532osuna road
A magazine for the Sandia Prep Community
Winter 2018
Lighting the Path
New programs cultivate
innovation at Prep
Prep Profiles
Alumna: Katie Sharp '03
Students: Odyssey Scholars
Faculty: Helen Haskell
Alumni Wrap-Up
PrepStudio: Photography
532osuna road
17
532 refers to the school’s physical address - and the sense
of place felt by all who come here. The 532 staff welcomes
you to our school magazine, published for alumni, parents,
students, friends, and the entire Sandia Prep community.
We hope you enjoy the magazine.
Our Mission: The joy of learning and living is at the
center of all we do. Sandia Preparatory School provides
remarkable opportunities for intellectual and personal
growth within a challenging and balanced program. As an
extension of our families, Sandia Prep’s diverse community
inspires students to find their academic focus, talents and
creativity.
Our Vision: At Sandia Prep, we will inspire our students to
discover their purposes in the world by:
• Developing essential skills and intellectual potential
through challenging academics;
• Cultivating a socially responsible environment of
innovation and creativity; and
• Engaging as a vibrant community for the betterment of
society.
FEATURE STORY
17
Cultivating Innovation
In this age of innovation, Sandia Prep has
developed new programs that unleash critical
thinking and curiosity, distinguishing the
School and its students on both local and
national levels.
On the Cover
SPACE Director and Spanish instructor
Daniel de León and students Calvert King '21
and Warren Stacy '19 oversee a 3D printer
demonstration in Prep's makerspace.
Our Five A’s: To foster growth toward human as
well as academic excellence, Sandia Prep seeks
to create balance among the Five A’s:
Academics • Arts • Athletics • Activities • Atmosphere
Sandia Prep’s logo represents our balanced philosophy
and program. Our Five A’s converge to form an integrated
whole with the student at the center, reflecting the
comprehensive, well-rounded education that Sandia Prep
students receive.
11 13
15
FEATURES
IN EVERY ISSUE
5
Alumni Recaps
3
Prep Around the Web
11
Alumni Profile: Katie Sharp '03
4
7
From the Head of School
Alumni Notes
13
Student Profile: Odyssey Scholars
10
From the Archive
15
Faculty Profile: Helen Haskell
20
SPS Briefs
17
Drumroll, Please: Innovation at Prep
21
24
Smart Giving
Sundevil Sports
19
PrepStudio: Photography
25
Congrats Class of 2017!
Visit us online
sandiaprep.org
Sandia Preparatory School OFFICIAL Accounts
f facebook.com/SandiaPrep
@SandiaPrep
T
@sandiaprep
532osuna road
is published by
Sandia Preparatory School,
an independent co-ed school with a
nationally recognized college preparatory
program for students in
grades 6 through 12.
Bill Sinfield - Head of School
Scott Jeffries - Dean of Students
Cheryl McMillan - Head of Upper School
Susi Hochrein - Head of Middle School
Julie Cook - Director of Development
Jenny Davidson - Director of Information Technology
Laura Fitzpatrick - Director of Admission
Melissa Morse - Director of College Counseling
Melissa Jo Stroud - Director of Marketing &
Communications
Managing Editor - Melissa Jo Stroud
Designer/Editor/Contributor - Alexis Magaña-Jaggli
Contributors:
Melissa Besante Dineen ’97
Julie Cook
Pete MacFarlane
Patricia Gabbett Snow
Susan Walton ’72
Sandia Preparatory School
532 Osuna Rd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113
505.338.3000 phone • 505.338.3099 fax
sandiaprep.org • info@sandiaprep.org
3 532 • Winter 2018
the new magazine. I want to hear
about...I find the new sections...Can you
have a place for...Where is Prep Post?
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photos are great. I get to stay in
touch with fellow alumni. The students
are AROUND
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Proud to be a Sundevil. Go Unicorns!
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Go Lions! Celebrating the Five A's of
the Prep community
Sandia on social Preparatory media. School. Academics,
Athletics, Arts, Activities, and Atmosphere.
"When I think of
The joy of learning and living Pete MacFarlane is I think at the
about how much he
center of all we do. Sandia Preparatory
changed and altered
School provides remarkable the course opportunities
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for intellectual and personal
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each student's passions, talents,
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their activities. We are so
Pete MacFarlane's
Sandia thankful Our to be a Five part of A's converge to form
retirement after 42 years
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such a great school, with
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great administration and
Athletic Director
comprehensive, great teachers! - well-rounded education
James Huron,
that Sandia Prep students receive. 10
Sandia Prep Parent
Things We Believe: Educating is not a
job; it is a calling. Education is about
the students. Their needs always come
"The school's beginning, as a place to creatively
first. The measure educate of young our women and success to encourage them is how
to strive for excellence in whatever field(s)
we treat our most challenged student
called to them, must still resonate
on his or her most in the character challenging of the school.” day.
- Barbara Sparks Federico '75 recalling the
Prep seeks to create balance among
years when Prep was an all-girls school
the Five A's: Academics, Athletics,
Arts, Atmosphere, and Activities.
FROM THE
Head of School
“I want to oppose the idea that
the school has to teach directly
that special knowledge and those
accomplishments which one has
to use later directly in life. The
demands of life are much too
manifold to let such a specialized
training in school appear possible
[...] The development of general
ability for independent thinking
and judgement should always be
placed foremost.” - Albert Einstein
I don’t usually start my articles with quotes as long as the
one above, but I think that Einstein’s statement needs to
be understood as a whole, especially in these times, when
education is seen as a means to a lucrative end.
Einstein included this statement in his book, Ideas and
Opinions, published in 1954. Though I am sure that Einstein
had the intellectual capacity to see into the future with more
clarity than most, I wonder if he could have contemplated the
magnitude of change that would come with the development
of digital and cyber technology. He states that the “demands
of life are much too manifold to let such specialized training
in school appear possible,” but could he have ever anticipated
the complexity of the demands and the rapidity of changes
that our children are experiencing in their lives today? I don’t
know the answer to that, but my guess is that he wouldn’t be
surprised. He was a thinker, and, as such, he had the courage
to untether himself from conventional wisdom of his day,
and to let his mind and thoughts take him to places of which
others could not conceive.
Schools should aspire to develop that kind of untethered
thinking. Certainly, our students must be exposed to the
knowledge and wisdom of the ages, and there are skills and
algorithms that they need to learn. However, the fundamental
purpose of education should always be to develop
independent, critical thinkers. That is the skill that is essential
to our children’s future, and the future of our society.
Unfortunately, because of national and state educational
policies that fixate on standardized curriculum (e.g., Common
Core) and state assessments that compel teachers to teach
to those tests (e.g., the PARCC), we miss the mark on what
is truly important. The emphasis is on grades rather than
enlightenment.
Happily, Sandia Prep has long rejected the notion of
standardization. The school has for many years pushed back
on the populace slide toward homogenized education that
force marches students through a preordained curriculum
and leaves no room for deep and meaningful exploration
of content and concepts. Instead, we put much greater
value on curiosity, imagination, and critical thinking skills.
We encourage our students to find joy and passion in their
learning experience.
I have the great pleasure of roaming this campus and stepping
into classes where students are led on a journey of discovery.
I see young people, from grades 6 to 12, challenged to think
rigorously, to engage skillfully in conceptualizing, applying,
analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information. I
witness collaborative, hands-on, active learning in all our
classes, from math to art, English to science, history to theater.
And when I come back to my office after those “walk-abouts,”
I feel grateful that we have teachers who have chosen to take
the road less travelled in education, and who will, indeed,
make all the difference.
In the pages that follow you will read stories of students
and alumni who have benefitted from the kind of education
offered at Sandia Prep. Some of them have taken circuitous
routes to their present positions. This is, to be certain, the way
of the future. Our children will take many turns on their life
journey. They will meet challenges and take risks. It will be
their ability to think with clarity, work collaboratively, and
communicate confidently that will ensure that the journey will
bring them joy and satisfaction.
Bill Sinfield
Head of School
532 • Winter 2018 4
Alumni RECAPS
classroom crawl
dallas meet and greet
alumni voices:
early days
NOVEMBER 12
2016
santa claus visits prep
APRIL 7
2017
APRIL 8
2017
A special thank you
to Sandia Prep’s
Young Alumni
Committee for
planning this
event, as well as
Tim Hebenstreit '09
and Karl Nelson '09
of ABQ Events.
DECEMBER 5
2016
Washington dc Meet and greet
recent grad lunch
Alumni voices: how i got to where i am today
MARCH 4
2017
5 532 • Winter 2018
JANUARY 5
2017
JANUARY 18
2017
DECADES celebration
pete macfarlane
5
k
sundevil athletic hall of fame 2017
APRIL 8
2017
Thank you to our 50th
Anniversary Committee
JULY 7
2017
The inaugural Sundevil
Athletic Hall of Fame
induction ceremony
celebrated 13 alumni,
1 former coach, and
the 1985 Boys Soccer
Championship team.
JULY 8
2017
100+ community
members joined
the race to honor
the long-time
Athletic Director's
retirement.
Photo by Andrea Kennedy '02
alumni weekend 2017
Atlanta meet and greet
APRIL 20
2017
Alumni Induction Breakfast
MAY 19
2017
JULY 7 - 9
2017
Included:
Class Reunions
Campus Tours
Alumni Family Picnic
Alumni Athletic Events
Children & Tween Clinics
Prep Scavenger Hunt
teacher appreciation day
MAY 9
2017
532 • Winter 2018 6
AlumniNOTES
’80s
Dean C. Hines '81 was selected by NASA
to be a Co-Investigator on "Network for
Exploration and Space Science".
Dana (Mozer) Reed ’84 is a Contracts
Manager at Quest Aircraft Company, LLC
in Idaho.
In June, Julie Curro '92 and her foreign
exchange student sister, Mirna Mirkovic
'90 stopped by Prep for a campus visit.
They coordinated a gathering with
Melanie East Polansky '92 and their
Prep faculty favorites Pete MacFarlane
and Ernie Polansky.
Kelly Heath ’96 is the
director for Webster
University’s Study
Abroad program.
Kelly spent the last 15
years working with
Loyola University Chicago as a Study
Abroad Advisor, Assistant Director and
Beijing Center Coordinator, and Associate
Director of Study Abroad. Our ’96 grad
has a B.A. in Spanish from Bates College in
Maine and an M.Ed. in Higher Education,
Student Affairs Specialization, from Loyola
University Chicago.
Dr. Aaron Reich '85 and his family
stopped by Sandia Prep in July for a
campus tour. Aaron is the President
of TRINU Healthcare, an accredited
healthcare education, development and
consulting company; and the President
of the Arlington Independent School
District Board of Trustees.
’90s
Sundevil alumni continue to support
Sandia Prep in a variety of ways.
Thank you Susan Przekurat Epstein
'91, Jillian Gonzales '91, Cristie
Sappington Sandoval '90, and Todd
Sandoval '91 for volunteering in our
Russell Student Center!
Sara Coon '93 was featured in the
May 17, 2017 issue of the Sandia Prep
Times article, “Thirty Years Later, Lost
Purse Surfaces”. After an exchange via
Facebook Messenger, we learned that
Sara lives in Belgium with her husband,
Darrin and their daughter, Brennan.
In November 2016,
Raúl Torrez ’95
was elected
Bernalillo
District Attorney.
In March, Jed Brock
'96 of the Jonathan
Brock Insurance
Agency stopped
by campus to
finalize an Alumni
Weekend sponsorship
agreement.
We appreciate our ’96, ’97
& ’98 class reunion liaisons!
Dana Blaugrund Carroll ’97 &
Michael Beinenson ’97
Lesley Siegel ’97
is an Assistant
Professor in
the School
of Education
at Arcadia
University.
She lives with
her wife in
Philadelphia
after many years
in Seattle and Denver. Dr. Siegel has
designed curriculum for museums and
arts based community programs, worked
for the Washington State Department of
Education, directed special education
programming for an alternative teacher
licensing program, and worked on
multi-state grants. Our ’97 grad has a
Ph.D. from the University of Denver and
a M.A. in Special Education from the
University of New Mexico.
In May, Gayle Polansky ’98 graduated
with an M.S. in Environmental Studies
from Lamar University. Gayle is back in
Albuquerque and is actively searching
for a position in Ecosystems Management
while running her photography business:
www.glp-photography.com. Our ’98 grad
also has a Civil Engineering degree from
Texas Tech University.
Sam Stribling’s '98 company, Eight 14
Solutions, is working on the new multimillion
dollar Facebook data center
in Los Lunas, NM. Stribling's business
will help ensure the facility is under
environmental compliance. He said,
"We've completed dozens of projects
in New Mexico, but we've never done
a project that has this type of notoriety
to it."
’00s
In Remembrance
Branson Quenzer ’99
Dr. Adam Raff ’01
is a Board certified
Dermatology faculty
member at Harvard
and is dividing his time
between clinical and
research work. Laura,
Adam’s wife, works at
Stem Cell Technologies
in Boston and is
regional head of that division.
Adam and Laura have a son,
Asher.
Ima Rahmaniar Husein stopped by
Sandia Prep in August for a campus tour.
Ima was an Indonesian exchange student
during the 2001/2002 school year. Ima
brought her husband and her host father
to meet with some of her former teachers
and Joelle Shaw '03. Ima has three
children and works with PT GMF Aero
Asia.
Sara Tracy-Ruazol ’01 graduated with
a Master of Laws in Military Law at the
U.S. Army JAG School. Sara, her husband
Jerwin, and their son Harrison live in
Charlottesville, Va. where Sara works as
an as an Associate Professor of Contract
and Fiscal Law.
In November 2016, Coach Audra Gentry
'06 led the Lady Sundevils to the 2016
4A Rudy's "Country Store" & Bar-B-Q
State Volleyball Championships with a
3-0 victory over Robertson High School.
This was Prep's third consecutive state
championship.
Corey Cooper ’07 was named to
Albuquerque Business First's "40 Under
Forty". Corey served
as the Deputy Chief
of Staff for the City
of Albuquerque
under Mayor Berry.
In May 2015, the ’07
Sundevil received a
MBA in the field of Study Management of
Technology from the University of New
Mexico’s Robert O. Anderson School of
Management.
We appreciate our ’07 class liaisons
JoAnna (Phillips) Nevada ’07
and Dani Castioni ’07
In May, Kelsey Benedick ’07 graduated
summa cum laude with a J.D. from
Lewis & Clark Law School. She passed
the Oregon bar exam in September.
Lauren Amagai '08
and her husband,
Kevin welcomed
daughter,
Isla Jean Amagai,
on March 30, 2017.
Lauren works at
Sandia National
Labs and has master’s and bachelor’s
degrees in English from the University
of New Mexico.
Young
alumni
committee
Become a Member.
Make a Difference.
We launched Sandia
Prep's "Young Alumni
Committee" in October
2016. Within a few
months, the group made
a noticeable difference in
the lives of both students
and alumni. The advisory
board does not have a
membership fee and is
made up of graduates
from 2001 to 2017.
The group’s main goal
is to further strengthen
the relationship between
young alumni and Sandia
Prep, while creating
networking opportunities
for our young professionals.
Sandia Prep’s Young
Alumni Committee
meets once a month
and encourages support
for the School through
social event coordination,
educational programs
and community service
projects. We appreciate
their time and expertise.
Thank you!
To learn more, please email
alumni@sandiaprep.org.
532 • Winter 2018 8
Alumni NOTES
continued
In April, Julia Fay Bernal '09
was featured in an Albuquerque
Journal article for her work with the
AmeriCorps' Native American Water
Corps program. Julia is working on a
Master of Water Resources degree at
the University of New Mexico. The ’09
Sundevil works with Earth Force, an
international non-profit, and volunteers
with the Pueblo Action Alliance.
’10s
In May, Jake Contos-Heidrich ’10,
Michael Hudock, Elise Peterson ’10, and
Caitie McGuire ’10 met for lunch at Café
Lush in Albuquerque.
In May, Michael Eaton '11 received
an MBA from the University of New
Mexico’s Anderson School of Business.
Michael works as a Financial Services
Professional at MassMutual Southwest.
In August, William
Verrillo ’11 began
a four-year program
at Creighton
University School
of Dentistry in
Omaha.
Emily Maxwell ’13 was accepted
to and will attend San Diego State
University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy
Program.
Sammy Navarro ’10 and RJ Ortiz ’11
welcomed daughter Aubriana Elena Ortiz.
She was born at 6:16 a.m. on December
8, 2016, was
20.5 inches,
and weighed
in at 7 pounds,
six ounces.
Sammy attends
the University
of New
Mexico’s nursing program, and RJ works
with Sandia National Laboratories.
In November 2016, Amanda Custer ’15
was nominated by the Department of
International Studies at Dickinson College
(Carlisle, PA) to represent Dickinson at
the 68th Annual Student Conference
on U.S. Affairs at the United States
Military Academy at West Point. This
conference tied into her internship at the
Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
Institute at the U.S. Army War College.
Amanda is pursuing a B.A. in International
Studies with a concentration in U.S.
National Security Policy.
In July, Samuel Albert ’14 and Gabi
Albert ’15 met up with former ’13-’14
Sandia Prep exchange student Alex Flok at
Cologne, Germany.
Sam Binkley '16 was named to the
Dean's List in the Ira A. Fulton School of
Engineering at Arizona State University for
the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters.
Sam is a Mechanical Engineering student
in the Barrett Honor College at ASU.
Kiersten Huitt ‘16 was named to Hendrix
College’s All Region Team for both indoor
and outdoor track
and field, All
Conference 2nd
team as a runner
up in the 100
meter hurdles, and
was chosen as a
Southern Athletic
Association all
academic honor roll student. Our ’16
grad spent her summer vacation in Fresno
interning with TFS Investments.
In Remembrance
Alex Askenazy '16
UPCOMING
SANDIA
PREP
EVENTS
Noche de Celebración
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Alumni Weekend 2018
July 13-15, 2018
FROM THE
Archive
All About "A"s
We talk about education at Sandia Prep using
words that begin with "A": academics, athletics,
arts, activities, and school atmosphere. Our
founders knew that when students engage
in efforts outside the classroom or of books,
their education comes to life, creating deeper
understanding.
2010
1980s
ATHLETICS • Our first
individual state championships
were in gymnastics. Freshman
Brenda Horn took 1st in State
Championship Floor Exercise in
1974, and Marion Bushnell won
1st in Balance Beam. Our no-cut
policy allows students to compete
in sports and win many state
championships.
ACADEMICS • Science classes
took to the field, where they could
launch class-made rockets or keep
a paper mâché ball in the air. Field
trips to the Ojito wilderness for
geology or to the (then) Holiday Inn
Pyramid Hotel to see the physics
of those open elevators, or simply
to the nearby gravel pits, all meant
engaging in hands-on learning.
1974
ATMOSPHERE • Studentdirected
community service has
led to important partnerships in
Albuquerque. The December trip
that middle schoolers make to the
Roadrunner Food Bank after the
semester ends is a School tradition
with important messages taught in
the spirit of giving back.
ACTIVITIES • Teachers follow their
passions in choosing what they offer for
activities twice per week. Students who
chose Ms. Karen Lyall’s African Dance
activity learned movements, music,
and dress. Guests from United World
College visited campus and reinforced
the students’ newly acquired skills.
ARTS • Rick Wilde was a music
teacher who encouraged his
students to perform for an audience,
not just to practice and play in class.
He was one of many music teachers
who brought students out of the
classroom or under an architectural
element for them to hear how space
affects sounds.
1990
2000
Susan Walton '72
Parent Relations, Archives, & Activities
Alumni
PROFILE
Katie Sharp '03
11 532 • Winter 2018
11 532 Fall 2017
Fruit flies have followed Katie Sharp for many years and
through many transitions. Not literally, perhaps. But the
tiny insects have been an important part of her life since
her days in Ernie Polansky’s Biology class at Sandia Prep.
Sharp, ’03, uses fruit flies in her work as a postdoctoral
researcher at the UC Berkeley Department of Molecular and
Cell Biology. With fruit flies as her model organism, Sharp
studies epithelial cell polarity and function.
"Tubes or sheets of epithelial cells make up many of our organs,
including kidneys, liver, lungs and intestines, to name a few,"
she explains. They are polarized with a distinct top and bottom
side, and this polarity is crucial to their proper function.
“For example, without it, your kidneys can’t filter blood,” Sharp
says. “Also, most human cancers come from epithelial cells
that have lost polarity and started growing out of control.”
Researchers don’t understand very well how this polarity is
established or maintained. Sharp hopes her research will
contribute to scientists’ understanding of how disrupted
polarity causes cancers and other diseases.
Fruit flies are Sharp’s organism of choice because “they’re small
and cheap, their genetics are easy to manipulate, and because
their cells and genes are very similar to our own,” she explains.
Sharp first worked with fruit flies during Polansky’s Biology II
class. “Mr. Polansky’s class was the first time I really understood
the idea that you can learn things by doing experiments,” she
says. “It opened my eyes to the idea of a career in research and
prompted me to seek out lab experience in college.”
The reward, however, “is when you get a great result or have a
flash of insight and you’re the first person in the world to know
a new piece of information. Then the fun begins because you
get to tell everyone about it by publishing papers and talking to
other scientists. That’s the part of my job I love the most.”
During college, Sharp worked in a research lab studying T-cell
activation. After graduation, she spent a year teaching English
to high school students in Lyon, France, “which was mostly just
an excuse to live abroad for a year,” she says.
She landed in Boston for her next job, as a research assistant at
Harvard Medical School. From there, Sharp headed to Stanford,
where she worked as a graduate student while earning her
PhD. During a 2005 summer study abroad program in France
run by the University of Rochester, she met her now-husband,
Toby Teel. They married in 2013.
Sharp, an Albuquerque native, attended Prep for grades 6-12
and describes herself as a “very diligent” student. Outdoor
Leadership Program camping trips are among this Lion’s
fondest memories. Sharp credits her science classes and
teachers at Prep, especially Polansky and former chemistry
teacher Leigh Thompson, with putting her on the path to a
research career. “Along the way, I’ve considered other options,
but you can really draw a pretty straight line from Mr. Polansky
and Ms. Thompson to my job now,” she says. Still, Prep’s
emphasis on learning to write well was perhaps the most
important preparation for college and career. “A career as an
academic scientist requires strong writing skills to win grants
and fellowships to fund your work as well as to get your work
published,” Sharp says. Sharp’s long-term goal is to become a
professor.
Sharp in the lab
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry, with
a minor in French, from the University of Rochester in 2007,
and a Ph.D. in Genetics from Stanford in 2016.
Sharp spends most of her time reading the scientific literature,
planning and executing experiments, and analyzing her data.
While she enjoys being responsible for planning her time,
deciding what work to do and following her interests, “It can
be hard because when you’re struggling, you have to keep
yourself motivated,” she says.
“Scientific research requires a lot of relentless determination,
resilience in the face of disappointing data, and optimism
that you’ll discover something eventually,” Sharp adds. “It’s
not uncommon to have months of disappointing or confusing
results.”
When she’s not studying her fruit flies, Sharp enjoys cooking
and baking. “I’m always trying to make ever more impressive
desserts. My husband always teases me because I remember
events in my life based on what I was eating at the time. I’ll
say, ‘Don’t you remember when so-and-so told us they were
engaged? We were eating that really good chocolate mousse.’ ”
She also loves spending time outside, especially biking, taking
Pilates classes, and exploring restaurants and cuisines. “My
husband and I are always on the hunt for the best ice cream,
the most creative brunch, and really excellent Vietnamese
food," she says.
Sharp’s advice to Prep students as they venture into the
world? Keep an open mind. “Just follow your interests in
college and don’t worry too much about what specific jobs
a particular major prepares you for,” she explains. “If you do
things you love and take advantage of interesting and exciting
opportunities as they present themselves, you’ll be okay. Use
your college summers wisely: study abroad, travel, do a cool
internship or research project. It’s those experiences that will
help you figure out what you want to do next.”
- Patricia Gabbett Snow
Alumni PROFILE
Student
PROFILE
Odyssey Scholars
Jake Blanchfield '19
Abby Crouch '19
Emma Mannal '19
Colin Miller '19
13 532 • Winter 2018
13 532 Fall 2017
Jake Blanchfield '19
Online Entrepreneurship Abby Crouch '19
Life Through the Eyes of Immigrants
"I have been a student at Sandia Prep since the eighth
grade. I decided to transfer from another independent
school in Albuquerque, and it was one of the best
decisions I’ve ever made. Since I started attending
Prep, I have enjoyed the vast variety of classes, and
am excited about what the future has to offer. After
learning that I had been accepted for the Odyssey
Program, I was thrilled to get started. In the Odyssey
Program, my ultimate goal is to learn all there is to
know about online business. I have created an online
e-commerce business, and every day I strive to better
my business and learn. During the remaining duration
of the Program, I hope to deepen my understanding
and gain a fresh outlook on business, spending
many hours getting hands-on experience, as well as
developing new ideas to offer to the global discussion."
"Hi, my name is Abby Crouch and the focus for my
two year Odyssey project is studying people who
have been marginalized in society. This includes
people who have faced prejudices and overcome
them. I’m doing this by interviewing those who fit my
topic and telling their stories through journalism. My
mission is to educate people on views, cultures, and
ideas that they may not relate to, yet hopefully learn
to be accepting and tolerant of."
Colin Miller '19
How the arts affect and serve those with autism
Emma Mannal '19
The Business of Fashion blogging
"Hi, I’m Emma Mannal. I am a junior at Sandia
Preparatory School and recently moved to Albuquerque,
New Mexico, from a quaint town on the coast of Cape
Cod, Massachusetts. For as long as I can remember,
I have always been interested in fashion and design.
At age eight, I created my first dress, with absolutely
no experience. With nothing more than a stapler,
some fabric scraps, and a vision, I designed my first
outfit. Since then, I have evolved tremendously as a
designer, and have decided to pursue my love of fashion
here at Prep. Over the next two years, I will have the
opportunity to learn about the business behind the
beautiful garments we see, on and off the runway. By
using social media and marketing to develop my own
personal brand, I hope to catch a glimpse at the inner
workings of the fashion industry."
"I am Colin Miller, and I am a junior at Sandia Prep. In a
phrase, I love to act. I feel absolutely free on the stage, and
it is the one place where I have not a care in the world. As
much as I love the theatre, academics come first. I am vastly
aware of the importance of research, turning in timely work,
and digging deeper to find as much information about a
subject as I can. I maintain at 3.85 GPA at Sandia Prep and
hope that will rise this spring. The Odyssey Scholars project
that I will be working on for the next two years is a two-man
stage play that I will write, direct, and perform, along with
my mentor and very good friend, Darryl Bryant, MFA. This
play will have a main focus on autism and how the arts affect
those with autism – especially the performing arts. I plan to
have the performance(s) at a small theatre in town, and all of
the proceeds will go to an autism center to continue assisting
those with autism and the families of those with autism. I am
so pleased to be working on this project because it has always
been my dream to write, direct, and star in a stage play. This
opportunity will assist me in gaining more responsibility as a
person, and I hope will continue to further my career as an
actor/director/writer. Thank you so much for supporting this
project, and I hope you will come see the finished product."
Student PROFILE
Faculty
PROFILE
Helen Haskell
Haskell "takes the wheel"
during her stay aboard the
NOAA ship, Fairweather.
15 532 • Winter 2018
From self-proclaimed “desert dwelling ocean rookie”
to Teacher at Sea alumna in Southeast Alaska, Sandia
Prep science instructor Helen Haskell experienced a
profound transformation last summer that she’ll be sharing
with her land-locked students.
Haskell, who teaches 6th Grade General Science and 9th
Grade Geology and is a faculty member of Prep’s Outdoor
Leadership Program, spent June 2017 aboard the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship
Fairweather, learning about hydrography. This science uses
sonar to examine the ocean and marine floors. Data is used
to make nautical charts but also to learn more about plate
tectonics, effects of natural disasters, and coastline changes.
As a Teacher at Sea, Haskell was exposed to lots of different
jobs on the ship, done by a “cast of characters” from different
backgrounds and areas around the nation. One task was
“bottom sampling,” or collecting seafloor mud to determine
good locations for vessels to anchor.
students to figure out neutral buoyancy with a glass vial – for it
to not sink or float – as part of their quest to learn more about
density, buoyancy, and how boats stay afloat.
This year, she will integrate her seafaring experience with
lessons on sonar, bottom sampling, mapping, and bathymetry
(the study of water depth), as well as NOAA and career
paths. Students will communicate with and interview the
Fairweather’s scientists and staff.
Haskell’s most important take-away from the Teacher at Sea
experience? “Perhaps that there is so much to learn about our
planet,” she says. “It’s a huge endeavor to collect valid data
and to use it in meaningful ways.”
Haskell was born in Mansfield, England, near Sherwood
Forest. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Applied Community
Studies at Manchester Polytechnic in England, then a master’s
in education from the University of New Mexico.
She first came to Prep in 1996 when she worked for a
non-profit organization that used non-releasable raptors in
classroom presentations. “Dave Darling and Dibby Olson
housed the birds, and I would come to Prep several times a
week to pick the birds up from the front office,” Haskell says.
She began teaching at Prep in 2004.
Haskell says the relationships Prep teachers forge with their
students inspire her.
Haskell and her students show off their science project.
"We were out in pretty wet, windy conditions on a small boat,”
Haskell recalls. “By the end, it was hard to stand up on the
boat, we were soaking wet, but had so much fun.”
The Fairweather crew also was tasked with surveying a mud
volcano in the Gulf of Alaska. “Finding a mud volcano and
a big fault was pretty great,” she says. “We picked up the
methane plume on the sonar coming from the mud volcano.”
Though New Mexico is hundreds of miles from any coastline,
Haskell says she is slowly incorporating more oceanography
into her desert classroom. “The geologic connection is in fact
an easy one to make,” she explains.
For one thing, New Mexico hosted inland seas millions of
years ago, so Prep students who visit the top of the Sandia
Mountains can find brachiopods and crinoids, fossils, and
remnants of the ocean. But unless they apply that knowledge
to learn how oceans function, “we are unable to understand
how Earth fully works and how our daily actions and choices
have global impacts,” Haskell says. “The challenge for me
as a teacher is connecting my students to this modern day
ecosystem so many miles away, one that many of them have
not seen, or at least have not spent time with.”
As soon as she learned last spring that she would be part of the
NOAA Teacher at Sea program, Haskell challenged her
“Sometimes the small, but specific
conversation or opportunity or connection…
is one of the pivots that propels a student
in a direction that they might not have
gone if that small conversation had not
happened and had the teacher not known
the student quite as well.”
The connection with students’ families - especially through
the Prep's Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP) - distinguishes
Prep. “It hits me every time we do a trip,” she says. “We
share an experience, sometimes one with challenging weather
conditions, and the parents watch their CAs (Camping
Associates) and middle school students step up and meet
the challenge. They support the OLP staff in making sure the
group is safe, and we eat, hike, laugh, and clean up together
as a community.” Haskell is married to Morris Albert and has
two stepchildren: Samuel Albert ’14 and Gabi Albert ’15. They
have an 18-year-old cat named Harry.
When she’s not teaching, Haskell enjoys hiking and camping
as well as experimenting with art. “The latest is silk painting,
thanks to (Prep art teacher) Lynn McColl,” she says. “I love to
travel and see new places and what’s around the next corner.”
- Patricia Gabbett Snow
Faculty PROFILE
ENGINEERING
INNOVATE
PREP
Sandia Prep's Engineering & Coding
classes begin in the 8th grade and
continue through senior year. Students
build on a foundation of engineering
concepts and basic coding taught in 8th
grade and progress to Mechatronics and
longer, more complex strings of code.
As an Independent Curriculum
Group founder, Prep prides itself
on remaining at the forefront of
education. In keeping with that
tradition of innovation, Sandia
Prep is excited about the latest
programs and ever-evolving
opportunities for our students.
17 532 • Winter 2018
SPACE
The Sandia Prep Autonomous
Creative Environment (SPACE)
is a community-oriented
makerspace where science,
engineering, technical, and
visual art enthusiasts meet
regularly to share, explore,
innovate, and collaborate using
textiles, electronic hardware,
manufacturing tools, and
programming techniques.
Distinguished Scholars are students who
have chosen to take additional classes
during their time at Sandia Prep while
maintaining a 3.5 GPA. These students
graduate with 28+ credits. While some
may focus specifically in a given area
(math, science, arts, etc.) others may
have branched out and accumulated the
credits in a variety of areas.
DISTINGUISHED
SCHOLARS
PROGRAM
ODYSSEY
SCHOLARS
PROGRAM
This program sparks the creative
passion and critical thinking that
lies within our students. Juniors
and seniors challenge themselves
academically, intellectually, and
creatively by designing a two-year
course of study that culminates in a
major public presentation.
This program combines the
elements of Independent Study,
Senior Experience, and research
(capstone) projects.
HERITAGE
LANGUAGE
PROGRAM
Sixth and seventh grade students with a
strong proficiency in Spanish explore language
instruction through advanced reading,
conversation, essays, and presentations.
Discussed themes include Latina women in
history and the idea of the hero.
JOSH HARLING '18
ANTONIA PATTICHIS '23
SAM MCGINNIS '18 NATALIE PEAVY '18
RYAN HUGHES '21
SHAMUS O'LEARY '19
prepSTUDIO
photography
DEREK BENAVIDEZ '18 ARIANNA ARAGON '18 DEREK BENAVIDEZ '18
We asked...
What is
one of your
favorite
Sandia Prep
classes?
19 532 • Winter 2018
History Moorea Medina '23
Art Tatiana Dalton '23
Theater Samia Dominguez '23
Science Jolie McGinnis '20
Journalism Cristian Rojo '20
SPS BRIEFS
Our Mini Cooper
Raffle was a
tremendous success
with proceeds
benefiting Sandia
Prep's Annual Fund.
Our very own Strings
Director, Erin Rolan,
was the lucky winner!
In August, our
Canadian Head of
School, Bill Sinfield,
officially became
a U.S. citizen. The
School gifted him
with a very patriotic
hat and tie.
In April, English
teacher Ms. Molly
Rennie traveled to
Morocco as part
of her Teachers for
Global Classrooms
program trip.
Sandia Prep was
recently named a top
private high school
in New Mexico and
earned an A+ rating.
Gorgeous silk
paintings from Prep
seniors were featured
in the Biannual
Albuquerque Fiber
Arts Fiesta.
In May, our mid-school
thespians took on the
play Little Women.
The story follows the
adventures of four very
different sisters during
and after the Civil War.
Students from all
over Albuquerque
joined us for
SummerPrep 2017,
which featured new
class offerings like
Super Hero Science,
Ultimate Frisbee,
and Star Wars
Jedi Training 2.
The School was more
than ready for the Great
American Solar Eclipse
in August. Hundreds of
solar glasses and half a
dozen telescopes were
available for students,
teachers, and staff
to witness the
astronomical event.
During the summer,
a few of our Outdoor
Leadership Program
Camping Associates
(along with OLP
Director, Mr. Larry
Hanley) embarked on a
camping adventure that
took them through seven
states in two weeks.
One of Prep’s
chemistry labs got a
major facelift during
the summer. It now
takes up two classroom
spaces; one area for
lectures and another
area for lab work.
SMART GIVING
21 532 • Winter 2018
Outdoor Leadership Program Yurt Endowment
Larry Hanley organized the first trip for Sandia Prep’s Outdoor
Leadership Program (OLP) to Stone Lodge located between
Heron and El Vado Lakes in Northern New Mexico southwest
of Chama in January 1994. Doctors Marilyn and Paul Duncan
of Albuquerque joined their daughter Lisa ‘98 during her
freshman year in January 1995 to Stone Lodge. “As I remember
we had lots of snow in the Chama area that year and from
Stone Lodge the group spent two days cross country skiing
around the summit of Cumbres Pass,” explains Paul. “I learned
that there were four yurts at the time in the Cumbres Pass area
owned and rented out by Southwest Nordic Center in Taos and
by 1998, I organized the first yurt trip to Trujillo Meadows with
Tom and Kurt VerEecke, Kate Clark, Jen Swearingen (a former
French teacher at Sandia Prep), my son Patrick ‘01 and me,”
Paul recalls.
A skier since the age of five, Paul still enjoys getting out in the
snow in the mountains. “Cumbres Pass in January is a winter
wonderland that most New Mexicans never experience,” he
says. “I enjoy seeing the students’ enthusiasm when they
have been able to cross country ski into a yurt. Getting to
any of the yurts requires a lot of stamina particularly with the
packs many of them carry. Over the years, Larry Hanley has
acquired very good cross country skis and boots. It is really a
unique experience and I know many of the OLP graduates have
continued to expand their skiing skills,” Paul maintains.
Paul established an IRA when he was on the Sandia Prep Board
of Trustees for which Sandia Prep was named the beneficiary.
“Marilyn and I decided in the past year that we wanted that
money to start benefiting the OLP to ensure that the yurt trip
would have permanent financial support,” he explains. “The
students over many years have sent us special notes with “Yurt
Art Sketches,” and it is apparent that this is a trip which has
resonated with each class. We knew it should continue,” he
says. Paul reflects, “Over the past twenty years (this year was the
20th year since that great first trip to Trujillo Meadows yurt) so
much has changed in the Outdoor Leadership Program. Most
importantly the OLP faculty have all become very familiar
with the now five yurts - Trujillo Meadows, Flat Mountain, Neff
Mountain, Grouse Mountain, and Spruce. OLP faculty Larry
Hanley, Kate Clarke (former Prep librarian), Paul Ryder, Sarah
Wilson, and Helen Haskell are all very capable skiers and have
been the backbone of the program.”
The Duncans contributed $15,000 to help establish the OLP Yurt
Endowment. Nearly 50 Prep community members heard the call
and donated an additional $10,000. This is a great testament to
the popularity of the Yurt Program and to the generosity of our
community. Thank you, Paul and Marilyn, and thanks to all who
help create this endowment to ensure that the Yurt Program will
happen for many, many years to come.
- Julie Cook
Director of Development
b
o
a
t
r
r
u
d
s
o
t
f
e
e
s
Elizabeth Kirschner, Chair
Todd Sandoval '91, Vice Chair
Vahid Staples '91, Treasurer
Patrick Westerfield, Secretary
Patrick D. Allen, At-Large
Doug Clark
Shari Cordova
Susan Przekurat Epstein '91
Pete Henderson
Linda Kier
Jeff Lawrence
Jerry M. Lovato
April Camilli Marker '93
Raymond Nelson
Parents Association President
Al Park '88
Brandon Saylor '03
Alumni Association President
Dominic Serna '01
Ed Street
532 • Winter 2018 22
ENDOWMENT
SPOTLIGHT
In appreciation of the education their three
children received at Sandia Prep, not to mention
the countless memories made through sports,
community service, and life at the school, Len
and Liz Trainor made an unrestricted gift of
$100,000 to the 2016-2017 Annual Fund, giving
the school the greatest amount of flexibility to
use their gift.
We are truly grateful.
The Trainor family were involved in just about
every aspect of Sandia Prep over the 11 years
they were parents at the school. Len is a past
chair of the Board and member of numerous
board committees. Liz also served on the Board
of Trustees and most recently chaired the
Development Committee. Len and Liz were
fixtures on the sidelines of countless soccer and
basketball games, and a constant presence at
the girls' tennis matches.
Len and Liz have four grown children, three
of whom are Sandia Prep alumni. Ben '13
is a graduate of West Virginia University,
Samantha '16 a sophomore at the University of
Alabama, and Madison '17 attends Flordia State
University. Len and Liz were recently named
Honorary Trustees of Sandia Prep.
The Odyssey Scholars Program Endowment was established in
Fall 2016 by Sandia Prep grandparents Dr. Stuart D. and Jane
V. Wilson of Farmington, NM to support Sandia Prep students’
passion for a particular field or interest by connecting them
to experts around the globe. Through this program, selected
students focus on an academic passion during their junior
and senior years requiring rigorous levels of reading, writing,
studying, and research. This endowed fund pays for travel
expenses, program activities, and other fees associated with the
student experience.
“The Odyssey Program appeals to me as well as my husband
because it is an ‘out of the box’ endeavor that promises personal
growth,” explains Jane. “Certain students think about dreams and
goals that are theirs alone, not presented in the classroom. The
Odyssey Program allows them to go down these special paths
and investigate what they discover. Sometimes projects like this
can even turn into a lifelong quest or career for these students.
We want to give them that opportunity.”
The idea of endowing the program holds particular appeal for
the Wilsons. They believe “an endowment allows us to build on
it annually.” Furthermore, “it has an outcome that our family can
be proud of. We always like to know where our money is going,
and the Odyssey Program is specific toward that end.”
Philanthropy is a Wilson family value. “We believe strongly in
helping. Our family has been profoundly blessed, and it is our
wish to pass some of that along to individuals who are trying
to find their own handhold to lift themselves up,” Jane reasons.
“We consider Sandia Prep to be one our big blessings. With total
confidence we watch our granddaughters walk through its doors.
We feel assured that the outcome to their time spent there will
make a difference for the rest of their lives.”
The Wilsons established the Odyssey Scholars Program
Endowment with an initial gift of $30,000.
If you are interested in learning about the
Odyssey Scholars Program,
visit sandiaprep.org/academics.
23 532 • Winter 2018
Sundevil SPORTS
2017
SUNDEVIL HALL
OF FAME INDUCTEES
CINDY CELNIK ’89
TOMMY EBEL ’89
JOHNNY GRAY ’81
KERIN JONES ’81
AUDRA McCAMMON ’90
LARA MOCK ’93
STACIE McLAIN ’90
DANA MOZER ’84
BRUCE RAE ’94
CONGRATULATIONS!
New Athletic Director
WILLIE OWENS
COACH JUAN RAMOS
ARTURO SANCHEZ ’91
DAVID SHASKEY ’79
VANESSA VENARDOS ’92
TRAE WOOD ’84
1985 BOYS VARSITY SOCCER TEAM
532 • Winter 2018 24
Congrats
Class of 2017
25 532 • Fall 2017
SAVE THE DATE
Cultivating
Cultivating
INNOVATION
NOCHE DE CELEBRACIÓN
Saturday, April 28, 2018 • Hotel Albuquerque
Tickets on sale now at sandiaprep.org/Noche
S A N D I A
A L U M N
P R E P
SAVE THE DATE
JULY 13 - 15
SANDIA PREP
I
W E E K E N D
2 18
Sundevil Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony
Pete MacFarlane 5K
Alumni Family Picnic
Happy Hour
And more!
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