAN ’01

Katie majored in photography at Lewis and Clark College, and currently does wardrobe for commercials and photo shoots. During college Katie studied abroad in Kenya and Tanzania where she got to live with a Maasai family and studied Swahili, politics and culture, biology, marine biol-ogy and ornithology. It was during this time that Katie fell in love with that part of the world and its amazing people.

She soon went back to be part of Biocultural Conservation Institute’s women’s trip to Mt. Kenya. Not shortly after, she joined the board of this organization that is made up of a group of outdoor educators and conservationists who wish to act proactively and assist the Maasai community of Ololgului/Olorashi. Her focus is on BCI’s Maasai Girls Edu-cation Project, empowering women through education.

Like many Marin Horizon alumni, Katie has spent a signifi-cant part of her life in the great outdoors and truly under-stands the importance of conservation, education and what it means to collaborate with local communities based on their needs.

You can visit her project website here: http://www.bioguides.org/maasai-girls-education-project/

NICK DIETZ ’04Nick Dietz went on to Stuart Hall, and then University of California, Los Angeles. He is currently in medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Last summer he was accepted into the Visiting Research Internship Program at Harvard Medical School Catalyst Clinical Translational Research Center and got to work on two exciting projects in biomedical informatics at Harvard Medi-cal School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

While there, Nick drafted a 17-page manuscript, which he pre-sented to an audience of faculty and researchers. Additionally, he attended several conferences and lectures about the future of healthcare in personalizing medicine and using targeted im-munotherapy for cancer.

Later in the summer, Nick got to fulfill a dream that took shape when he was in Kathleen’s Kin-dergarten classroom, studying the jungle eco-system. He took a two-week solo trip to South America, visiting Brazil and Ar-gentina (see photo, above), where he got to practice his Spanish and meet lots of new people.

ASHER KING ABRAMSON ’05From Marin Horizon, Asher at-tended the Urban School, and then University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned his B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Ac-counting. While at UCLA, Asher helped Yale’s Neuroscience lab publish a meta-analysis on neural prediction error, interned for KPMG audit services, and led the school Quidditch team — a real-life ver-sion of J.K. Rowling’s fictional sport from Harry Potter — to sec-ond place in the World Cup.

Asher went on to study at App Academy, a coding bootcamp in the Bay Area, where he became an instructor, followed by a stint teaching and working at an Ed Tech startup. Asher is currently a software engineer for The Minerva Project — a cutting edge inter-national undergraduate program that uses the science of learning to prepare the brightest students in the world for jobs that don’t even exist yet.

Asher’s other achievements include placing second in the ICCAs (yes, like Pitch Perfect), dropping a ten-track freestyle rap mixtape, and authoring a newsletter focusing on effective learning strategies.

SARAH SHERBURNE ’04After Marin Horizon, Sarah Sher-burne (yes, that Sherburne!), went on to Marin Catholic High School, and then earned her B.A. in Economics and French at Wellesley College.

She is currently living in Boston where, by day, she is working for New England Venture Capital Association running Tech Gen-eration, a program connecting hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students with Boston’s hottest tech startups through internships, workshops and networking events. By night, she is working towards earning her M.B.A. from Babson College — Franklin W. Olin Graduate School of Business.

Recently engaged, she and her fiancé are proud parents to Bugsy, a Goldendoodle puppy (pictured above).

RACHEL DOBKOWSKI ’04While studying at Tam High, Rachel traveled to Spain on a study abroad summer program and to Fiji and New Zealand on a Global Works trip. She went on to University of Oregon, gradu-ating in 2012 with a degree in Sociology and double minors in Business and Communica-tions. While in college, Rachel travelled to Spain, Italy, Greece and Mexico. After college, Rachel went to Israel and then returned to the Bay Area for work.

Since November 2012, Rachel has been the Bay Area Regional Sales Representative for Designs For Vision, Inc. (DVI). DVI is the world’s leading manufacturer of magnification eyewear (loupes), illumination products and hands free video cameras, primarily for surgeons and dentists, and oc-casionally veterinarians and tech workers. Rachel is living in San Francisco and loves it! She also enjoys going to music festivals and spending time with friends and family.

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Featured Alumni

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SKYLAR BAKER ’14Skylar is currently attending the Urban School where he joined the cross country team “to try something new” because Marin Horizon taught him to step out of his comfort zone! “Marin Horizon made so many parts of my high school experience 100 times easi-er. Especially my history teachers in Middle School (Beth and An-juli) who prepared me extremely well for the academic challenges I am faced with every day.”

Last summer, Skylar moved with his mother to Amsterdam for a few months, where he quickly picked up Dutch. He credits Marin Horizon with helping him be able to adapt to new and dif-ferent situations which helped him meet other teens while he was there.

Later in the summer, Skylar became an assistant leader in a makers program at the Presidio

NICK SMILEY ’12Nick is studying at Tam High School, and is an intern for the AIM program, which encompass-es English, Social Studies, and Documentary Film. He is also working at Planet Granite where he is on the youth climbing team.

Over the summer, he did a two-week program at NYU called SEMI (Summer Electronic Music Institute) where he studied, pro-duced, and performed electronic music.

SHIRIEL KING ’12Shiriel has moved up from copy editor to editor-in-chief for the Redwood Bark, Redwood High School’s newspaper, where she is starting a Spanish section. She credits Carla for getting her excited about Spanish and is looking forward to covering local events in the Hispanic world. Check out her hard work at red-woodbark.org!

In school, Shiriel enjoys the challenge of BC Calculus and a theatre improv class at College of Marin, but focuses much of her time on Bark and college applications.

Over the summer, Shiriel at-tended the pre-professional divi-sion of Tap City, a week-long tap dance festival in New York City, where she took master classes, culminating with a performance on 42nd street!

says Margo. “I love working on school sustainability with the amazing students here and am so grateful for the Marin Horizon community, which has always of-fered a home for me and encour-aged me to pursue my passions.”

Margo will also be attending culi-nary school to become a Certified Natural Chef so she can exam-ine food and ecology from every angle. “I look forward to collabo-rating with Marin Horizon in my efforts to raise environmental awareness and promote a system of consumption that is nourish-ing for people and the planet.”

YMCA, and he is now co-leading an after school version of the program.

Skylar switched to Chinese at Urban and hopes to do a home-stay trip to China next summer. He loves the Chinese language and learning about the culture, which has opened up so many unexpected doors.

MARGOT REISNER ’06After attending Marin Acad-emy, Margot earned her B.A. in Environmental Students from Skidmore College where she concentrated on Sustainable Agriculture, gaining experience in landscaping, gardening, permaculture and nutrition.

Margo moved back to the Bay Area in 2014, and came back to the Marin Horizon community, first teaching gardening in the 2nd/3rd grade classrooms, and chaperoning their trip to Red-wood Glen camp. In 2015–16, Margo is again teaching garden-ing, leading the Green Team, and guiding Outdoor Education trips.

“In exchange for my knowledge about soil, plants, and animals, the students share their curios-ity, excitement and optimism,”

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“I am so grateful for the Marin Horizon community, which has always offered a home for me and encouraged me to pursue my passions.”

“Marin Horizon made so many parts of my high school experience 100 times easier. Especially my history teachers in Middle School who prepared me extremely well for the academic challenges I am faced with every day.”

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ELI KRANEFUSS ’11

Eli attended Marin Academy where he rode for their mountain bike club, and he has been on the Bear Development Team for the last three years. Over the summer, he won the bronze medal in the Cross Country Men’s Junior 17–18 category at the Mountain Bike National Champi-onships on Mammoth Lakes – making him third in the Country! He followed that up with the Trois Etapes, a Pro-am road race in the French Pyrenées and in the fall participated in the World Championships in Andorra riding for USA Cycling.

It’s no wonder then, that he is currently taking a gap year to pursue professional cycling. Next year, he plans to attend Colorado College. When reflecting back on his experience at Marin Horizon, Eli says, “Marin Horizon influenced me by teaching me to overcome obstacles. Our teachers always pushed us further and to dig deeper. I have taken this everywhere as this helped me to excel in high school, on the bike and also in work.”

Eli, pictured above with Jens Voigt, former professional road bike racer, and Tour de France participant.

KATE BRANDT ’95

Kate graduated from Saint Ignatius and went on to graduate with honors from Brown University, followed by a Masters in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, where she was a Gates Cambridge Scholar.

Kate, who is currently leading the development of corporate sustainability for Google, Inc. credits her early fondness for the field to the lessons she learned at Marin Horizon. The school’s mission to be good stewards of the earth struck a chord, with Earth Day being a particular favorite event!

Before moving back to the Bay Area with her husband, Kate served as President Obama and the Nation’s first Chief Sustainability Officer. Prior to her appointment, Kate held several senior government posts including: Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Energy in the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Energy; Director for Energy and Environment in the Office of White House Presidential Personnel; Special Advisor for Energy to the Secretary of the Navy, and Policy Analyst in the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change.

Featured Alumni Mums of Alums Brunch

21+ Alumni Holiday Gathering

In May, about 18 Mums of Alums gathered for a festive brunch at Piazza D’Angelo in downtown Mill Valley. Memories were swapped over coffee and mimosas and several lucky mums won copies of our very own Marin

Horizon Cookbook, filled with recipes from our community!

On December 26th, 18 Marin Horizon alumni, 21 and over, gathered at Brixton Bar in San Fran-cisco for a festive holiday reunion. Faculty members Stevie Lee, Mo Poxon, Jesse Pearson ’88, and Annie Gordon joined them for the walk down memory lane, cocktails and a bite to eat. It was great to hear from grads who live near and far and to catch up on all the Marin Horizon gossip!

PICTURED ABOVE, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Catherine Cox, Nancy Saarman, Susan Schow, Sharon Gurewitz, Mona Steinberg, Mo Poxon, Annie Gordon, Hillery Jaffe-Urell, Sharon Portnoy, Linda McCready, Devi Brown, Lora Ogloza, Connie Goldsmith, Audrey DiFilippo, Robin Strawbridge, Bev Boorman, Susie Reinhard, Simone Jordan, and Anne Porter-Roth

PICTURED ABOVE, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Lizzie Porter-Roth, Sam Schow, Stevie Lee Jr., Carey Smith-Marchi, Jack Schow, Ashley Goldsmith, Stephanie Lee, Miles Lassi, and Jesse Pearson.

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EIGHTH GRADE CLASS OF 2015

We are proud of our graduates and the choices they and their families made for their high school education. We wish you all the best of luck and hope that you stay in touch!

Branson School

Drew School

Marin Academy

Marin CatholicHigh School

Redwood High School

Sir Francis Drake High School

Tamalpais High School

The Bay School

University High School

Eighth grade is a transitional and transformational year. For many of our students who are getting ready to move from their day- to-day life at Marin Horizon, this is the last in a 12-year experience! Even for those who have not

been here since their Toddler year, it can be a bittersweet time — our students form strong bonds with each other and our fac-ulty, and though they are certainly ready to spread their wings and fly away, they will always be Marin Horizon students.

This year we asked Owen McWhorter (pic-tured above) to give some insights about his last year at Marin Horizon, and his transi-tion into 9th grade at Bay School. Below are his answers.

What was your favorite part of 8th grade?

My favorite part of 8th grade was the amount of independence we were given. You have the opportunity to earn more privileges, like lunch off campus. You are also looked upon as a leader.

Fondest memory of Marin Horizon School?

My fondest memories of Marin Horizon are the close friendships I made and the awe-some teachers I got to know over the years. I have great memories of some crazy things some of the teachers did to get our attention.

Most challenging part of 8th grade?

The most challenging part of 8th grade was all of the SSAT prep. The prep did not stop in the classroom. There was a lot of

prep work to do at home and on your own. It took a lot of focus and time, but was well worth it.

Describe your experience of the high school application process. Was it hard? Scary? Stressful? Fun? Did you like the process?

I found the high school application process challenging. It definitely put my time man-agement skills to the test. It was very time consuming, but Marin Horizon really helps you be well prepared for the process.

What were you most concerned about in going into 9th grade?

What I was most concerned about going into 9th grade was starting over and being in a new environment. Everything went from being very familiar to being brand new.

In what ways did Marin Horizon prepare you for 9th grade?

I felt Marin Horizon did a great job prepar-ing me for 9th grade. I felt prepared for the homework load and Marin Horizon taught me good time management skills. I felt very prepared for all of the writing and annotating.

My transition into 9th grade was smooth. Both socially and academically, I feel com-fortable at Bay.

The best advice I can give to a Marin Ho-rizon 8th grader is to take all of the SSAT prep and application process seriously. It is time consuming and tiring, but in the end, you want to feel as though you did your best. Also, remember the year is not over after you send in your applications and take the SSAT. The rest of the year is important. Enjoy it!

EIGHTH GRADE and beyond

ANSWERS FROM PAGE 9, WHERE ON CAMPUS: Star: Science Lab; Roof: Primary 3, Pillars (clockwise from top right): Basketball court, Garden, Primary 1, Primary 2/3, 4th-5th Grade; Primary 2; Base, Primary 1

305 Montford Ave Mill Valley CA 94941 415 388 8408 www.marinhorizon.org

WHERE ACADEMICS

& CHARACTER

ARE CLASSMATES