Alumni Newsletter
November 11, 2021
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Greetings from Pam Farmer,
Director of Alumni Engagement
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Dear St. Andrew’s Alumni,
It is wonderful to have our students back on campus and to have laughter everywhere. Although masks must still be worn indoors, we happily see their smiling faces while tossing a football or hanging with friends on the quad.
In August, we hosted the 5th Annual Alumni Basketball Game, and it was the largest one yet! We had players come back from the ’70s, ‘80s, ’90s, 2000s and even some recent grads in addition to other alumni spectators. The camaraderie was amazing, and the laughs — many at Coach Hart’s expense — were hysterical. We finished the day with a wonderful get-together at La Piñata Restaurant. It lifted all of our spirits to reunite with our alumni community.
On August 23rd, we hosted the 10th Annual Golf Classic at the Rhode Island Country Club. We had a wonderful event, and many alumni came to play and help with the event. Mrs. McGann and I drove the “Cheers for Chapin” cart and had so much fun with our golfers.
This year, a number of alumni have returned to St. Andrew's in new roles. As new faculty members, Leela Ballah ‘08, Taff Wadda ‘16, and Mark Read ‘17 joined fellow alumni already working at SAS: Ray Cross ‘04, Adam Telford ‘04, and coaches Mike Haggerty ’09 and Jenny Lang ‘16. We also appreciate the work of our alumni board members. We welcome Demetris Nichols ‘03 and Cyd Anderson McKenna ‘88 who joined David Brown ‘52, Eric Mack ‘00, Ben White ‘08, and John Chmura ‘98 on the Board of Trustees this year.
I would like to take the opportunity to share my gratitude for your loyal support. Alumni giving participation rate reached 20 percent this past school year! The love and dedication you all show is amazing and so appreciated. We could not do this without you. Every gift is important and valued.
We look forward to seeing you and hearing from you. Plans are underway for some alumni get-togethers at local restaurants in the new year. If you would like to help host one, please let me know. I am looking forward to once again getting on the road and visiting your city.
We wish you a wonderful holiday season.
With love,
Pam
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Major Steve Webster (Retired) '90
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Today on Veterans Day, we are highlighting one of St. Andrew's Veteran Alums. Stephen Webster '90 was always a ray of sunshine here on campus. He was on the cross country, sailing, and baseball teams.
Like many, when I came to St. Andrew’s in 1987, I was looking for something new, something different … and found it. The school I had been attending was just not for me, and I felt that I would have better opportunities somewhere else. After an extensive search, my family and I decided that St. Andrew’s was the right fit so we applied and I was accepted.
It was largely due to the experiences and opportunities with my fellow students, teachers, and the staff at St. Andrew’s that I feel that my life and the path I took were greatly impacted while attending school there. To this day, I am still in touch with many of these individuals.
During my time there, I became very interested in the U.S. Armed Forces (yeah… you can call it the Top Gun syndrome, I suppose). I knew that I wanted to serve. My advisor and teachers always encouraged me to find my passion and not be afraid to pursue it — something that still rings true in my life to this day.
I graduated in 1990, said goodbye to the East Coast, went back to California, and attended the University of the Pacific. I would end up graduating in 1995 with a B.A. in sociology. While there, my life would change forever and lead me down the path that I ended up taking. In the summer of 1991, I took the leap and enlisted in the California Army National Guard. I attended basic training that summer and returned in the fall to continue my schooling. Realizing that this was something that I was passionate about, I investigated the possibility of making a full-time job of it. It was in 1993 that I enrolled in the Army ROTC program at California State University-Sacramento. I would spend the next two years commuting between both schools on a weekly basis.
In the summer of 1995, the weekend after I graduated I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve as an armor (tank) officer. It was not what I had hoped for; however, falling back on my experience at St. Andrew’s, I never quit in my quest to always pursue my passions. After three years as a traditional guardsman and two years as an active guardsman, I was granted the opportunity to transfer to the Army full-time. In late 2003, I took another leap and transferred from armor to what would eventually be known as the logistics corps. Just like my choice of St. Andrew’s, this among the other choices I made would open the door to incredible people, opportunities, and experiences.
Like the majority of my fellow service members, I would go on and serve in Iraq once and in Afghanistan three times. In addition, I would serve, train, and be stationed at many different bases throughout the United States and Europe, and I even did a brief stint in Africa. What had started as a passion and grew to a full-time career would end up allowing me to serve in three units. It was an honor to serve with the Army’s special operations command, the 101st Airborne Division. I served specifically with the brigade that became famous, first through the book and later the miniseries Band of Brothers. I became a mentor and trainer to soldiers of the Afghanistan National Army. I also had the honor and opportunity to attend the U.S. Ambassador to Poland’s 4th of July party along with 3,000 of his “best friends,” among other assignments, experiences, and opportunities too numerous to list. It is because of my choices that I witnessed the people of Iraq take part in free elections for the first time. I, for a brief period, lived and worked in the remains of a fortress that many believe was once occupied by the armies of Alexander the Great. I have seen castles, cathedrals, and lands that dwarf this country's establishment. I have stood on the beaches of Normandy, the deserts of the Middle East, and Africa. I have had the opportunity to hear Medal of Honor recipients speak, I have also befriended many of whom are often referred to as some of “America’s finest” and “heroes”.
Most importantly it is because of my choices and the path I took that would lead me to my wife whom I met in 2006 and married in 2008. It was also because of this path that we were blessed recently with the birth of our son in October of 2019. Finally, in the summer of 2020, I finished my career in the United States Army. In all, it was 29 years of multiple “roller coaster rides” of varied twists, turns, ups, downs, and the occasional loops thrown in for good measure. As I said in the beginning, it was because of many of my experiences and interactions at St. Andrew’s that helped kick off this so-called life of mine.
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Geoff Carr ‘71 stopped by for a visit from Portland, Oregon. Thanks for visiting us on your trip to the East Coast.
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James Cai '19 and Ashur Tang '20 stopped by for a visit. We love seeing our young alumni back on campus!
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Joanna Clay ‘87 joined me for coffee, and I can report that she is as awesome as ever. Joanna is living her best life in Las Vegas.
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Leslie Joseph ‘90 stopped by campus. It was so much fun to catch up.
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Former teacher Karen Bloom and her husband, Rabbi Mark Bloom, stopped by for a visit. Karen was a teacher here from the late '90s to 2001.
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Tom Manson ‘66 stopped by with his wife and granddaughter to show them his old stomping grounds. I love all the old stories. I always learn a new bit of history.
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Demetris Nichols '03 has a new role as a graduate assistant for the Syracuse University basketball program and helps coach fellow Saint Cole Swider '18. Cole got to play against his old Saints teammate Matt Constant '21 recently.
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After the Alumni Basketball game in August, Suzie Schantz '05 and Missayr Boker '04 co-hosted an event at La Piñata Restaurant in Warren. Alumni David Brayton '03, Emery Outland '04, Ryen Brown '02, Grace Cerda '19, Lindsey Gilbert '06, Junior Lidonde '03, Seth Schachne '02, and Roc Jackson '04 joined in on the fun.
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Having a blast at St. Andrew's 10th Annual Golf Classic with Celso Ribeiro '03, Tyler Neville '02, Michael Culpo '08, Demetris Nichols '03, Garrett Kissel '07, and Coach Hart.
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Head of School David Tinagero joined Ben White '03 in his foursome for St. Andrew's 10th Annual Golf Classic at the Rhode Island Country Club.
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David Brown '52 was a guest speaker for freshman and sophomore students in Saints 101 and Saints 102 as part of their unit on oral history. David shared stories about his time as a student living in McVickar Hall, Clark Hall, Perry Hall, and Coleman House. He said that at St Andrew's he learned to share and he learned to work. Among his many words of wisdom, he encouraged students to look for every opportunity at St. Andrew's and to give back and help others.
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Wayne Paul Francis ‘83 returned to campus wearing his original SENE cross country championship jacket to hand out the pies to the winners of the Ed Barrett ‘31 Memorial Pie Race. It's been 40 years since Paul won the first Barrett Pie Race in 1981. Many members of Ed Barrett's family joined us, and his daughter, Jan, made the pies for the top two student runners.
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Evan Wells ‘24 visited campus on October 29 and got a photo with his former Middle School friends. He is currently attending Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia.
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On November 3, St. Andrew's cross country teams competed in the Eric Jacober '07 Memorial Race. This annual race is held in memory of a beloved member of the Class of 2007 who was an avid and accomplished runner.
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Soohuen Ham ‘99 is now an associate attorney with Orrick, Herrington, and Sutcliffe LLP and writes, “San Francisco, like the majority of the country, is still reeling from the pandemic and struggling to get back on its feet. Fortunately, Josephine and I were able to purchase a home and are happy to start our new lives here. Since we are still working from home, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to foster a dog that is at-risk of euthanization. Like a sign, one of our neighbors, who helps run a rescue organization, informed us of this dog that was about to be put down, as shelters could not manage the growing number of dogs being kept there. We were told the dog, Bella, probably was not going to be adopted because of her size (40lbs) and breed (half pitbull, half Shar Pei). We welcomed her into our new home because Josephine and I knew that the pit bull breed/mixes are loving family dogs unlike how they are portrayed in the media. Bella has been with us since July and we are happy that she has not been adopted because she adds more love to our new home. I'm looking forward to many years in San Francisco and discovering how we can contribute to making the city better than it already is.”
Meghan Fox ‘00 is in her second year working at King's Academy, an international boarding school in Jordan. She teaches math and is a dorm parent. She sends all her love from Jordan.
Abdi “Junior” Lidonde ’03 is now Principal of the Alan Shawn Feinstein Elementary school at Broad Street in Providence, Rhode Island. Check out this wonderful video of Abdi as he starts this next chapter in his career.
Ray Cross ‘04, director of enrollment management here at St. Andrew’s, will serve as our first director of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this role, Ray will chair our diversity and equity task force; advise and support the assistant head of school for academics on curriculum development aimed at teaching and learning to think critically about diversity; support the school’s goal of achieving greater faculty and staff diversity; create opportunities to further develop social and cultural competencies among our teachers and staff; and develop student leadership in matters related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Ray has served as the co-chair of our diversity and equity task force since its formation in August of 2020 and has played a central role in creating momentum at St. Andrew’s around this important work. Outside of St. Andrew’s, Ray has served on the advisory board of the Virginia S. Eaton Multicultural Resource Center and serves as a DEI committee member on the Enrollment Management Association's Admission Leadership Council. Ray will also continue in his role as director of enrollment management.
Bennett O’Donnell ‘06 was promoted to Sergeant First Class.
Kaitlyn Rosen ‘08 has moved from Tampa, Florida, where she attended college and had been living for 13 years, to Winter Garden, Florida, about 20 mins from Disney World! She is engaged and planning a Disney wedding for August 2022.
Sam Im '09 writes, “For anyone who may be curious about what I’m doing next after the Ph.D., I have accepted a full-time position with Clinton Health Access Initiative as a senior analyst. I’m taking a pause from academia to diversify my experience and skill set as well as to expand my professional networks. I hope to rejoin academia when the opportunity is right.”
Tori Gilbert '13 started a new job at Brown University as their events and operations coordinator at the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. Tori finished her MBA at Johnson & Wales where she studied event management.
Angelika Pellegrino '13 will be starting as an outreach lead on the American Rescue Plan Act implementation team at the Economic Development Administration later this month.
Ronaldinho Diniz '16 has been signed to play professional soccer with Utica City FC.
Mark Read '17 is teaching a full-year marine biology course to seniors and post-graduates at St. Andrew’s. He is also coaching boys cross country, an assistant coach for boys varsity basketball, and a dorm parent for Perry House.
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Congratulations on the new additions in your lives. Welcome, little Saints!
Stefan Cunha ‘03 and his wife, Daphne, welcomed Otis in November 2019.
Celso Ribeiro ‘03 and his wife welcomed Blair Rue in July.
Megin Turcotte ‘03 welcomed Cieanna in July.
Michael Burke ‘07 and his wife, Michaela, welcomed baby number two in June. His name is Michael Joseph Burke IV, but he goes by Joey!
Charlie Shaw ‘07 and his wife, Jeanne, welcomed Rosemary Jean in September.
Ben White ‘08 and his wife, Kirsten, welcomed Wynona “Winnie” in July.
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Wishing you a lifetime full of happiness and love. Congratulations, Saints!
Robert Ragee '01 and Elise Luce in March.
Tyler Dubuc '12 and Eric Christian in October.
Julia Brown '13 and Alonzo LaBreche in September.
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To the memory of our dearly departed alumni. We will miss you, Saints.
Gust Lundberg '78
In June, beloved St. Andrew's teacher, Holly Mendes, passed away. She was a dedicated faculty member for more than 35 years and left an edible mark on hundreds of students. A permanent endowment fund has been established in her memory to support student scholarships and the Holly Mendes Memorial Garden. You can support the fund by making a gift here.
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Giving Tuesday
GivingTuesday is on November 30, and I hope you will all join me in supporting St. Andrew's on this global day of philanthropy. All gifts made to the school will provide immediate-use funds to support our students and programs. Stay tuned for my Facebook fundraiser and exciting details about this day.
Another way to celebrate GivingTuesday is by showing appreciation for your former St. Andrew's teachers, coaches, and advisors. You can create customized digital “Saints Gratitude Grams” that we will send on your behalf on November 30. Submit your messages using this form. The deadline is Friday, November 26.
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Newsletter Reminder
We love to hear from you!
Update Pam Farmer on your happenings to be included in the Winter Alumni Newsletter. Thank you!
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