Recognition, Justice, Reconciliation, and Development
St. Paul’s School marks Black History Month with a series of speakers, celebrations, and activities that reflect the U.N. General Assembly’s theme for the International Decade for People of African Descent.
For the third consecutive year, St. Paul’s School will freeze tuition, extending a previous freeze to include the 2022-23 academic year. That message was one of the highlights of the Feb. 15 webinar “SPS Today and Tomorrow — Inside Millville with Rector Kathy Giles.” Giles was joined by Teacher of Fine Arts Leigh Kaulbach ’08, Board of Trustees President Archie Cox Jr. ’58, and a diverse panel of students for a wide-ranging conversation that concluded with the School’s 14th Rector sharing her vision for the future of the School.
On Feb. 22, St. Paul’s School continued its yearlong celebration of coeducation and exploration of purpose with a conversation among White House counsel Dana Remus ’93, U.S. Army cyber-intelligence officer Maggie Smith ’98, and civil rights lawyer Rhiya Trivedi ’08. “Her Purpose: In Service of Others” was moderated by Rector Kathy Giles and LGBTQIA+ activist Ellen Greer ’07.
Earlier this month, Alpine Ski Team co-captain Romeo Giudici ’22 won two events to lead St. Paul’s School to its first-ever Class A NEPSAC Alpine Championship. For Giudici, SPS has provided a perfect blend of academic challenge and athletic opportunity.
As the co-founder and CEO of digital fitness tracker giant WHOOP, Will Ahmed ’08 rubs elbows with some of the biggest names in sports. His visit to SPS on Jan. 31 included class visits, practice with the SPS squash teams, and the chance to tick an item off his bucket list: delivering a Chapel talk.
Driven by a deep desire to foster productive political discussion at the School, Wade Bednar ’22 and Rocco Burge ’22 worked for almost a year with the SPS Visitors Committee and Humanities teachers Chris Carter and Josh Duclos to bring Rich Lowry, editor-in-chief of The National Review, to school grounds for a daylong visit in January.
Trustee Matthew A. “Andy” Baxter ’60 died on Monday, Feb. 21, at his home in Old Lyme, Connecticut, following a yearlong battle with cancer. An integral member of the Form of 1960 and a pillar of the alumni community, Baxter joined the School’s Board of Trustees in 2015, serving as chair of the Compensation Committee and on the Executive Committee. Rector Kathy Giles describes him as “a trustee who came prepared, spoke his mind, and always kept the best interests of the School clearly in sight. Andy also was a marvelous man of intelligence, humility, good humor, and kindness.”
Baxter earned his undergraduate degree from Yale and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and worked with the Dreyfus Corporation and Instinet Corporation, where he was vice chairman and COO. He was pre-deceased by his wife, Carley, and son, Matt, and is survived by his daughter, Eliza, and his sister, Anne. A longer tribute to Baxter will run in a future Alumni Horae.
Joined Together
Thanks to the generosity of St. Paul’s School alumni, parents, and friends, SPS Giving Days 2022 were a resounding success. Between Feb. 15 and 17, 1,072 members of the SPS community donated $947,416 in support of The SPS Fund and the limitless opportunities it provides to today’s SPS students. One of the most successful Giving Days campaigns to date, “Join Together” saw record-setting participation among alumni, with 21 different forms recording 15 or more gifts, and extraordinary parent participation that reflected generous engagement among every current form and house.
Alumni Horae Survey
The Alumni Horae is currently conducting a reader survey to learn more about the reading patterns and preferences of St. Paul’s School alumni, parents, and friends. Want to share your thoughts about your school magazine? We’d love to hear from you! Participation is entirely voluntary.
The poetry of T.S. Eliot and the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul were the inspirations behind an opera created by SPS Director of Chapel Music and Organist Nicholas White. “The Fire and the Rose,” featuring the SPS Chapel Choir and members of the SPS Ballet Company, was performed in the Chapel in January. We are pleased to offer our community the following opportunities to enjoy a recording of that performance:
• Tuesday, March 1, 7 p.m. EST • Wednesday, March 2, 9 p.m. EST • Thursday, March 3, 1 p.m. EST • Friday, March 4, 7 a.m. EST
Join us on June 10-12 as we celebrate forms ending in 2 and 7. We also will welcome back forms ending in 0, 1, 5, and 6 who missed out on their in-person celebrations. Get excited to share this special opportunity to celebrate the traditions, connections, and community that define our School. Curious to know who else is coming? Check out this preliminary list of your friends and formmates who have indicated their plans to attend.
Alumni in the News
Arctic Advocate
Tom Douglas ’90 was featured in a recent NOVA segment on PBS Terra about how greenhouse gases and methane emissions are creating dangerous sinkholes in the Arctic permafrost. HEAR FROM DOUGLAS
An Edgy Honor
InStyle magazine recently ranked Eliza Griswold ’91 #23 on its “Badass 50” list for her role in last summer’s humanitarian effort to help evacuate citizens of Afghanistan following the government’s fall to the Taliban. ELIZA MAKES THE LIST
Full Scream Ahead
Jamie Vanderbilt ’94 has been tapped to extend his “Scream” screenwriting streak, penning the script for the sixth installment of the movie franchise. PUNCHING HIS TICKET
Turning up the Heat
U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry ’62 delivered a clear message to the world’s top climate polluters about the need to accelerate their progress on transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy. KERRY’S PITCH
