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Page 1: LWS Experience

the lowell whiteman

experienceJournal of the Lowell Whiteman School

Summer 2011

Inside:Foreign Travel Reflections

Alums Pedal for ChangeAlumni Notes

Page 2: LWS Experience

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From the Head of SchoolThe Lowell Whtieman ExperienceSummer 2011. The Experience is published twice yearly.

MissionThrough a rigorous college preparatory cur-riculum, challenging wilderness experiences, a premier winter sports program, and unique foreign travel opportunities, the Lowell Whiteman School fosters the personal growth of its students, preparinig them to succeed in advanced study, to serve as passionate stew-ards of our human and natural worlds, and to pursue responsible, creative lives.

Head of SchoolChristopher [email protected]

Alumni RelationsKatie Spillane `01

[email protected]

Board of TrusteesNancy Ventrudo, Board Chair

Mike DeGrandisAaron FinchBeth FindellDavid Hill

Sandy HornerRyan Marovish `93

Erika MayfieldChristina McLean

Deb OlsenNick Rose

Adrienne SouthworthJim Spillane

Kevin VentrudoEd Walker `74

Chris Lockwood, EmeritusSteven Halverson, Emeritus

About the cover Paul Wethmar `12 and Madison Marshall `11 with children in Bhutan, shortly after learning a Bhutanese dart game.

2010-11 Highlights: New Boys Dorm opens, christened “Hall of Justice” by Cameron McVey Paul Wethmar `12 wins opening days’ “Ro-Sham-Bo” duel over Margi Missling-Root

The first time I entered the Lodge and saw the community in action, I knew that there was something very special, even mystical, about the school Lowell Whiteman created over 50 years ago. As I have come to know more people associated with our school, I have tried to picture the amazing stories and adventures I’ve heard about. From the recounting of feeding the pigs, the encounters in foreign coun-tries, and the moving experiences in the classrooms, it is the people at LWS who have made it such a wonderful and unusual school. There clearly are no pretensions about the physical plant, which is probably the least elaborate of any boarding school in the country. But this doesn’t matter to the many adolescents who have gained the skills and confidence to succeed in a dynamic and increasingly changing world. It is no secret that the Lowell Whiteman School has had from time to time to weather declining enrollments and to cover expenses with modest financial reserves. The Spillane years saw the addition of competitive skiers, and the Daub years saw an increase in day students. We currently are faced with a very poor national and local economy and rising tuitions. Adding to challenges facing the school are communications with mixed messages about the direction the school is taking. The essence of the Whiteman Experience has not changed. Of course, what is difficult is to define the essence. We need to try to understand and communicate the Whiteman Experi-ence, since we need to know what to tell perspective students and families they can expect from the education they will receive at LWS. During this upcoming year the community, led by a group of trustees, will re-examine its mission and also create a clear and simple explanation of the vision and values important to accomplish the school’s mission. All the constituents of the school will be involved in creating a strategic plan for the school to continue as a sustainable entity. I am very excited about trustees, faculty, administrators, students, alums, and friends of the school working together to make Lowell’s school even better.--Chris Taylor, Head of School | [email protected]

Head of School Chris Taylor with se-niors Will Findell, Madison Marshall, David Lea, and Sadie Grossbaum.

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From the Head of School A Note from the Alumni Board Chair

What an LWS Alum Can Do for Admissions

2010-11 Highlights: New Boys Dorm opens, christened “Hall of Justice” by Cameron McVey Paul Wethmar `12 wins opening days’ “Ro-Sham-Bo” duel over Margi Missling-Root

LWS is on facebook and YouTube. We buy print and online ads in local papers and magazines. We try to get ourselves in the news as often as possible. But all of these efforts to introduce LWS to prospective families pale when compared to when a family hears about our great school from alums, current and past families, and current students. Word-of-mouth “advertising,” in short, is the most essential piece of any school’s recruitment strategy, and we are no different. In fact, a school as unique as The Lowell Whiteman School is even more reli-ant on the first-hand testimonials that alums and families can offer, because our graduates and families have that one intangible thing that ads and internets don’t: authenticity. In this age of sophisticated ad campaigns, social media, and the like, the most convincing marketing is still what a person who has experience with a product says. That’s why its so important for our alums, former teachers, and past Penguin families to mention this little school at 7,000’ as often as possible. This doesn’t mean having a sales pitch or talking points at the ready--it does, however, mean sharing a piece of your experi-ence with people you meet in the grocery store, on a plane, on a chairlift, or in community organizations you belong to. I believe that when people who may have never even thought about private school--boarding or day--hear that you (or your child) went to the Atlas Mountains with Linville for a month, or summited three 14,000’ mountains as part of the curriculum, or got into a top college while still being able to ski/ride Steamboat all winter, well, they’re going to think that that sounds pretty great. So my challenge to LWS alums and families is to talk often about your experience and how your time at LWS has shaped who you are and what you are doing with your life. Make it a point to tell one person a day about LWS and Steamboat, about your travel experiences, how college was easier, and how the relationships you developed at LWS are still some of the strongest in your life. Share your secret, and know that every time you do, you’re giving one more young person out there the chance to participate in the education of a lifetime. --Derek Svennungsen, Director of Admission | [email protected]

Almost a year ago, I received a call from Chris Taylor, who asked me about my experience at LWS and what my opinion was about how the alumni experience could be improved. My reaction was, “What alumni experi-ence?” Other than visiting the school when I am in town, corresponding a few times a year with Joe Roberts or seeing Margi Root or Jim Linville, I really didn’t have any interaction with the school. After several more conversations and me flying out to meet with him, he asked if I would be interested in setting up The Lowell Whiteman Alumni Association. The goal of The Lowell Whiteman Alumni Association is to encourage greater involvement and partici-pation from all LWS alumni with the school and each other. We have already started an effort to get in touch with every single alum to get their updated info, what they have done since leaving LWS. It is our intention to use this information to keep the alumni updated on future alumni events as well as any significant happenings at LWS. I am hoping that we can increase participation at reunions. I am also hoping that we can set up events around the country in “high density LWS alum” geographic areas, where not only can alums re-connect with classmates, but they can spread the word about LWS and the incredible education it offers. I am realistic about this and realize that everyone leads busy lives, but I think with the many forms of communication available to use these days that we can make this an efficient process. Whenever we can facilitate these kinds of relationships, it benefits our alums directly and the school indirectly. One of my long-term goals for the Alumni Association would be to set up more formal networking opportunities for recent grads and for people in the job market through the Alumni Board. Lastly, I am hoping that by getting the alumni reconnected with the school that we will ultimately increase participation in alumni giving, something all schools rely on. --Ryan Marovish `93 | [email protected]

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Bhutan & Thailand by assorted group members Chile by Olivia Wright `14

Tom Vrba `11 swims length of Mica Lake twice on Orientation Camping Trip Ms. Austin organizes shooting club; students participate in local rifle range events

LWS Foreign Travel 2011

Bhutan, just like any developing nation, was changing and advancing at breakneck speed. This upset me for a time, but then I tried to connect it to the happiness of the Bhutanese people. This made me recognize how accepting and embracing change was one of the ways the Bhutanese are able to be so content and happy. The impermanence of all lifestyles is very congruent with Buddhist philosophy. This is what Bhutan has shown me: your lifestyle, your job, the clothes you wear, the way you communicate, etc. may change, without forcing your values and beliefs to change. --Will Findell `11

In Thailand, I learned about human trafficking and how the Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia (COSA) is working to prevent and solve this issue. --David Lea `11

My time in Thailand taught me that with love, support, and a little bit of hope, a girl with a rather traumatic past can be herself again. The happineess the Thai girls gave off inspired everyone that met them. --Claire Borgen `11

I’ve learned that I want to spend more of my time working with small community organizations. I found out that I have the ability to find a home anywhere in the world. I am extremely grateful that we able to work with COSA, and I wish I was still there. --Madison Marshall `11

Clockwise: the Bhutan group in traditional wear with some villagers; Will Horner `11 leads an English lan-guage lesson in a Bhutan classroom; Sadie Grossbaum `11 shares some photos with her homestay family.

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Above: Jim Vanderbeek `14 and John Schaible `13 celebrate a long day of hiking; top right: Logan Epperson `13 learns a Chilean style of strumming.

I honestly did not know what to expect when I boarded the plane, being only a couple hours away from entering a completely new experience: Chile. My group of eleven underclassmen and two leaders were all excited about the journey ahead. It was, to say the least, a life-changing trip. The journey started with an afternoon in Santiago. I couldn’t believe how many new things surrounded me as we stopped by the fish market, watched the changing of the guards, and much more. We then flew to Punta Arenas, a town in southern Chile, then took a bus to Puerto Natales. Here, the group really got a sense of Patagonia and the scenery took our breath away. I have never seen anything as beautiful as Patagonia. After walk-ing around the town and picking up some souvenirs, we boarded another bus to a tiny village called Seno Obstruccion, where our group would help repair the community center and learn the local traditions. Our leaders, John Morse and James Austin, were prob-ably so inundated with my group’s questions that they were about to go crazy, but they stayed calm no matter what the circumstances. Upon our arrival in Seno, we were greeted by several locals while they performed their daily duties. Over the next two days, we painted the community center and repaired damaged areas of the fence. The people of Seno were so generous and open to us, and they made us delicious meals every day! The second phase of our trip was trekking the “W” circuit in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia. I stayed in a tent with Ania, and sharing the experience with other people made it more fun and we motivated each other. In all, our group trekked with our packs approximately 100km in only 7 days. It was a struggle at times, with various blisters, colds, and eaten packs thanks to the mice. The weather really didn’t work to our advantage, but we got through it and were able to see rolling hills, enormous glaciers, lakes,

and of course the Torres del Paine. The trek made me realize how little we need to live a happy life, and I ap-preciated all of my possessions much more. The final part of our journey was another commu-nity service component and home stays with Chilean families in a town called Los Coipos, which had been greatly affected by an earthquake in 2010, and their community center was completely destroyed. We repaired it by painting and varnishing the outside and cleaning it up so it could again be used as a gathering place for the locals. The home stays were my favorite part of the entire trip--Lizzy, Ania, and I stayed with an adorable elderly couple and experienced a Chileans’

daily life. They taught us the Chilean national dance, and some girls in our group performed at the opening party for the community center. The culture and hospitality of the people really made me feel like I belonged there. Chile has been the best trip of my life! The combination of my group, our location, and what we did there really did make it an unforgettable experience!

Bhutan & Thailand by assorted group members Chile by Olivia Wright `14

Tom Vrba `11 swims length of Mica Lake twice on Orientation Camping Trip Ms. Austin organizes shooting club; students participate in local rifle range events

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6 SUV with eight students gets stuck for a day in the mud during Desert Week; students all smiles Five Alpine skiers spend October training in Austria with Mrs. Wither

Tanzania by Erika Kipfer `13 Vietnam & Cambodia by Andrew Cosgrove `12

I had been out of the coutnry before with my family, but never had I experi-enced something as fantastically wild as Tanzania. We were on our third and final night of the safari. I had gone with my roommate to our tent because we were exhausted from all the early morn-ing wake-ups and the long days full of wonders. Ryan Connelly, one of the trip leaders, knocked and said, “Erika, there are zebras in the camp!” That’s when the magic started. I jumped up and out of the tent and followed Ryan as he led us to the zebras. He pointed his headlamp onto one, the bright beam hitting the black and white stripes of what could have been a mule if it weren’t for the stripes. The zebras were inches from the camp-site, but still far enough away that they could bolt toward the safety of the trees if need be. I walked slowly forward; I got so close to the zebra that I could see the shallow movement of its flanks as it breathed in and out. If I had extended my arm, I could have touched it. That’s when I felt one with nature, and all my worries and troubles were shaken from me and I found peace. I was soon called back into real-ity by a warning from Ryan. Before the zebra spooked and trotted away toward the rest of the herd, before I wandered back to the tent in a daze and fell asleep, wrapped in a quilt of wonder.

Clockwise: Students listen to their guide on a safari; Loren Thornton `13 sits with new friends at the orphanage; Chris Lehm-ann `12 helps build a brick walkway.

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SUV with eight students gets stuck for a day in the mud during Desert Week; students all smiles Five Alpine skiers spend October training in Austria with Mrs. Wither

Tanzania by Erika Kipfer `13 Vietnam & Cambodia by Andrew Cosgrove `12

The 2011 trip to Vietnam and Cambodia was my third foreign trip with LWS. All three foreign trips hold impor-tant places in my memories. The part of this year’s trip that holds the most significance to me is our home stay in the northern mountains of Vietnam. Before the trip everyone had raised a hundred dollars or more, now we got to see our money put to good use. The money went to pay for the cement that was needed to build a road for the elementary school. The entire community rallied to build the road. I am not sure if many of the members of the community had any more experience in building roads then we did, but they all worked hard. I was blown away at how hard these people were willing to work, and at how many of them there were. It was a massive ef-fort by everyone to get the road built in only a few days (the heat wasn’t doing us any favors either), but every-one did it with a smile. At the end of our time in the community we were invited to a cultural exchange. A few members of the community preformed local dances. We preformed something resembling a line dance. Every day when we were done working we got the chance to spend time with some of the members of the community. For the most part we stuck to things that both of us understood, like soccer. We got to show them a few card tricks and in return they showed us one of their card games. We also had the chance to play volleyball with them, and we pulled a strong second. We tried to learn some Vietnamese from them, and dis-covered that the word for cow sounds the same (to us) as the word for dog. Towards the end of the trip I was once again impressed by the people we met. Cambodia was still recovering from mass genocide and havoc that had been wreaked by a previous leader, Pol Pot. As a result there are few skilled workers in the country. While we were there we got to visit schools where people from the surrounding villages were able to learn skills that they could use in the cities. The students would be given firsthand experience in restaurants and hotels owned by the school. Considering what the country is trying to recover from they are making a remarkable turnaround, using the abundant tourist industry. In both Vietnam and Cambodia we had a great time, and came to understand the people there a little bet-ter. We got to mingle with them and briefly submerge ourselves in their culture. In the end it was great to return home, but I know many of the group members would jump at the opportunity to return.

Clockwise: Andrea Nordstrom `13 and Avery Globe `13 getting a lift; Luci Franklin `12 eating a fried grass-hopper; Brian Alsberg `12 with two young Buddhist monks.

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A Stellar Senior Class Bids LWS Good-bye...

Ross Petersen `11 named National Merit Scholar Finalist The Bunkhouse, long-time boys’ dorm (and barn before that) burned down by SSFD

At the June 3 graduation ceremony, Shelby Dyer delivered a funny and poignant speech that pefectly captured the personality of this diverse class, which is loaded with elite athletes, artists and film-makers, scholars and deep thinkers, and most of all spirited and conscientious young people who will contribute to their colleges and com-munities in the years to come. Congratulations, Class of 2011! Now go make a difference!

LWS’s Class of 2011. Back, l to r: Jonathon Roser--CU Boulder, Austin Reed--Cuesta College, Galen Goldscheitter--CU Boulder, Tomas Vrba--Montana State University, Kevin Broten--Westminster College (UT), Michael DeGrandis--University of Denver, Charlie Von Thaden--ski year, David Lea--Montana State University, Wilson Horner--Reed, Ross Petersen--Reed, Erik Petersen--Georgetown, Will Findell--University of MontanaFront, l to r: Sadieanne Grossbaum--University of Idaho, Madison Marshall--CU Boulder, Mary Ellis Fort--University of Utah, Maria Hillenbrand--St. Lawrence University, Shelby Dyer--CU Boulder, Allie Storie--Montana State University, Claire Borgen--CU Boulder, Elizabeth Finch--Lewis & ClarkNine of the 20 graduates were four-year LWS seniors.

Elizabeth Finch receives her diploma from Head of School Chris Taylor; Erik Petersen transforms from student to alum; Shelby Dyer celebrates the event with her father, Ross.

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...As Do Two Long-time Faculty Members

Ross Petersen `11 named National Merit Scholar Finalist The Bunkhouse, long-time boys’ dorm (and barn before that) burned down by SSFD

During the four years I spent here I had the plea-sure of spending two of those years under Cameron McVey’s supervision in Kakela Hall. I remember first seeing Cameron as a fresh-man and being incredibly intimidated. He’s gigantic, and with that Greco-Roman jaw and lumbering gait it’s hard not to tremble in his presence. But he is ex-actly the opposite of his fearful exterior. He is over-whelmingly cool and kind and takes a genuine interest in the lives of everyone around him. I wrote LJ, his wife, a while back with an interest in watching some good documentaries and she referred me to Cam. A couple of days later, he wrote me a serious laundry list of documentaries complete with an explanation of each and outlining what he liked about them. I feel like this is a true testament of his character, a man who will go above and beyond the call of duty and give his time to anyone who asks. I never saw Cam lose his temper once. And quite frankly it made him that much more intimidating be-cause usually those people tend to blow up the worst. On occasion I’ve seen people try to push his buttons and test the boundaries and his buttons don’t seem like they can actually be pushed. He will respond in the same fashion he always does: calmly and coolly while seeing right through your intention. He is truly a great role model and I really cannot say enough good things about Cameron and LJ and about the way they have influ-enced the boys under their supervision. Thank you once again for all your hard work and dedication and have a wonderful time gallivanting on the coast of Oregon. --Braden “Pep” Fujas `01

I vividly remember my interview with Mitch Globe on the sofa in my of-fice, 21 years ago. He had hair then, was young, determined, and full of testosterone. Some things never change. Mitch is a chameleon. He transforms himself every few years. In one of his incarnations, Mitch served as the school’s college counselor. Having no experience and no predecessor to show him the ropes, Mitch did what he always does – he dove in and got ‘er done. As Dean of Students, Mitch was an judicious private investigator. He fer-reted out the truth, protected the innocent, and convicted the guilty. He ran effective D.C.’s. He stood his ground through tough situations. He struck a balance between too strict and too permissive. He answered calls at 3:00 in the morning, and he always put the kids’ lives first. In his twenty-one years at Whiteman, Mitch has taught English, Geometry, Creative Writing, and Film. He’s been the ski coordinator, the college counselor, the Dean of Students, the Director of Operations. He’s skied, camped, caved, and canoed with a slew of kids and faculty. He invented Fracas and launched Wednesday Night Hump Night. He’s led foreign trips to Europe, Africa, Ecuador, the Maldives, and Samoa. He’s produced twenty-one years of fabulously funky Film Nights. You put it in

Mitch’s lap, and, quite simply, he gets the job done. Thank you, Mitch, for all the laughter and creativity you brought to the school, for the intellectual experience and the fun factor. --Joanne “Doc” Lasko

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Coach Erik Skinner `92 offers Micahel De-Grandis `11 some last-minute advice at the Junior Nationals in Steamboat.

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LWS Winter Athletes Have Terrific Year on Snow

Michael DeGrandis `11 nearly makes US Freestyle Ski Team, while Ryan Dyer `09 earns a spot! Galen Goldscheitter `11 competes in a Snowboard Racing World Cup Event

Each year, between 35 to 40% of LWS students work with the world-renowned Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, training and competing in a variety of disciplines. During the 2010-11 school year, we had a great number of athletes shine locally, nationally, and internationally. Perhaps the greatest success by current and recent LWS winter athletes was in the discipline of Free-style skiing, primarily in moguls. Senior Michael DeGrandis earned a spot at the Junior World Champion-ships in Finland, as did alum Ryan Dyer `09. Dyer made the US Freestyle Team this winter, and DeGrandis missed making the team by one spot, taking fourth in the qualifying competition here in Steamboat. Coach Erik Skinner, himself a LWS alum (`92), says “Michael had a great year. He’s so athletic, his biggest strug-gle was deciding whether to throw a back lay or back full, a cork 720 or a cork 1080 and maybe a flat 3.” Michael took sixth in the Junior Nationals here in March, and his brother, George `13, took 10th. At the end of the season, Michael earned the SSWSC Freestyle Coach’s Award, and the Freestyle Club was named club of the year in the US, a real testament to the hard work of Skinner, Dyer, and the DeGrandises. Also making noise on the international scene was alpine snowboarder Galen Goldscheitter, a senior from Boulder. He participated in a World Cup race in Telluride in December, and earned several top-three finishes in USASA races. He competed in the NorAm finals in Giant Slalom in Lake Louise, Canada and has, according to his coach Jon Casson, the chance to make many podium appearances in years to come in Snowboard Racing. In Alpine Skiing, Nick Veth `13, and Annie Ochs `13 qualified for the J2 Nationals in Sugarloaf, Maine. Annie, a second-year J2 from Crested Butte, attributed her success to “awesome coaching and Steamboat’s great training facilities.” Ochs competed in all five Alpine events at the JOs. Veth, from Taos, had five podium finishes. Outgoing SSWSC Coach Rob Worrell says, “This is the strongest J2 team that LWS/SSWSC has ever assembled for J2 nationals!” The J3 racers grew tremendously as the year went on, even after losing one of the nation’s best skiers, Zak Kjos `14, to a season-ending knee injury in January. Local Jesse Laughlin `14 qualified for the JOs, and had a surprisingly strong showing in Slalom. “Being at Whiteman has made training a lot easier, because of the schedule. It’s been a big help,” says Laughlin. In Nordic racing, Charlie Von Thaden `11 and Lucy Newman `13, both Steamboat natives, represent-ed LWS at the Junior Nationals in Minneapolis. Von Thaden and Newman had several top 10 showings in J1 races. Von Thaden, who was in only his second year as a Nordic racer, was especially impressive. Smullin beams, “His development as a skier was the most rapid of any athlete I have ever coached. He worked hard to get where he is today, and I have been very proud to coach him.” In addition to Ryan Dyer `09, mentioned above, a few other alums have established themselves over the course of the last year. Brant Crossan `10 made the SkiCross D-Team, after picking up the sport last year. Max Marno `09 and his sister Anna `10 are both on the US Alpine Ski Team (Anna is successfully rehabbing from a torn ACL). And Chloe Banning `10 has been in Europe much of the last year competing in SnowboardCross competitions. LWS faculty member Gina Wither, the ski/ride program coordina-tor, says, “It’s inspiring to have such dedicated student-athletes represent-ing our school. They come here to study hard and ski and ride hard, and watching them be successful in and out of the classroom is really reward-ing.” Attesting to Wither’s comment, more than half of LWS’s winter student-athletes earned status on academic honor rolls during the 2010-11 school year.

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Emily Colin and Rayna Weiss `03 Pedal for Change

Michael DeGrandis `11 nearly makes US Freestyle Ski Team, while Ryan Dyer `09 earns a spot! Galen Goldscheitter `11 competes in a Snowboard Racing World Cup Event

PEDAL: People for Environment, Diversity, Action, and Learning is a non-profit education organization geared towards raising collaborative environmental awareness and action. PEDAL’s first project, entitled Cycling South America for Environmen-tal Action, focuses on middle and high school classroom partnerships. The purpose of traveling through South America is to act as a feed for broadening students’ global perspectives. Through experiencing examples of environmental, social and economic sustainability in other countries, PEDAL helps students learn about these topics. Stu-dents are discovering that the problems they face in the United States are also occurring across the globe, people everywhere have different approaches to these problems, and through collaboration we can help each other form solutions for these issues. On September 8, 2010, we, along with our comrade Kether Scharff-Gray, flew from the United States to Quito, Ecuador to begin the first PEDAL for Change project. Our journey began in a fluster of arranging and rearranging bicycle parts, orienting our selves in a foreign country, attempting to fill in the blanks of our choppy Spanish skills, and riding 100 km southwest to begin our first volunteer project. We spent our first two weeks at a cloud forest reserve, La Hesperia. We learned about forest preservation, harvested coffee from start to finish, interviewed locals and other volunteers, and wrote about our experiences on our blog. Through the activities in which we participated and speaking with the people we encountered while at La Hesperia, we discussed where our food comes from, the theory of sustainability, ecotourism, the political and cultural history of Ecuador, and some of the wildlife found on the reserve. We have student partners within Mr. Linville’s Geography classroom at LWS and in the Spanish and History classes at The Lowell Whiteman Primary School. Additionally, we have two classroom partners in Vermont: Harwood Union High School in South Duxbury, Vermont and The Edge Academy in Essex, Vermont. In their classrooms, these students are learning a variety of topics related to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. We are able to give them context to these issues from a global perspective. From day one, stu-dents have been avidly involved in reading our blogs and asking us thoughtful and insightful questions related to our experiences. In addition to responding on the blog, we have been able to Skype with students, dialoguing face-to-face. Students 10-18 years old are living through our stories, pictures, and videos, and putting context to their textbooks and lectures. Our long-term goal is to bring students with us so that they can see, learn, and write about these same things through personal experience. PEDAL is about teamwork: learning from others, teaching each other, and collaborating with one another. Collaboration, cooperation, and community are all principles we learned through our Whiteman Experience. These are principles we believe in, and we want to give the same opportunity we had in high school to other students across the United States and the world. We hope to develop our educational non-profit utilizing the values we learned from LWS, helping students to become global citizens who continually learn and act for environment and diversity. --Emily Colin and Rayna Weiss

For more information on PEDAL for Change please visit www.pedalforchange.org

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First Annual Alumni Roundup a Success

Will Findell `11 organizes ice climbing trips for students in Ouray area LWS Winter Olympics a huge success; Hannah Watt-Sax `13 wins tube jumping

Alumni NotesCurrent & Former FacultyLindsay Bowen-Coe is living in New Hamp-shire with her husband and their nine-month old son Bowen. Lindsay works for a market research consulting firm where she happily enjoys the LWS-esque privileges of wearing jeans and bringing her dog to work.

Jonathan Bridge is working as the Director of Advancement at the University School in Hunting Valley, OH.

Don Ciavola is once again making the dash between the dual-lives of merchant marine and educator - this time heading for dry land. He and his wife Christina are based in the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Ed Cope has been working as the Assistant Principal at the Ridge View Academy, a Denver Public Charter High School serv-ing youth offenders. He lives in Denver with his wife Elizabeth and their two children Jeremy and Lili.

Ryan Houck is looking forward to returning to the United States this summer after spending two years teaching English in Qatar.

Tim and Tina Smith-Brown live in Utah where Tim works as the Chief Technology Officer at MSTAR (a fiber-optic service pro-vider) and Tina homeschools their two children Audrey and Oscar. This spring Tina packed up the children for a “foreign trip” to Prague. http://williamrosehomeschool.wordpress.com

Denis Tonsing and his wife Kristi spend most of their time living in Cotacachi, Ecuador where they were visited by Jim and Nancy Spillane this winter.

Class of 1967Linda Blair, the first female to join the LWS rock-climbing club, is living in Missoula, MT where she works as a holistic health care provider.

With the formation of the Alumni Board and with Katie Spillane `01 (pictured left, with Rob Dubin `71) assuming the role of Alumni Relations Diretor, we are work-ing hard to establish a strong network for alums to stay in touch with LWS. Part of this effort is our first annual “Roundup,” an opportunity for alums, current and for-mer faculty members, and other friends of the school to connect and catch up with each other and the school. Above, members of the Class of 2001, as well as several faculty members, at the Saturday evening gethering and auction.

Sign up for our LinkedIn account, be a fan of the LWS Facebook and LWS Alumni Facebook pages, and keep in close touch with your alma mater!

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Alumni Notes

Will Findell `11 organizes ice climbing trips for students in Ouray area LWS Winter Olympics a huge success; Hannah Watt-Sax `13 wins tube jumping

Class of 1971Joe Basic writes of his time at last year’s reunion: Just got back from the 40th reunion weekend. My sense of it is that what brings us there now and then is the same even though the place has no resemblance to the old school. Many of us went to Whiteman be-cause we were not comfortable or thriving elsewhere. I know you feel it changed you and as I told you I felt not a change but a place to be myself and found others like-minded to share the experience. The connection was apparent again as soon as we all met up at the hot springs and I found it interesting that younger generations had the same sense of place as we did. I really enjoyed paying respects to Joe Roberts and John Whittum and am grateful that […] others have maintained the contacts we sometimes lose as we live our lives.

Rob Dubin and his wife Dee continue their sailing adventures around the world. Rumor has it they may be heading for land in a year or two…

Wendy Kollenkark-Holt is living in St. George, UT where she is the Vice President of Business Development at the Town and Country Bank.

In addition to his daily farm chores, Bill Manning is juggling a variety of very interesting projects in Wisconsin including found-ing his own artisanal bakery and pioneering a gardening project in conjunction with his local prison.

Class of 1976 James Forward died on December 14, 2010. James received a Bachelor of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1984. He went on to complete a MA in Conducting from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Quoting from his memo-rial, “ James was passionately involved in the local (Los Angeles) music scene as a conductor and an educator. His dedication to mu-sic has had a tremendous impact on his students and audiences at Crossroads School, Antelope Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Da Camera Society, just to name a few. He was especially dedicated to his outreach work, which involved providing access to music for inner-city youth who lacked such resources.”

Class of 1978Bruce Thomas is currently serving as Vice President of the National Weather Association and working as a meteorologist for Midland Radio. Bruce writes that his “career and love of the geo-sciences came from the many awesome experiences provided to me as a student at LWS.” Bruce lives in Lenexa, KS with his wife Ann and their two daughters Tori and Betty.

Class of 1980Drea (Andrea) Harris lives in Espanola, NM where she is happily working away at her dream job - running a small animal boarding kennel and dog grooming service. You can read more at: http://www.mypolitedog.com/

Kent McLemore and his wife Teresa Eversole-McLemore (’79) live in Arkansas with their two children. Teresa works as a state attorney representing children in juvenile court. Kent also works with juveniles and is a founding partner at the law firm where he works as criminal lawyer.

Class of 1981 Barbara Blaschke and her husband Bill are running an organic retail garden center, the Windy Hill Nursery, in Gambier, OH. (Editor’s note: I quite enjoyed hearing Barbara’s recounting of the evening celebrations in the girls’ dorm the night my brother Johnny was born.)

Justice Sandra Gardner was appointed to the Colorado State Judicial Branch in 2006 and has been on the bench since January 2, 2007. She currently lives in Hamilton, CO with her husband Turner and their pets Una, Ridge, Greything and Pooh Bear.

Tiana Melquist has spent the past eight years working as an ethnologist for Ethnographic Insight, Inc. She is living in Belling-ham, WA with her husband Norman and their daughter Eleanor.

Anthony Munroe passed away on March 30, 2011.

Class of 1982Bob Exum writes: I am happily married to my wife of almost 11 years, Leanne. My daughter Julia is married and has given us two beautiful grandchildren - Skyler and Daniel. My son just gradu-ated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He and his wife Ashley are expecting our third grandbaby in October. I have a stepdaughter, Amanda, who is about to graduate from Metro State with a teaching degree, and stepson Tommy who is trying to break into the music recording industry. Our other children are two bas-set hounds named Flash and Tulo. I have been working in sales for Clear Channel Satellite Services in Englewood, CO for 12 years selling satellite communications systems and services to businesses and the government.

Grace Horton-Olmos runs the Carlisle Salon and Suites, a board-ing kennel and pet salon. She lives with her husband Arturo and their two daughters Marcelle and Lillianna in Houston, TX.

Valerie Goldman-Martinez just finished a five-year stint of working as an IT Specialist for Big Rock Sports, a sporting goods wholesaler. After working from home for the past two years, Valerie will soon be moving on to new adventures and greener pastures. She is living in Edgewood, NM.

Class of 1983Doug Kauffman is living in Irvine, CA with his wife, daughter Morgan and son Evan. Doug works for as a marketing specialist for Ashley Furniture.

Page 14: LWS Experience

14

Alumni Notes Continued

500” of snow fell this year, making for a great ski/ride winter, and mudslides in the spring Ms. Durkan’s AP Environmental Science class plants garden in front of Williams Lodge

Class of 1985Shaun Ayon writes in from Highlands Ranch, CO. Having gradu-ated from Boulder High School in 1985, Shaun is seeking foreign trip itinerary information from the 1982 England/Scotland Trip.

Class of 1986Cayce Pitts passed away on November 21, 2010. Cayce worked in the automotive industry, running the family’s industrial tool business and served as president of the Oregon Auto Parts Associa-tion. He was a ski instructor and a USAA Level 2 Coach giving direction to skiers on the Beaverton and Mount Hood Meadows Ski Teams. He is survived by his wife Gwynne Pitts and their two children, Cayce Calvert Pitts Jr. and Taylor Morrison Pitts

Class of 1987Putting to use the climbing skills he gained with the Ruzickas, Andy Dennison and Gordon Brown, Matt Touchette is performing maintenance on wind turbines for a rope-access company called Ropepartner. When not working in all corners of the earth, Matt continues to travel for pleasure. Last winter his itinerary included stops in Spain, Australia and New Zealand.

Class of 1990Patty Norton-Macniven lives with her husband, Scott, and their nine year-old son Ryan in Stratford, CT. Patty works as a manager for Eloquence Corporation, a diamond-industry company located in New York.

Class of 1991 Pat Copeland writes: This year I celebrated my 12th year in Seattle and the Pacific NW and after all these years, this winter was the wet-test and coldest. The weather made for deep powder skiing but I am ready for the sunshine. I have been married for nine years to my wife Nga. We have 2 boys - Will, who is 8 years old and just finished the 2nd grade and Nicky, who is 5 and will start kindergarten in the fall. I have carved out a career as a Technical Recruiter and enjoy the freedom of working for a college friend. I like to play golf and still play lots of soccer. Any Whiteman alums can feel free to look me up if they find themselves up here.

Telly Dealey-Davis (Rachael) lives with her two children, Josh (11) and Heather (17) in Corpus Christi, TX. Telly is pursuing certification as a registered nurse through courses offered by Coastal Bend Commu-nity College.

For the past 11 years, Lorenzo Fassi has been specializing in “enterprise software solutions for companies that help them streamline their billing process.” When his nose is not to the grindstone, he enjoys spending time with his wife Antonella and their children Luca (6) and Teo (2).

Mike Hilb and Shayla Fleischer (’92) live in Hood River, OR with their two boys. Mike has directed his efforts into the film industry as a writer and filmmaker, directing the films Deep Winter (an action adventure film) and Dishdogz (a skateboarding film). Mike is currently taking a break to spend time with his family and working in real estate management.

Paul Tronnier is working as an alpine ski coach for Team Summit at Copper Mountain.

Class of 1992Jamie Angell Tobosa is a Technical Program Manager for the Global Human Resources services team at Amazon. She and her wife Joanna live in Seattle with their two daughters Josepheen Isabella and (7) Alexandra Elise (5).

Chris Blaydon and his wife Laura welcomed their daughter Emma into the world on October 12, 2010. The family lives in Chicago, IL where Chris serves as the Director and Vice President of Digi-tas.

Erik Skinner was recognized by the United States Ski Association for his work with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Free-style Program. He and his wife Heather Corkadel-Skinner (’94) live in Steamboat Springs with their sons Brodie and Quinn.

Class of 1993Hadley Abernathy-Bunting is living in Burlington, VT with her husband Matt and their 3.5-year-old daughter, Abernathy (Abbie), and one-year-old son, Charlie

Eric Nagel and his wife Courtney welcomed Rewk Wade Nagel into the world on Super Bowl Sunday at 6:27 p.m.

Class of 1999Jill Mustard-Benbow lives in Frisco, CO with her husband Dillon and their two-year-old daughter Lily. When not acting as a full-time Mom, Jill also works as a grant writer.

Page 15: LWS Experience

500” of snow fell this year, making for a great ski/ride winter, and mudslides in the spring Ms. Durkan’s AP Environmental Science class plants garden in front of Williams Lodge

On November 9, 2010 Shannon Ford gave birth to twins Magno-lia Rose U’Ren Ford and Raddox Wyckoff U’Ren Ford. The twins were welcomed by their father, Chad, and brother, Cyphers U’Ren Ford. Since 2003, Shannon has been working as an advocate for the homeless at an organization called Bread and Roses located in Olympia, WA. She is currently taking a break to be with her children but is considering going back to school to earn a teaching certificate or to receive Waldorf training.

Jenna Krieg-Anderson is living in Riverton, WY with her husband Justin and sons Jace (8) and Jaemon (5). In addition to working as a substitute teacher and full-time Mom, Jenna is taking steps towards earning her teaching degree so she can someday send her boys to LWS and teach there at the same time!

Class of 2000Annie Bendon earned her Masters degree in Urban Planning for the University of Auckland and is now working as a city planner for the city and county of Honolulu. She is engaged to boat builder and commercial fisherman Chris Freed.

Elizabeth Diamond is living in Cambridge, MA where she is the Director of Operations for the Head of the Charles Regatta, the world’s largest two-day rowing event.

Carly Gmeiner is engaged to SSWSC snowboard coach Dylan Davidson. The two plan to wed next summer.

Brendan Nicholson is living in Salt Lake City where he works with the University of Utah Institute of Genetics as a graphic designer. He and his fiancé Elizabeth Brand plan to marry on November 20, 2011.

Class of 2001Kristen Andrews-Berkowitz has relocated to Texas with her hus-band Brian where she continues her career in watch repair.

Pep Fujas continues his career as skier, filmmaker, designer and personality. Keep up with him at: http://www.pepfujas.com/

Gates Gooding is juggling a handful of projects including the co-management of Vermont Terroir, a distributor of artisanal maple syrups.

Matt Kennedy is working as a filmmaker and photographer for Extreme Ice Survey and James Balog Photography.

James Lakin is living and working in Dubai where he is working with his brother Matt (’04) at Production Technology.

Travis Laub lives in Las Vegas but can be found jetting to all corners of the country in his capacity as Director of Operations and Head of Real Estate at the Eric Andrew Collection, a line of fine jewelry stores.

Chelsea Miller is currently at Stevens-Henager College working towards her BFA in photography and is hoping to one day open her own photography studio. Having lost all of her own LWS photos in a basement flood, Chelsea is hoping that anyone who is willing to share will pass their photos on to her! [email protected]

Sam Phillips can be reached at: [email protected]

Walker Pruett moved to Portland, OR with his wife Madeline. While continuing to hone his own craft as a brewer, Walker is fine-tuning his knowledge of the business side of things by working for The Old Market Pub and Brewery.

Sky Rubin is relocating to Washington, DC to begin a new posi-tion at Astrium, a leading European space company. Sarah Stearns travels the world as an au pair while working her way into the field of experimental film.

Ross Travis graduated from the San Francisco Circus Center in 2010 and is currently working as a performer, co-creator and man-ager of the Bangarang Theater Company and the Naked Empire Bouffon Theatre Company. A recent San Francisco Bay Guard-ian review of Ross’ work states: “Like a one-man Mad Max, he ably deconstructed the post-apocalypse genre of action films and doomsayer surrender in a series of vignettes that mapped out the bizarre terrains of alien abduction, zombie uprisings [and] nuclear holocaust.”

Class of 2002 Carter Allen is a licensed Farmers Insurance agent and recently opened his own office, Allen Insurance, in Steamboat Springs. Carter attended the University of Denver, where he graduated in 2008 with a degree in International Business and a minor in Italian. He married Traci Jones, also an LWS student, on August 14, 2010 at the Gondola in Steamboat Springs.

Class of 2003Keagan O’Hara is living in Chongqing, China where he has been a Chinese-language student since the fall of 2009.

Having graduated from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2007 with a degree in Global Security and Intelligence Stud-ies, Milo Rubin has joined the armed forces and was deployed to Afghanistan in May of 2011.

Class of 2004Matt Whitacre reports from Boulder, after returning from visiting his parents Mike and Janice in France. Matt is working in sales and marketing for the Ku Cha House of Tea.

Class of 2005 Rebecca de Wardt received her BS in Biology, Summa Cum Laude, on May 14, 2011 from the University of Colorado, Denver.

Page 16: LWS Experience

Alums and past families, send us your email addresses and stay in touch with LWS through Katie Spillane `01, Director of Alumni Relations, [email protected]. Classes of 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992, and

2002, make plans to be at the Alumni Roundup in June, 2012!

The Lowell Whiteman School42605 Routt County Rd. 36Steamboat Springs, CO 80487(970) 879-1350

Nonprofit Org. US Postage

PAIDCPC Mail

www.lws.edu


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