2021-22 RD Connects Magazine-Belonging at Redwood Day

JUNE 2022 

RD CONNECTS 

Belonging at Redwood Day 

Spotlight 

on DEI 

page 10 

Grandfriend 

Notes 

page 16 

Our 

Alumni 

Where are 

they now? 

page 30

CONTENTS 

3 

5 

6 

7 

Our Mission 

Statement 

Welcome 

Letter 

From Head 

of School 

Board Roster 

2020–2021 

Letter From 

Board Chair 

8 

9 

10 

14 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Derek Clark 

Letter From 

PGA President 

PGA Board 

Officers 

Spotlight on 

Diversity, Equity, & 

Inclusion 

Spotlight on 

Terry & Don Sarver 

CREATIVE DIRECTION 

& GRAPHIC DESIGN 

Stacie Clark Design 

stacieclark.com 

EDITOR 

Jennifer Jordan 

16 

26 

28 

29 

PRINTING 

Essence Printing 

Grandfriend 

Notes 

Program 

Highlights 

High School 

Matriculation 

College 

Matriculation 

© 2022 Redwood Day 

All Rights Reserved 

30 

33 

34 

36 

VISIT US ONLINE 

Get the latest info 

and read more 

about our mission 

at rdschool.org. 

Alumni 

Profiles 

Legacy 

Giving 

Annual 

Report 

Donor 

Honor Roll 

@redwoodday 

2 | REDWOOD DAY

Grow Into Great 

OUR MISSION 

Redwood Day inspires students to reach for their next 

challenge, embrace differences, and develop the intellectual 

and emotional courage to be ready for anything. 

RD CONNECTS | 3

4 | REDWOOD DAY 

JOHN 

HEAD OF SCHOOL

We are not a community that accepts the 

status quo. Rather, we continually strive 

to be at the cutting edge. 

“For children, a sense of community begins with themselves. In order to understand what it means to 

be part of a community, they need to be comfortable in their own skin, they need to know themselves 

as an individual, and they need to understand what makes them unique. With this strong foundation 

in their own identity, they then grow to respect the individuality of others and appreciate how each 

of us comes together to create a whole community. From here, they are poised to understand the 

positive impact they can make individually, and as part of a community, in a more global way. In 

essence, they are ready to turn their attention to how they and other community members—children 

and adults alike—can leave the world a better place than they found it. Ultimately, this is THE most 

important outcome of a Redwood Day education. Our focus on strong academics, social and 

emotional well-being, and a diverse, inclusive community all funnel into preparing our students to 

create a better tomorrow. 

There is so much happening at our school focused on identity, community, and belonging. These 

three pillars are essential to inspire the intellectual and emotional courage our mission promises for 

every child. This magazine is filled with stories that will engage your heart and your mind while giving 

you insight into the great work our community does to bring our mission to life every day. While so 

much critical work is happening now, we must also be focused on the School’s future. We are not 

a community that accepts the status quo. Rather, we continually strive to be at the cutting edge. 

At this time, I’m excited to be collaborating with the Strategic Planning and the Diversity, Equity, 

Inclusion, and Belonging Committees of the Board of Trustees. We are working together to distill all 

the feedback we received from the community this past fall as we chart a course for Redwood Day’s 

future that at once expands access to programming for our current community and builds stronger 

connections to a community and city we all love—Oakland. 

Redwood Day’s mission ends with a simple, yet very powerful phrase: “be ready for anything.” Now, 

more than ever before in our history, we are all charged with preparing our children for a future in 

a world that is dynamic, unpredictable, and filled with challenges. At the same time, it is a world 

that is filled with inspiration and hope—hope that resides in the next generation, our children. As 

a community, we work together now during the most formative years of their education to create 

the experiences our children need to prepare them for this tall order. We do this knowing that, one 

day, they will bring their individuality and unique selves to a global community that will face these 

challenges head-on, and undoubtedly leave the world a better place than they found it for their 

children and future generations. 

As you engage with the pages of this third edition of RD Connects, I encourage you to see and reflect 

on the themes of identity, belonging, and community woven throughout. I also encourage you to 

think of ways that you, individually and in partnership with your communities, can leave this world a 

better place than you found it for your children—all of our children. Enjoy! 

All my best, 

John Loeser

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

“ 2021–22 

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS/COMMITTEE CHAIRS 

Louise Bedsworth, Chair 

Isavane Samanna, Vice Chair 

Mar Brandt, Advancement Chair 

Renuka Kher, Diversity Committee Chair 

Charlie Soulis, Finance Committee Chair 

Jordan Karp, Secretary 

Christine Chen, Strategic Planning Committee Chair 

Brandi Catanese, Trustees Committee Chair 

TRUSTEES 

Cathy Hunter 

Benjamin Jones 

John Kinnaman 

Leah McGowan-Hare 

Charmin Roundtree-Baaqee 

Mark Sopp 

Elyse Whitehead 

Chris Wolfe 

FACULTY TRUSTEES 

Rhonda Smith 

Kayla Stoler 

EX OFFICIO 

John Loeser, Head of School 

Deann Hays, CFO/COO 

Hena Borneo, PGA Co-President 

Dalbir Singh, PGA Co-President 

...we have continued to navigate the twists 

and turns... displaying the resilience and 

grace our community embodies 

6 | REDWOOD DAY

I often describe Redwood Day as a big hug. The campus physically wraps 

around our students, providing spaces for learning, play, creativity, and 

socializing. It feels welcoming, exciting, and warm. To me, this analogy 

extends beyond our physical space. Our teachers and staff engage 

our students’ curiosities, passions, and interests. They encourage our 

students, gently correct them when needed, and foster a love of learning. 

Affinity groups welcome students and families in dialogue around 

challenging topics in a space of shared experience. We support each 

other in times of need, offer thanks and appreciation for a job well done, 

or provide a little boost just because. 

LOUISE 

BOARD CHAIR 

I am honored to serve as a trustee alongside a dedicated group of 

parents, teachers, staff, and friends of the school. This year, we have 

continued to navigate the twists and turns of the pandemic, displaying 

the resilience and grace our community embodies. At the same time, we 

have made strategic decisions to ensure that Redwood Day remains on 

solid financial footing, maintains its strong academics and programming, 

and provides an accessible and welcoming environment for all students, 

families, faculty, and staff. 

This year, we took several important steps to advance the School’s 

mission and goals and ensure we can stay true to them in the future: 

• The Board continues to strive to make a Redwood Day education accessible to as many students 

as possible. With this goal in mind, and with an eye toward alleviating potential barriers to attendance, 

we extended tuition assistance to after-school care. 

• This year’s budget reflects our commitment to our key assets: our people and our facilities. Guided 

by the latest benchmarking data, we allocated resources to ensure that faculty and staff compensation 

remains competitive with our peer institutions. We also established a capital reserve account that will 

fund ongoing maintenance and investment in the School’s facilities and provide a buffer against 

unforeseen expenses. 

• After pandemic-related delays, we were pleased to finally host an accreditation committee of leaders 

from independent schools across California. The visit confirmed that Redwood Day’s teaching, curriculum, 

and programming epitomize the highest standards and best practices in our field. The visit also provided 

an important opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments and look ahead to new areas of growth. 

• We launched a strategic planning process this year, gathering input and ideas for expanding access 

at Redwood Day, examining the experience of our students, and evaluating interactions with our 

community. The development and implementation of this plan represent an exciting new phase in 

Redwood Day’s growth. 

Redwood Day is poised to achieve the goals and aspirations ahead of us. The School continues to attract 

interest from families around the East Bay. We remain committed to ensuring that our school is a place 

where all students, faculty, staff, and families feel welcome, included, and involved. Redwood Day’s strength 

is a direct result of the generosity of our community. Thank you for giving your time, resources, and wisdom 

to our school. We look forward to increased opportunities to welcome families and friends in person to our 

campus and in our shared spaces. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I wish you and your families health and 

happiness as we work together to Grow into Great. 

All the best, 

Louise Bedsworth 


PARENT GUARDIAN 

ASSOCIATION 

HENA 

PGA CO-PRESIDENT 

This has been a year of ongoing change, requiring constant flexibility 

but also inviting cautious optimism as we find ways to reconnect in our 

gradually reopening world. While this past year continued to present 

challenges and innumerable changes in our lives, we also found ways to 

adapt and thrive as a community. 

DALBIR 

PGA CO-PRESIDENT 

This year, we welcomed the in-person return of the beloved Fall Festival 

and the Book Fair on campus, more family and friend gatherings, and 

opportunities for parents and guardians to volunteer and attend some 

campus events. Parents and guardians were able to gather again in 

the back parking lot for Friday Coffee. These events marked the first 

opportunity for many to meet fellow parents and guardians in person 

and served as a chance for others to reconnect after a long time apart. 

Some events remained virtual this year, including the Redwood Day at 

the Met Gala, a fun and incredibly successful online auction party hosted 

by several of our very own talented parents/guardians. As in prior years, 

the caring and giving spirit of our school community extended beyond 

our campus to the greater Oakland community. Our PGA Community 

Committee’s Back-to-School Backpack Drive provided 100 backpacks 

filled with school supplies to the children of Fruitvale Elementary School, 

as well as additional supplies for Manzanita SEED. We also continued our 

auction fundraising support for the Oakland Public Education Fund. 

8 | REDWOOD DAY

“ 

The time we have spent isolated...has 

pushed us to examine...how important it is 

for us all to find a sense of belonging. 

Irene Lee 

VICE PRESIDENT 

Ayanna Brown 

COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY 

Karine Sully 

MIDDLE SCHOOL COORDINATOR 

Scott Skiljan 

LOWER SCHOOL COORDINATOR 

Ahnika Johnson 

K–2 REPRESENTATIVE 

Diana Macadam 

3–5 REPRESENTATIVE 

Zach Larson 

MIDDLE SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVE 

Matt Webster 

FINANCIAL COORDINATOR 

Megan Larson 

PRESIDENT EMERITUS 

The time we have each spent separated and isolated from so many of our community connections has 

pushed us to examine what it is that we value from community and how important it is for us all to find 

a sense of belonging. This community we share that exists in the service of our children’s learning and 

growth is made stronger and better when we as parents and guardians feel connected to it and to each 

other. The community connections we cultivated despite our separation over the past two years have 

allowed us to continue to do great things for our school and our larger community. As we look ahead to 

the next twelve months and the increased opportunities we will enjoy to gather together and foster this 

important sense of belonging and connectedness, we are excited for the future. 

With gratitude, 

Hena Borneo & Dalbir Singh 


SPOTLIGHT 

ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, 

AND INCLUSION 

MEREDITH 

DIRECTOR OF DEI 

Redwood Day has always had a strong commitment to 

diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Our 

school is located in one of the most diverse cities in the 

nation, and we take very seriously our responsibility to 

ensure that our students, faculty, staff, and families are 

all supported in their journeys to understand what it 

means to be part of a diverse and inclusive community, 

and how our individual privilege can be used to amplify 

the voices of people who have been historically 

excluded or underrepresented. 

10 | REDWOOD DAY

At Redwood Day, we have always 

strived to acknowledge, support and 

“honor every child’s identity 

At Redwood Day, our faculty and staff are deeply 

dedicated to DEIB. We understand and respect 

that people are in different places in their own 

journeys, and we work to provide opportunities 

for community members to grow personally 

and professionally while we move the needle 

on important DEIB initiatives for the School as 

a whole. Importantly, we recognize that many 

teacher preparation programs do not provide 

specific training on how to have courageous 

conversations with students about identity and 

intersectionality. To support our faculty and staff, 

we provide ongoing professional development 

focused on antiracist and culturally responsive 

practices, identity, and intersectionality. Ensuring 

that everyone at Redwood Day is continually 

progressing in this work, individually and 

institutionally, is a top priority. 

Additionally, our faculty regularly engage in 

curriculum audits using a rubric that includes a 

culturally responsive lens. Faculty employ a list 

of culturally responsive questions to help guide 

the creation of lesson plans. Furthermore, the 

Library is currently auditing all of the picture 

books to ensure that our collection highlights a 

range of cultural identities and offers windows 

and mirrors for all community members. 

Two data-driven tools, an Inclusion Dashboard 

and a demographic survey, have been 

instrumental in helping us identify ways we can 

improve our inclusivity efforts. Through careful 

analysis of surveys as well as through anecdotal 

information provided by parents/guardians, 

students, and faculty/staff, we are able to better 

assess the effectiveness of our initiatives. 

Our DEIB Committee of the Board of Trustees 

has been working closely with me to develop an 

Inclusion Dashboard that highlights measurable 

data about various elements of student life at 

Redwood Day. The dashboard features data 

about the Redwood Day experience—including 

information about admissions, tuition assistance, 

standardized tests, high school placement, 

and student disciplinary actions—that can be 

analyzed based on demographic data. 

In 2017, we completed the NAIS Assessment for Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM). This in-depth 

examination informed the creation of the following goals in Our Next Reach, the School’s five-year 

strategic plan for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion from 2017 through 2022: 

• Embed cultural competency, social justice, inclusivity, and equity throughout our program. 

• Attract and retain diverse, mission-match students and families. 

• Attract, develop, and retain a diverse, highly qualified, and culturally competent faculty, 

administration, and staff. 

• Maintain socio-economic diversity as a top priority. 

Our AIM findings also led to my appointment as the inaugural Director of Equity and Inclusion to 

lead this work with support from an Equity Team, which includes the Head of School, the Diversity, 

Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee of the Board of Trustees, the Parent Guardian 

Association’s (PGA) Prism Committee, and faculty/staff. 


At Redwood Day, we have always strived to 

acknowledge, support and honor every child’s 

identity. In order for us to achieve this goal, we need 

to know their identities and firmly believe the most 

accurate information should come from students and 

their families. In 2020, we began asking families to 

share their cultural identifiers via an annual survey. 

We had a 90% participation rate that year, followed 

by a 95% participation rate in 2021. We collect 

demographic data for several reasons, including: 

• To measure outcomes and experiences. This data 

provides actionable insights that help us ensure 

equity for students and families. 

• To better understand our School community. 

Partnering with the California Association of 

Independent Schools (CAIS) and the National 

Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), we 

analyze our data in comparison to demographic 

trends in independent schools across the country 

to help us identify areas for improvement. 

Working to increase gender inclusivity is another 

important area of focus at Redwood Day. We 

have partnered with Gender Spectrum to provide 

professional development for all employees 

and to provide parent/guardian education 

opportunities. In recent years, we have taken the 

following steps toward creating a more genderinclusive 

environment for everyone: 

1 

2 

3 

Using gender-neutral terms 

to address a group 

Including pronouns during 

introductions and in email 

signatures 

Creating intentional 

gender-neutral bathrooms 

• To share with prospective families and employees. 

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are 

among the top reasons families and employees 

choose to become part of the Redwood 

Day community. 

• To guide us in offering affinity groups. 

4 

Implementing an active 

student-led Gender and 

Sexual Diversity Alliance 

(GSA) 

12 | REDWOOD DAY

Unique to Redwood Day are K–8 equity and inclusion 

groups, which meet for 8–10 sessions during the 

school year to explore identity and work together to 

make the world a more just and inclusive place for 

everyone. Since 2010, we’ve offered affinity groups for 

faculty/staff and students to discuss what it’s like to 

hold their respective identities at Redwood Day. These 

groups provide support, connection, and affirmation 

to people whose identities may differ from dominant 

(e.g., white, cisgender, heterosexual) culture. In 2017, 

we piloted our first affinity group for Black/African 

American/Caribbean Heritage Parents/Guardians. 

Since then, parent/guardian affinity groups have 

expanded to include: 

• Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American 

(APIDA) Heritage 

• Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) 

• LGBTQIA+ 

• Latinx/Hispanic Heritage 

• Neurodiversity 

• Single/Solo Parents/Guardians 

Affinity groups are supported by the School in 

partnership with the PGA’s Prism Committee. Prepandemic, 

groups met quarterly to build community 

through Friday Coffees, casual get-togethers, and 

special events like the Black and Latinx Heritage 

Breakfasts, and Fall, Spring, and Summer Socials. 

Many groups continued to meet via Zoom throughout 

the pandemic or gathered outdoors for family 

playdates. Others hosted virtual cooking classes and 

Paint and Sip events. We are thrilled to host affinity 

groups in person again this spring. 

DEIB work is an ongoing individual and institutional 

journey. We have many structures already in place 

to help us elevate this critical work and continue 

to advance our initiatives. We also want to be sure 

that we are continuing to envision the future while 

providing the resources and time to examine and 

address issues of equity in our school. DEIB will be 

integrated fully into our next strategic plan and we 

are excited about the initiatives that will guide us into 

the future! 

Warmly, 

Meredith Spencer 

• White Antiracist Parents/Guardians (WARG) 


SPOTLIGHT 

ON TERRY DON SARVER 

& 

Our family has been associated with Redwood Day since the School moved 

from Alameda to its present location in the fall of 1994, when our youngest 

daughter, Morgan, joined as a 6th grader. We moved her to Redwood Day 

because we recognized the nurturing attitude of the teachers and staff and 

their amazing ability to teach to different types of learners, an aspect of 

education that we found missing in other schools. We have seen that same 

philosophy blossom and grow at Redwood Day throughout the years. 

Redwood Day fit Morgan’s personality; she loved the socioeconomic and 

racial diversity of the student body, the interactive pedagogy, and the value 

placed on interpersonal skills. She felt as though she could relax and be 

herself, and she adored the teachers. As parents, we loved the School’s focus 

on the whole child, the respect shown to students, the academic rigor, and the 

emphasis on critical, free thinking. 

We encouraged our family to consider Redwood Day for our grandchildren, 

but of course, the choice was ultimately up to them. Today, four of our 

granddaughters happily attend Redwood Day—Maia (6th grade), Sydney (5th 

grade), Eva (3rd grade), and Aubrey (Kindergarten). While they are all very 

different children, this wonderful school continues to meet their individual 

academic and social needs; they are all flourishing! We have watched with 

admiration as the innovation and variety of programs offered to students 

grow in sophistication every year. 

CHILDREN 

• Morgan Sarver 

Benedikter 

• Matthew Rittenberg 

• Amy Sarver Engler 

• Alisa Sarver Latvala 

GRANDCHILDREN 

• Ulysses (Age 2) 

• Sebastian (Preschool) 

• Armand (K) 

• Aubrey (K)* 

• Eva (3rd)* 

• Sydney (5th)* 

• Maia (6th)* 

• Brianna (Age 13) 

* Redwood Day students 

For us, the most outstanding overall aspect of the School is its sense of 

community. Over the years, we have enjoyed attending a range of school 

events, from Science Fairs and school talent shows to Generations Day and 

the Book Fair. Every member of the community—from teachers, students, 

and staff to parents and extended family members—greets and welcomes 

each other in a way that we have never seen before. The feeling of inclusion is 

palpable and truly felt by everyone. The Redwood Day community is a living 

entity; it remains strong and unique. 

We have been engaged with the School from the moment our daughter 

attended. Terry served on the Board of Trustees for five years, including two 

years of service that extended beyond Morgan’s graduation. We want to show 

our ongoing support for our children and grandchildren’s choice of Redwood 

Day. We are proud to support the School annually in order to ensure that 

Redwood Day can continue to meet the needs of every student, today and in 

the future. 

Sincerely, 

Terry & Don Sarver 

14 | REDWOOD DAY

Terry and Don Sarver met when they were 9 years old; they both grew up in the East Bay. Like his 

father before him, Don was an Optometrist and owner of Rockridge Optometry as well as a professor 

at UC Berkeley. Terry is an artist and former owner of Scott Valley Bank. 

Jeremy & Amy Engler 

Children (left to right): 

Maia, Aubrey 

Stefano Benedikter & Morgan 

Sarver Benedikter 

Children (left to right): Armand, 

Sebastian, Ulysses 

Rich Latvala & Alisa Sarver Latvala 

Children (left to right): Sydney, Eva 

Matthew Rittenberg 

Child: Brianna 


Welcome to our Grandfriends Notes section. In keeping with the Redwood 

Day spirit of honorings and appreciation, this new Redwood Day tradition 

gives grandparents, extended family members, and special friends, whom we 

lovingly call "Grandfriends", an opportunity to write a personal note to their 

grandchild(ren) or special Redwood Day student(s). 

GRANDFRIEND 

CECILE ABOLA 

Ceci, you are very special to us in more ways 

than one. You are gifted not only in academics 

but you are wise beyond your years. Your smile, 

your determination and your goodness are a 

source of constant joy to us. 

– Lolo and Lola – 

OLIVER ABOLA 

We are so proud of your personal and 

academic achievement. Your curiosity about 

and your pursuit of Physics and Math subjects 

is truly mind-blowing to us. 

– Lolo and Lola – 

BRADEN BEERLINE 

Braden, we love you and miss you. Hope to 

see you in Texas soon! 

– Grandpa and Grandma – 

SLOANE ALLEN 

Sloane, Grandma and Gramps are so proud of you and 

the wonderful person you're becoming. Love You! 

– Grandma and Grandpa Walker – 

ELIA BERNSTEIN 

We’re so proud of your adaptability to your 

new school. You are worthy of all the accolades 

possible! “You are my sunshine” 

in Oakland and Hawaii! 

– Oups and Grandma – 

CARTER BETROCK 

Having you as our grandson has been one of the 

greatest gifts life has given us. We are so very proud 

of all that you have accomplished. 

– Grandma and Pop-Popa – 

SAMAIYAH AND JUNO BELL 

Go to meet your good! 

– Gogo – 

LIAM BERNSTEIN 

We’re so proud of your achievements at your 

new school. You demonstrate what a good citizen 

you are. “You are loved more than the amount 

of sand on the beaches of Hawaii.” 

– Oups and Grandma – 

16 | REDWOOD DAY

WESLEY BISHOP 

I am so proud of you. You excel in 

everything you try. 

– Love you, Grandma – 

SAWYER BOURGET 

3rd Grade, WOW! You are a very special kiddo 

and we are so proud of you. 

– Gramma and Auntie Liz – 

LEO BOWMAN 

Although we are so far away, we think of you 

every day and are so proud of you! 

– Grandma Judi & Grandpa Bruce – 

From preschool to 3rd grade I have watched you 

grow into the lovely person you are. Your spirit, 

your art, your energy have given me joy. 

– Love, Drake's Grandma – 

We're so proud of your accomplishments these 

days, whether on tests or on the ice! It shows that 

you can handle both your academic and athletic 

challenges, but we'll be cheering for 

you whatever the score. 

– Grandpa and Grandma 

MICHAELA BROWN-HENDERSON 

So very proud of you and all of your 

accomplishments this school year. You are smart 

and talented and I'm looking forward to your 

adventures in Middle School next year! 

– Love, Grammy – 

NOTES 

N O T E S 

ALLEGRA BUCZACZER 

We are very proud of your participation in various 

activities, and in your scholastic achievement. 

Wishing you the best in moving forward. Love you. 

– Saba & Grammy – 

LANDON CARDENAS 

We love your jokes, watching you play sports, and 

watching you be an awesome big brother. 

We are so very proud of you. 

– Grandma and Granddad – 

QUINN CARDENAS 

We love watching you dance, hearing your 

laugh and being an awesome sister. 

We are so, so proud of you. 

– Grandma and Granddad – 

SILAS CARPENTER 

From the other coast, we send tons of love 

and a big loud cheer for all the awesome 

things you've done this year. 

– Grandma Agnes and Grandpa Jim – 

SAMANTHA CASTILLO 

Orgullosa de mi preciosa nieta. 

– Nana Castillo – 

SOPHIA CASTILLO 

Proud of my precious granddaughter. 

– Nana Castillo – 


SOPHIA AND SAMANTHA CASTILLO 

Thank you for letting me be your TIA and sharing 

fun times together. Proud of who you are and 

love you with all of my heart. 

– Tia Castillo – 

JAKE CATALANO 

My world is better with you in it. I appreciate your 

vast knowledge, culinary skills, love for your family 

and especially your sweetness. 

– Ying Ying – 

MADISON DE RAMUS 

You are the Sun, the Moon & the Stars all rolled into 

one, you will always shine BRIGHT!! 

– Grammy – 

VAUGHN DERMENJIAN 

You are our sweet and loving grandson. 

Your beautiful smile & your twinkling eyes 

fill our hearts with love. 

– Love Always, Grandma & Grandpa XOXO – 

BROOKLYN AND ZELDA DURANT 

We miss you both, and we are looking forward to 

seeing you both this summer. 

– Nicolette and Bob – 

YAMUNA DEFRIES 

We're so proud of you, Yami! Love you lots! 

– Nani and Nana – 

We are so proud of how you like to try new things! 

We loved watching you learn to ice skate!! 

– Lots of love from Amma and Papa – 

BROOKLYN DURANT 

I love how your face lights up when you share 

what you're learning. So proud of you! 

Keep the light shining! 

I’m very proud of you for being who you are and 

finding your voice more and more each day. 

Love you. 

– Bobe – 

ZELDA DURANT 

I love you and am so proud of how curious you are 

and your love of learning. Keep it up! 

I’m very proud of you and love your sense of 

curiosity and joy of learning. Love you. 

– Love Always, Grandma & Grandpa XOXO – 

JULIAN 'JULES' FLORES 

We are so excited about how great you are doing 

at your schools. We are so proud of you. 

– Grandpa and Bubbe – 

JORDAN FUTORAN 

From "spice" to funny drawings and 

birdie bread, I love you. 

– Namma – 

MARCO FANTIN 

We love how you are creative, smart, thoughtful 

and logical. We are so proud of you and always 

eagerly anticipate your next visit. 

– Grandpa and Mimi – 

OLIVER FERRACANE 

Oliver, Te queremos mucho, mucho, mucho. 

– Mormor y Nonno – 

OCIAN FLOYD-HASKELL 

We're very proud of you and all your 

accomplishments. 

– Grandpa and Toria – 

18 | REDWOOD DAY

EMMY GERARD 

I am so proud of you and all of your 

accomplishments! Thanks for being such a great 

older cousin and friend to Lulu! 

– Aunt Celia – 

LUCY GERARD 

I am so proud of you and all of your wonderful 

accomplishments. Thanks for being such a 

great role model for Lulu! 

– Godmother/Aunt Celia – 

LUCY AND EMMY GERARD 

We love you so much and are so very 

proud of you. Much love, 

– GP and Opa – 

SLOANE GOODWIN 

We are so happy you love school. We are proud 

that you are a good friend and kind to everyone. 

Thank you for sharing your creative ideas and 

excitement for learning with us. Love you lots! 

– Grandma and Grandpa – 

KAI GRAY 

We are so proud of you and your accomplishments 

in Kindergarten at Redwood Day, where the 

teachers play an active role 

in ensuring the children play and work in a 

friendly atmosphere, while introducing new 

and creative ideas to the curriculum. 

– Love Grandma and Grandpa Hoke – 

BECKETT GUILBERT 

Crazy, funny, clever, happy, involved, caring, and 

around Beckett is a miracle of existence and I could 

not be more proud of the totally amazing boy that he 

is. Thank you for all that you do for Beckett. 

– Tootsie – 

GRAHAM GUILBERT 

Sending a heartfelt thank you for helping my 

darling grandson Graham become the caring, 

super duper, well adjusted and happy 

young man he is today. 

– Tootsie – 

Frosty mornings give way to swelling buds; nearby 

a young owl hoots forlornly. 

– 婆ちゃん – 

The backyard hippo asks, “When will Beckett return 

again to wallow in the mud with me?” 

– 婆ちゃん – 

ELENI AND JACKSON HANLON 

I am so glad that you can both attend such a 

wonderful school. Have a great year of 

learning and fun! 

– Nana Harding – 

FERRIS & ZEPHYR HEALEY 

We're so proud of all your hard work and 

what you're learning! We love and miss you both. 

– Grandma Deb & Aunt Sharon – 

FERRIS HEALEY 

We're so happy that you are doing well at 

Redwood Day and we know that you 

love your school. 

– Gramps and Gaga – 

ZEPHYR HEALEY 

We're happy that you are having a great year 

in Kindergarten. We think Redwood Day is the 

perfect school for you. 

– Gramps and Gaga – 

LENNON HANZO HEDGES 

I really appreciate your creativity and your 

thoughtfulness in everything that you do! 

– Love, Auntie Bren – 


MIRIAM ILFELD 

Dearest Miri, you are such a talented, intelligent, 

thoughtful, sensitive, and fun young woman. You 

make me so proud to be your grandmother! 

– Much love, Safta – 

JOHNATHAN JONES 

I want to tell you how much I appreciate your 

friendship with Drake. I see how you are willing to 

try new things, are helpful and sharing. I am glad 

you are such good friends. 

– Thank you from Drake's Grandma – 

KAYIN JONES-PARKER 

You are smart, caring and extremely creative and 

talented. Continue to let your bright light shine! 

– Love, Grandma – 

PARKER AND JACKSON JONES 

We are very proud of your hard work and the 

friendships that you have made at Redwood Day. 

You are growing up as fine young men. 

– Love, Grandma Bev and Grandpa Ken – 

LUCAS JACKSON KANKA 

We are so happy to see you grow & learn at 

Redwood Day. We love you! 

– Nana & Papa – 

We are so proud of how you are growing up. 

You are each becoming your own wonderful 

person whom we love very much. 

– Grandma, Grandad, Great Gramma – 

We love you very much; you are 

very special to us. 


SAFIATU KANU 

We are so amazed at all you are learning, you 

are such a good student, and a wonderful 

Granddaughter. We love you. 

– Grandpa and Grammy – 

KADIATU KANU 

You constantly impress us with all that you 

learn, you are a great student and a wonderful 

granddaughter. We love you. 


We are so proud of you. You keep learning and 

amazing us. Love you. 


We are so proud of you and all you 

are learning. Keep writing and creating your 

stories and art, love you. 

– Grandpa & Grammy – 

BRIDGET KENNEDY 

You are witty, wise, and full of curiosity and charm. 

You are truly a bright light in this world, 

and so very loved. 

– Nana Gramps – 

HENDRIX KIELY 

You are brilliant, like the stars in the sky on a 

clear night…. You have a scintillating, open, 

creative and inquiring mind, a fine sense of 

humor, and a very big heart. 

– Gran – 

JUDITH KLEIN 

We are very happy that you love learning and 

playing at Redwood Day so much. We hope that 

next year you will be able to take us to see the 

playground and your classroom. 

– Love, Bubbe and Gra Gra – 

20 | REDWOOD DAY

INGRID KOZLOWICZ 

We have missed you and your brother very much 

for almost 3 years. Our kangaroos peer through 

your bedroom window at your empty 

(but made up) bed. 

– Grumpy – 

OSCAR KOZLOWICZ 

Nan and I miss you and your sister 

(and your Mum!) very much. We will give your 

Mum lots of macadamias to take home for 

you all when she visits in March. 

– Grumpy – 

ARMAAN KRISHNA 

Happy that you are studying at Redwood Day: 

a school of standing and repute! 

– Dadaji – 

ARIA KROSIN 

Your sparkling enthusiasm and creativity 

lights up our life! We love you! 

– Nana and Gongon – 

RISHAAN KRISHNA 

How are you, Rishaan? Good that you are 

studying at Redwood Day! 

– Dadaji – 

MICAH KROSIN 

We love how passionate and caring you are! 

We love you so much!! 

– Love, Nana and Gongon – 

ARIA AND MICAH KROSIN 

We are so proud of how you embody the RDS 

spirit: intellectual curiosity, appreciation of human 

diversity, kindness to others, speaking up against 

unfairness, and willingness to try new things. But we 

especially like your sense of joy, humor, and creative 

playfulness. Stay as beautiful inside as you are on the 

outside and be wonderful “sisters” to your 

new labradoodle, “Piper Garcia." 

– Baba and Mimi (Ken and Ruth Krosin) – 

SYDNEY AND EVA LATVALA 

I am so grateful that you love going to school. 

I know you are learning great things! 

– Mema – 

NICHOLAS LARRISON 

One short sentence that you will recognize 

says it all. We love you to the moon and back. 

– Pops & Gramma – 

HAZEL LEIDERMAN 

Watching you bravely bound up and over the 

Joshua Tree boulders showed us that you can 

conquer any challenge you wish to take on. 

We love so much and admire you! 

– GiGi and “That Guy” – 

OWEN AND CARA LEWIS 

We are so proud of you! 


RAMSEY LARSON 

Love you Ramsey—hope your family visits this 

summer in Minnesota! 

– Grandma Jeanne – 

TOVAH LEIDERMAN 

Watching you do one-arm handstands in the Yucca 

Valley pool while it snowed all over us was crazy 

wonderful! Your delight in life is a gift to all! 

– GiGi & Bobby (aka Mr. Bob) – 


NAOMI LI 

Just want to let you know that we are very proud 

of you, and we love you very, very much. 

– Yeye and Nainai – 

MAREN LINDGREN 

You make me so very proud to be your Nana. 

Keep up the good work in school and your 

dedication for soccer. 

– Nana – 

SYDNEY AND MADISON LOESER 

Greetings from Iowa! You both bring so 

much joy into our lives. We love you and miss you, 

and hope to see you soon. 

– Hugs, Grandpa and Grandma – 

JADEN LUKENS 

We're all so proud of you! Please enjoy Redwood 

Day and assimilate every bit of learning you can! 

– Love you, Grandma – 

TIGER LLEWELLYN–MACKAY 

Hi Tiger! You mean so much to us. We are so 

proud of you and we love you. 

– Mormor and Jampa – 

MAX MAJERS 

We want to let you know we are so proud of 

you and all you do! 

– Grandpa and Grandma Majers – 

RILEY MAJOR 

So proud you are my granddaughter! 

Artist and a goalie!!!! 

– Grammie – 

JUDE AND ARCHER MARIETTA 

Even though we are miles apart, both of you are 

close to my heart every day. Love, hugs & bugs. 

– Gma P – 

LILA AND MIRA MATHUS 

Lila: We are certain you will finish your time at school 

with a stellar academic flourish—you are a 

perfect mix of bookworm and athlete. 

Mira: Always something interesting going on in 

your latest art projects and athletic endeavors. 

Neither of you could disappoint us, and we 

will always be proud of you. 

– Love you both, Grammy and Grammy – 

LIEV MELAMED 

So proud of how you participate at your new school. 

– Love, Grandma and Grandpa Lubens – 

MARLEY MCDOWELL 

Hi Beautiful Marley, just a few lines to say hello and 

how proud we are of you and your Mom. Lucky you, 

to be at Redwood Day School. 

– Grandpa (and Lynda too) – 

ZOE MCKINNON 

With each passing year, our pride in all your 

accomplishments and our love for you 

continues to grow. XXXOOO 

– Grandma Pat and Grandpa Sonny – 

QUINN MERCER 

Quinn Iris Mercer has won our hearts! She's cute, 

funny, speedy with lots of smarts! 

– Grandma – 

RUTH MELAMED 

So proud of how you have become part 

of your new school. 

– Love, Grandma and Grandpa Lubens – 

22 | REDWOOD DAY

ZEKE MILLER 

We can't believe you are almost a teenager. 

We are so proud of the talented sensitive 

person you have become. 

– Bubbe and Grumpy – 

TOSHI THURGOOD GARTEN MINAMOTO 

We love when you share your experiences and 

what you learn at Redwood Day! 

– Love, Grandma and Pop Pop – 

HENRY NG 

You are my grandson who shares comic books 

with grandma and cuddles up with her to read 

comic books. Love you to pieces. 

– Grandma Judy – 

LIAM NG 

Hey Kid: You are my cool grandson who loves to 

mop grandma's floor, knows all the words to 

the songs in Hamilton and sings along with 

ABBA in the car. Love you. 

– Grandma Judy – 

AMIRA OBANDO 

Hello sweetie. I love you so much, and I love your art. 

You are the best! I'm so proud of you. 

– Love Nana – 

NIEEM OBANDO 

Hello my sweet grandson, I'm so very proud of you. 

I absolutely love to get your unexpected 

phone calls. Keep them coming. 

– Love Nana – 

EMILIANO PAREDES-ORTIZ 

To our amazing grandson...you always astound us 

with knowledge, humor, and creativity! 

– Nana and Tata – 

SURINA PUGH 

I have watched you grow from a bright little star 

to the person you are. Intelligent, Strong, and 

Kind. Love you forever. 

– Nani – 

NOAH POLANSKY 

We are VERY proud of you for being accepted to 

this fine school; you will benefit from it every day of 

your life. Keep up the good work! 

– Grandma Sally and Grandpa Paul – 

HUNTER PURDY 

You are the light of our lives! We are so lucky to 

share your accomplishments and joy of learning. 

– Amu and Grandad – 

PALOMA RACO FUENTES 

Paloma, you’re smart, beautiful and sweet. 

I’m so proud of you! 

– Love you, Nana – 

I’m proud of all the progress you’ve made at 

school and the great kid you’ve become! 

– Love, Grandma – 

PHOEBE RIEGELS 

You are wonderful and we are so proud of you. 

Keep smiling, stay strong, and 

continue to inspire us. 

– Geddo and Teta – 

MALIA RAYCRAFT 

We are so proud of how you have faced all of life’s 

challenges that have come your way. We love you 

tons and love spending time with you. 

– NaNa and DadDad – 


THEODORE RIEGELS 

We are so proud of you because you have the 

kindest personality and we are amazed about how 

much you learn every day. Keep up the good work 

and keep inspiring us. 

– Geddo and Teta – 

SKYE SARPONG 

Artist and writer with style and grace, what new 

talents will emerge as you journey through life? 

We'll be cheering you on! 

– Grandma & Grandpa – 

LEO SCHLOSBERG 

We are thrilled to see how you are thriving 

at Redwood Day. May your joy of 

learning continue forever. 

– Ruru and Poppy – 

DRAKE SHERROD 

I am proud of your accomplishments 

at school, sports, computer, but I am proudest of 

the person you are: kind, giving, joyous, 

and confident. I love you. 

– A ginormous hug from Grandma Patty – 

AMMAN SILLS 

We can’t stop humming Santa Fe. We marvel at 

how you are able to handle both your school 

and theater responsibilities. 


CAROLINE SKILJAN 

We wish we could see your play. 

See you in Kentucky! 

– Love n Hugs Grandma and Grandpa – 

GRIFFIN AND KAITLIN SOPP 

Another year has passed at Redwood Day School 

and you both continue to grow academically 

and in sports, and continue to amaze us at 

your growth and progress. We are so very 

proud of your accomplishments in school 

and on the athletic fields. Keep up the good 

work, and we hope to see you soon. 

– Love, Nana and Pop-pop – 

You are brave, kind, and best of all, fun. I am so 

proud to have you in my life! 

– Much love, Noni – 

DELAILA SILLS 

Your mom and dad tell us how hard you have been 

working both in and out of school. We love you 

and are so proud of you! 


LUKA SKILJAN 

I miss seeing you in person, but really enjoy 

the pictures of your school. 

– Love n Hugs Grandma and Grandpa – 

KURT STOSS 

We’re so proud of you. You’re such a great kid. 

– Dama – 

HANNAH SWEETING 

You have worked so hard and achieved so much. 

I am very proud of you. 

– Love from Nana – 

TEIA SWARTZBERG 

We are so proud of all you have accomplished and 

what a beautiful person you are! 

– We love you very much, Baba and Gramps – 

24 | REDWOOD DAY

ZANE VIGUS 

I admire the enthusiasm and dedication you have 

for things in life that inspire you. This quality 

can help lead to success. 

– Grammy – 

PENELOPE WEIL 

I have loved watching you grow and thrive at school. 

You bring me such joy! 

– Nana – 

CHARLIE WACHS 

You are a force to be reckoned with filled with 

passion, determination and powerful goals. 

You make me laugh and always beat me at Uno. 

– I love you, Grazmer – 

You are a fierce competitor, a curious learner, 

a loyal friend, a loving grandson, full of ambition, 

enthusiasm, and energy. You are loved by 

all who know you. 

– Grazmer – 

ELEANOR WHITEHEAD 

Our dancing queen, you are a singing, rhyming, 

musical whirlwind. We love seeing you with your 

nose in a book and your toes tapping. Classic. 

– Grammie and Grampie – 

RILEY WELCH 

We are so delighted you have been singing with 

the Jazz Band at school this year. We are so proud 

of your academic accomplishments. 

– Papa and Nana – 

AZIZA SAMONA WHITFIELD 

Z, we r beyond proud of u. Continue 2 stay focused, 

make good choices, resist wrong & stay guarded. 

Remember u can do anything when u stay close to 

God. He is the only one you can depend on. 

He will never let you down. Love U Forever!! 

– Nana – 

AVERY WITTEN 

To my amazing, talented and loving first 

grandchild. My wish for you is to continue to 

see the wonders in this world and to work to 

make it a better place. 

– Nana – 

MOLLY AND WESTON WOLFE 

Hi you 2! I’m so proud of you both ❤ Xxoo 

– Gammy – 

HENRY WHITEHEAD 

You are the ring swinging—monkey bar champion. 

Plus you write exciting stories and do math 

problems in your head. Literally amazing. 

– Grammie and Grampie – 

ANINA WINFREY 

It's a joy being your grandma and sharing such a 

special relationship - you're wonderful and unique! 

Keep being you! So much love! 

– Grandma Lynne – 

MARLOWE WITTEN 

To my amazing, talented, and loving second 

grandchild. I am so proud of you and your 

accomplishments in math and reading in first grade. 

– Nana – 


PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS 

DESIGN, INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY 

In grades 6–8, Innovation and Design is a required course that intersects with core academic 

subjects. The curriculum includes a three-year cycle during which students learn and apply design 

thinking principles. 

6th graders started the year choosing an object to take apart. In collaboration with art class, they 

photographed and drew their objects. They explored graphic design and the power of typography 

to communicate an intended message. They learned 3D modeling in TinkerCAD, drafting in CAD 

software, Gravit Designer, and worked on a floor plan for a Tiny House they designed. They will be 

making connections to the seismic explorations they are conducting in science class and will wrap 

up the year returning to TinkerCAD to build artifacts for their Founders project in history class. 

7th graders spent the year learning how to code. They began by studying Computational Thinking, 

learning how to use computer-like processes to solve problems such as sorting algorithms 

and data visualization. They focused on JavaScript to learn about variables, flow-control, and 

looping structures. They have made simple games, solar system simulations, and probability 

demonstrations. Students will be sharing some of their coding creations on their Digital Portfolios. 

8th graders engaged in an electronic engineering boot camp. Students learned about electronic 

components and the rules that govern their function in a circuit, such as Ohm's Law. They used 

a circuit simulator to build Logic Gates from component electronics before being introduced to 

the programmable circuits using an Arduino Uno. As part of their STEAM Fair project, they will 

incorporate electronically controlled elements in their Rube Goldberg machine designs. 

26 | REDWOOD DAY

ATHLETICS 

The Redwood Day Athletics Program seeks to enrich the social, emotional, and physical well-being 

of student athletes. Students of varying abilities and experience participate in one or more of the 

many offerings available (flag football, soccer, cross country, basketball, volleyball, track and field, 

and Ultimate). Coaches emphasize values of commitment, integrity, self-discipline, teamwork, 

perseverance, and sportsmanship. The majority of our middle school students participate on at least 

one of our competitive interscholastic teams. These teams play against other local independent 

schools, as well as parochial and charter schools. Our MicroSports Academy, which is designed to 

give our lower school students a positive athletics experience in a variety of sports, has grown to 

include more offerings and is very well attended. Our goal is to provide opportunities for studentathletes 

to compete at an appropriate level. 

WORLD WORLD LANGUAGE LANGUAGE PROGRAM 

Spanish World Language Program 

Combining TPR/TPRS (Total Physical Response/Storytelling) and our Descubre curriculum, our 

Kindergarten students learn basic greetings, common and cognate animals, descriptive words, 

basic colors, numbers, simple body parts, and commonly used verbs through movement, stories, 

games, and multi-sensory activities. 

By the time they reach 8th grade Spanish, the teacher speaks in the target language at least 95% 

of the time. Students study vocabulary, present and past tenses, and practice written and oral 

communication. They also prepare multimedia presentations. Generally, most students are ready 

for high school Spanish 2 when they graduate from Redwood Day. 

K–5 Mandarin Chinese World Language Program 

The Mandarin Language Program aims to spark students’ interests in 

becoming multilingual through learning another language—Mandarin 

Chinese. It also strives to continue growing students’ appreciation for 

cultural diversity and a sense of global citizenship. 

At the elementary level, Chinese class is designed to engage every 

student through high-quality, dynamic, and fun lessons. As students 

progress in their language abilities, other comprehensible input strategies 

can be added and TPRS-style story-asking can be adjusted to match the 

students’ greater levels of proficiency. 

SCIENCE 

The Science Program strives to make science engaging, fun, and something every student can do. 

From learning about life cycles, the five senses, and animals in Kindergarten, to studying chemistry, 

force and motion, Newtonian mechanics, simple machines, energy, and evolution in 8th grade, 

students are discovering more about the world around them. 

Both lower school and middle school science culminate their year of learning in the annual STEAM 

Fair events that take place on the Redwood Day campus. Featured are TinkerCAD designs, 

prototypes, designs that make the world more accessible for people with an impairment or 

disability, and Rube Goldberg machines. 


1920 

HIGH SCHOOL 

MATRICULATION 

Our 8th graders apply to a number of high school 

programs that represent the diversity of their 

experiences, interests, strengths, and ideal learning 

communities. Independent, parochial, and public 

high schools recognize Redwood Day graduates 

for their strong academic preparation, keen selfawareness, 

community consciousness, and 

global sensibility. 

Typically, approximately 50% of graduating 

students matriculate to independent schools, 

approximately 35% to parochial schools, and 

approximately 15% to public schools. Each family 

is supported by Redwood Day through the high 

school search and application process so that 

each student finds their perfect next reach! 

SCIRE DESIDERO 

Acalanes 

High School 

Campolindo 

High School 

SAN LEANDRO 

HIGH 

SCHOOL 

28 | REDWOOD DAY

COLLEGE MATRICULATION 

Bates College 

Boston University 

Cal Poly SLO 

California State University, 

Maritime Academy 

Colorado State University 

Columbia University 

Cornell University 

Dartmouth College 

Dickinson College 

Grinnell College 

McGill University 

Northwestern University 

Santa Clara University 

Smith College 

Tulane University 

University of British Columbia, Vancouver 

University of California, Berkeley 

University of California, Davis 

University of California, Irvine 

University of California, Los Angeles 

University of California, Riverside 

University of California, San Diego 

University of California, Santa Cruz 

University of Denver 

University of Illinois at 

Urbana-Champaign 

University of Oregon 

University of Washington, Seattle 

University of Western Ontario 

University of Wisconsin-Madison 

Washington University, St. Louis 

Yale University 

This list represents the colleges of choice for the Class of 2017. 


BONNIE MCDONALD 

2008 Redwood Day Alumni 

What was the highlight of your experience at Redwood Day? 

I really adored the School’s Outdoor Education program; I loved being out 

in nature, camping, and bonding with teachers and students in an informal 

atmosphere. My classmates and I have many fun and lasting memories about 

Outdoor Education. It was very valuable to me. 

How did your time at RD impact you? 

Coming from an elementary school that did not have letter grades, Redwood 

Day really prepared me for the future. At Redwood Day, I learned how to study, 

how to manage my time, and how to prepare for high school exams. These are all 

things that prepared me to be successful in a rigorous high school atmosphere at Bishop O’Dowd. 

After high school, I went to community college and then transferred to the California Maritime Academy. 

What are you up to these days? 

I am a Captain Trainee on a tugboat in San Francisco, the only female captain trainee in the San Francisco 

Bay right now. I started my career on a tanker in the Gulf of Mexico and transferred to the Bay three years 

ago where I was a Deckhand for two years with my current company. I was then promoted to a position as 

Captain Trainee with the same company. 

WHERE 

ARE 

We love hearing stories and receiving visits from our alumni. 

Here are just a few of the many alumni who have graduated 

from Redwood Day to do amazing things! 

MADISON LIN 


How did your time at Redwood Day impact you? 

It makes a big difference to have adults who believe in you. I was lucky to 

have so many adults encourage and support me throughout lower and 

middle school. It’s been my dream to be a filmmaker since I was eight 

years old, meaning I came to the realization of what I wanted to do with 

my career during my time at RD. Having adults who took me seriously, 

told me I could and should go to film school, and fostered my growth 

as an individual as well as a filmmaker made all the difference. 


After graduating from USC, I’m now working on making a movie at Netflix. 

What do you want those reading these alumni profiles to know? 

It’s very easy to not take kids too seriously, but all the adults who’ve truly listened and taken me seriously have 

changed my life. 

30 | REDWOOD DAY

JAMES "JACK" JACKSON 


Did you have any favorite teachers and/or advisors at Redwood Day? 

Mr. Jim Rendle was one of the advisors for my grade. He was a great 

teacher and one of the highlights of my RD experience. He was also a great 

flag football coach. From this experience at Redwood Day, I learned that I 

liked football, which led me to play (tackle football) at St. Mary’s 

College High School. 


I feel that my experience at RD was important in my growth as a person and a 

student. I had teachers that made us think differently and advisors that cared about 

our development. Your path in life is never set in stone. Don't be afraid to deviate from 

your anticipated path; it may lead to a great opportunity. 

What are you up these days? 

I work in Digital Marketing and Retail Management for Rooms to Go in Atlanta, GA and have worked 

as a Buyer for Macy's in New York. After graduation from Goizueta Business School at Emory 

University, I plan to leverage my MBA and stay in the Product and Brand Management world. 

THEY 

NOW? 

CHANNING D. CARNEY-FILMORE 


How did your time at Redwood Day impact you? 

I think about Redwood Day all the time! Most of my closest lifelong friends 

are from Redwood Day Middle School. My group of Redwood Day classmates 

are still in close contact even though we are spread out all over the country. 

Whenever we are in the same spot of the country we make a point to connect 

and hang out. 

Redwood Day taught me to be compassionate and accepting of others. I was 

one of two black students at Head Royce Lower School and Bentley High School. 

However, at Redwood Day, there was a broad range of diversity of students 

and teachers from all walks of life (religions, races, gender and sexual identities, 

socioeconomic status). I also learned the importance of supporting and being there 

for others. 


I am currently a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Program Manager at World Vision. I serve as 

the Latin America and Caribbean Lead and am over all the water projects within Guatemala, Bolivia, 

Honduras, Haiti, Angola, DRC, and Zimbabwe. I help with the implementation side and funding side. 

I travel to these counties for field visits to visit the teams on the ground and see where I can best 

support them and their efforts to achieve clean water for all. 


WHERE 

ARE 

THEY 

NOW? 

SOPHIE BALES 



I think RDS has impacted me in so many ways—ways I am aware of, and ways 

that I am probably not fully aware of either. I think one of the biggest things 

was how small our class size was. We were a class of like 40 students or 

something and so everyone knew everyone, and we were all very close. One 

of my absolute best friends to this day I met at Redwood Day. Our class was 

also quite diverse (racially, and background wise) and I think that probably 

impacted my perceptions of the world a lot. I grew up with people who didn’t 

look like me, but that didn’t matter, I didn’t see anyone different because of 

what they looked like. And I think that that is something that every child should be 

exposed to: different backgrounds, cultures, family dynamics, etc. 


I am a Community Manager at a DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) consulting 

firm—Jennifer Brown Consulting. 


I want you to know that whether you’ve just graduated from school, are early in your career, or have 

been a working professional for decades, we are all just people. And a lot of us, no matter what age or 

where we are in our lives, don’t have it all figured out and are simply doing our best day by day. We are 

all constantly learning and relearning, and we have and will continue to make mistakes, but it’s how we 

learn and respond to those mistakes that define who we are and want to be. 

RICKY SHERER, JR 


How did your experience at Redwood Day impact you? 

RD prepared me through my scholastic career to take academics seriously and 

gave me friendships that I still have to this day. I learned responsibility, how to 

organize and stay on top of my homework, and to improve my skills through 

healthy competition in sports. I also really loved the immersive, interactive 

learning offered in Outdoor Education. Overall, Redwood Day gave me a 

well-rounded education that prepared me for high school. 


Redwood Day gave me a great foundation to get to where I am, both academically 

and socially. I had the experience of making friends with students of various 

backgrounds and learned to have an open mind and try new things. 

There are so many ways to get to your goal. It may not be through the exact path you expected 

but you can still end up doing something you love. 


I work in sports; I'm a Community Engagement Associate with the New York Mets. 

32 | REDWOOD DAY

Make an Impact With 

Legacy Giving 

Alumni, 

Do you want to give other students the opportunity to have the transformational 

education that you had? 

Would you like to pay it forward and make a lasting impact on the school that 

helped shape your life and that supported you to Grow Into Great? 

We've launched an initiative that allows alumni, parents, and family to make a 

gift that costs them nothing now! 

How is this possible? 

Simply list Redwood Day as a beneficiary of your retirement account or life 

insurance policy. You can list us as a 1% beneficiary, $5,000 beneficiary, or a 

$50,000 beneficiary - as little or as much as you like. 

You can do that now! 

The good news is that you’ll still retain control over and have the flexibility to 

make modifications to your plans at any time, so if your situation changes you 

can amend your plans accordingly. You don’t even need to see an attorney. 

Just log into your retirement account online and add Redwood Day as a 

beneficiary. Easy! 

Wouldn’t it be rewarding to know that you’ve left a legacy that will help 

Redwood Day students for generations to come? 

Alumni, parents and guardians, grandparents, and special friends can all 

add Redwood Day to their will or trust. For more information, please email 

advancement@rdschool.org or call 510-534-0804 x 284. We’d be happy to help. 


ANNUAL REPORT 

WHY THE ANNUAL FUND MATTERS 

The Annual Fund provides the flexible, unrestricted 

support necessary to ensure that our students have 

everything they need to reach for their next challenge, 

embrace differences, and develop the intellectual and 

emotional courage to be ready for anything. Your giving 

supports tuition assistance, professional development 

for faculty and staff, and a world-class curriculum. 

OUR AMBASSADORS 

Brooke Abola 

Sireesha Adya 

Emylene Aspilla 

Mar Brandt 

Louise and Bill Bedsworth 

Michelle Bowen 

Colin Boyle 

Brandi Catanese 

Joanne Cain 

Greg Christensen 

Mikal Condon and Mike Ng 

Laura Dirtadian 

Erin Fantin 

Megan Green 

Andrew Guilbert 

Shane Hare 

Megan Herold 

Jo Ilfeld 

Kelly Kawamoto 

Renuka Kher and Sandeep Solanki 

Emily Leiderman 

Randy Lewis 

Josh Mailman 

Karin McCarthy 

Sophie McNeil 

Jamil Miles 

Amin Mysorewala 

Allan Ng 

Lynda and Behrang Pakzad, Co-Chairs 

Nardine Riegels 

Samee Roberts and Karen Boyd 

Charmin Roundtree-Baaqee 

Isavane Samanna 

Ami Schiess 

Rob Schoening 

Malaak Sills 

Lea Stafford 

Brooke and Sean Welch 

Elyse and Todd Whitehead 

Stella Wong 

Audrey Yamamoto 

34 | REDWOOD DAY

OPERATING REVENUE AND EXPENSE 

Fiscal year ending June 30, 2021 

4.6% 

2020–21 

REVENUE 

Tuition & Fees $13,195,727 

Fundraising & 772,013 

Contributions 

Auxiliary & Other 168,292 

TOTAL $14,136,032 

2020–21 

EXPENSES 

Faculty & Staff $8,544,252 

Tuition Assistance 2,374,925 

(includes remission) 

General & Administration 1,172,588 

Facilities & Operations 1,389,142 

TOTAL $13,480,907 

NOTE: The School set aside the increase in net assets for COVID-19 

contingencies, deferred capital expenditures, and repayment of debt. 


2020–21 

DONOR HONOR ROLL 

VISIONARY CIRCLE 

$10,000+ 

Renuka Kher and Sandeep Solanki Behrang and Lynda Pakzad Dan and Karine Sully 

INNOVATOR CIRCLE 

$5,000 – $9,999 

Anonymous (1) 

Jay and Sireesha Adya 

Brentley and Jennifer Beerline 

Karen and Corbin Bennett 

Jason and Mar Brandt 

The Catanese Family 

Christine Chen and Rob Schoening 

Lindsey Collins and Seth Murray 

Ratna Desai and Louis Pugh 

Carol Feinstein and John Hillsman 

Pat Galvin and Sharon Flanagan 

Megan and Nabeel Hyatt 

Jeff and Jo Ilfeld 

Brian and Erin Kennedy 

The Larson Family 

The Loeser Family 

James Macksood and Bruce McCarthy 

Rich Maiers and Neeta Dhawan 

The McNeil-Rezai Family 

Mike Ng and Mikal Condon 

Sassan and Jessica Pazirandeh 

James and Linda Rendle 

Nicholas and Nardine Riegels 

The Samat Family 

Don and Terry Sarver 

Mark Sopp and Becky Zegar 

Susan and Carl Webster 

Jay Weil and Kelly Kawamoto 

The Welch Family 

Chris and Kristin Wolfe 

Kareem and Patricia Yusuf 

Anonymous (8) 

Alan and Brooke Abola 

Emylene Aspilla and Daniel Rochman 

Kimberly Baum-McKinnon and Jeffrey 

McKinnon 

Bill and Louise Bedsworth 

The Bell Family 

Justin and Tanya Betrock 

Christopher Brownlee and Lee Kaplan 

Timothy Burkoth and Yaya Ren 

Justin and Shereen Cambra 

Steve and Amy Catalano 

Chi Chen and Nancy Wang 

Charu and Brian Clark 

Raymond Connell and Jamil Miles 

Nathan Curtis and Qing Wei 

Jim and Ute Dawe 

Andreana Dereniak and Mark Pitts 

Ara and Laura Dirtadian 

Michael Downs 

Juniper Downs 

Kelly and Zack Fayne 

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE 

$2,000 – $4,999 

Norma Fiedotin 

The Ford Family Trust 

Diana and Eric Fung 

Joana and David Grigg 

The Hong Family 

Peter and Rachel Hulst 

Janie Johnson and Shane De Zilwa 

The Johnston - Li Family 

Betsy and Ben Jones 

Mounika and Krishna Juvvadi 

Courtney and Jonathan Kaplan 

David and Erinn Kato 

John Kinnaman 

Michael and Avis Kowalewski 

The Kowalski Family 

Mike Krosin and Siri Cheng 

Rich and Alisa Latvala 

Derek and Shana Lindgren 

Bill and Irene Mak 

Allan and Joanne Ng 

Trilly Nguyen and Adam Howell 

Nicole Noutsios and Erik Bylin 

Stephanie and Chris Orloff 

The Pasquali Family 

Siew Mei Phuan and Aneesh Krishna 

Leigh Rawdon and David Rolf 

Samee Roberts and Karen Boyd 

Kimiko Ryokai and Stefan Marti 

Ami Schiess and Andy Peay 

Sue Schoening 

The Skiljan Macadam Family 

The Snyder Kamdar Family Foundation 

Charles and Mary Soulis 

Sloane Tanen and Gary Taubes 

Starre and Brett Tearney 

The Ting Family Giving Fund 

Devon, Taitt and Zane Vigus 

Lauren and Matt Webster 

Elyse and Todd Whitehead 

Nanu and Ben Wolstenholme 

Matt Zimmerman and Heather Patterson 

36 | REDWOOD DAY

Anonymous (5) 

Rabiatu Abdullah and Cormac Kilgallen 

Matthew Beck and Ana Ruiz-Vilar 

David Berger and Suneeta Fernandes 

Jenn Nannini and Andrea Bourguet 

Anna and Dimitrius Brown 

Giselle Carmen-Rodriguez and Tommy 

Rodriguez 

Justin and Angie Chang 

Richard Croghan 

Lynda Alison Deakin 

Darek Defreece and Alan Croteau 

Triveni Defries 

Sandra Doi and David Sandford 

Amy and Jeremy Engler 

Ehsan Ettehadieh and Setareh Siavash 

Angelina and Joel Forrest 

Libby and Will Gerard 

Jess and Kenny Greenberg 

COLLABORATOR CIRCLE 

$1,000 – $1,999 

Rich and Judy Guggenhime 

Laura and Andrew Guilbert 

Amy and Christian Hanlon 

Shane Hare and Leah McGowen-Hare 

Deann Hays 

Orlando and Megan Herold 

Bradley Jones and Andrea Yao 

Susan Kao and Kurtis Auguste 

The Karp Family 

Allison Keith and David Bayless 

Hilary and Jason Keith 

Craig Kennedy and Urmila Raghavan 

The Laub-Sabater Family 

Irene and Todd Lee 

Emily and Jared Leiderman 

David Lerner and Charmaine Toy 

Rebecca Lubens and Matthew Melamed 

Liz Lucero and Leonard Muise 

Scott Luo 

Adele Madelo 

Stu Maschwitz and Michelle Stock 

The Moorthy Family 

Sue Moss 

Mai Okita and Ronald Levasseur 

Erica and Alan Orcharton 

Artem Russakovskii and Emilie Brezman 

The Sarpong Family 

Mavis Scanlon-Marble and Derreck Marble 

Laura Schroeder and Ahmer Srivastava 

Art and Carol Silbergeld 

Maneesh and Dalbir Singh 

Kunjal and Therese Trivedi 

Karyn and Noah Veneklasen 

Laurie Wilson 

Audrey and Bruce Yamamoto 

Miya Yamamoto and Stephen Chang 

Robert and Tamara Zirkle 

Anonymous (8) 

The Desai Amin Family 

The James and Lara Andrews Family 

Charitable Fund 

Hena Borneo and Jeremy Swartzberg 

The Cain Family 

Rachel Cannon 

Helen (Holly) Carlin 

Richard Catlin and J'Nene Wade 

Sue Chen and Kevin Taylor 

Cheng Family 

Camille and Dorian Dargan 

The Porter Delarosa Family 

Andrea and Edward Durant 

Lisa and Sandy Ehrenkranz 

Barry and Sandy Goldstein 

Eden and Margaret Grace 

Jaime Gutierrez and Claudia Velasquez 

The Hannays 

Hamilton and Gina Hunt 

Catherine Hunter 

ENTHUSIAST CIRCLE 

$500 – $999 

Georgia Kawamoto 

Frank and Barbara Keith 

Zeenat Khan and David Kelly 

Louise Knapp Pollard and Jason Pollard 

Sarah Kuehl and Benjamin Trautman 

Mark Lecker and Stacey Mufson 

Perry and Renata Lubens 

Jessica and Alexander Macy 

The Mathus Family 

Jeanne Miller 

Jennifer Miller and Mario Reyes 

Steve Miller and Kim Hoffman 

Kelly and Noel Morrison 

The Mouratoffs 

Eric Nogues and Veena Kumar 

Susan F. O'Donnell 

The Partrite Family 

Monique Raco Fuentes 

Gerald and Christine Raycraft 

John and Margaret Richardson 

Marion and Jim Robertson 

The Roundtree-Baaqee Family 

Beth Samuelson and Steven Sweeting 

Isavane and Daniel Samanna Scovill 

Jeffrey Sharman and Tricia Iacovangelo 

Joy C. Sherrod and Jay C. Sherrod 

Daniel and Brooke Smith 

The Socrates Family 

Steven and Lea Stafford 

Patricia and William Stephens 

Mr. and Mrs. William R. Sylvester 

The Kara and Kate Tam Charitable Fund 

MC Taylor and James Havercamp 

Bryant Terry and Jidan Terry-Koon 

Stacy and Marc Ward 

Susan and Franz Weber 

Robert Weiss and Amy Nathan 

Chris and Aileen Wheeler 

Jeff and Jean Wieler 

Shawn and Terry Wong 

Ruby and Nick Wood 


Anonymous (7) 

Johanna Aeschliman 

Urv and Janet Anderson 

Michela Bowman 

Daniel Buczaczer and Jennifer Porcinito 

The Castillo Family 

Nelson and Caroline Chang 

Wai and Susanna Cheng 

Teresa and Steve Cieslewicz 

Angela and Ralph Dangerfield 

Annette Dunn 

Laurie Durousseau 

Myriam Easton 

Ed and Barrie 

Monica and Homero Espinosa 

Charles Flinton and Meera Desai 

Leonard and Megan Green 

Yahaira Guzman Vasquez 

Jennifer Howard-Lukens 

Carolyn Jackson 

Grant and Ahnika Johnson 

Johnette and Cydney Jones 

Jorjani-Tuzza Family 

Wendy and Harvey Leiderman 

Shoshana and Ronald Levy 

Ingrid C. Llewellyn 

Josh Mailman and Juliette Linzer 

Matt Mandelbaum and Michele Swanson 

Alysia and Pat McDonough 

Judith McQuade and Scott Hill 

Bertrall Ross and Joy Milligan 

The Pfister Family 

The Purdy Family 

Tracy and Dave Reichmuth 

Margaret Richardson and Mark Linton 

Alice Schlein 

COMMUNITY CIRCLE 

$250 – $499 

Paul and Sally Schlein 

Martin and Meghan Schwartz 

Marie Shell and Eric Lenchner 

Christy Silva and Pamela Pacchetti 

Donnie R. Smith 

Joan Smith Beerline 

Elena and Jeff Sobel 

Erik, Portia, Lukas and Hanna Soderberg 

David and Meredith Spencer 

Julie and Oliver Stoss 

Michael and Denise Thanos 

Clarence Ting and Shefali Nanavati 

The Wachs Family 

Seth and Alyssa Witten 

Stella Wong and Tyler Brennan 

Lydia Wood 

Anonymous (22) 

Agnes and Enrique Abola 

Ken and Lori Bevan 

Yasmeen Boulware 

Barbara Bowman 

John and Francesca Bowman 

Ann Boyle 

Denise Breland 

Ayanna Brown 

Yasmin Carim and David Robin 

Geetha and Umapathi Cattamanchi 

Sung Jin Cho 

Sue Curran 

Ashley de Ramus 

Jahmodd de Ramus 

Dayle Dolginer 

Tracy Donahoe and Kenneth Lim 

Loretta and John Donovan 

Robin Dunn 

The Entrekin Family 

The Firestone Family 

Alison and Heiko Frost 

Thomas and Joan Galvin 

Laura and Jon Gilbert 

Tom Gold and Lucy Harris 

Shanna Gong and Daniel Murray 

Vicky Green 

Leah Gregory 

Elise Guthridge 

Jackita Harrison and Bryce Hunt 

Corrin Haskell and Dominique Floyd 

Deborah A. Healey 

Michael Healey 

Emily Hedges 

Caryn Hoadley and Brad Wetstone 

Jennifer Jackson 

Barbara Jerabek 

Erin and Chris Jozwiak 

Alyson Kaneshiro 

Betty Kendrick 

Chuck and Pat Kennedy 

Fred and Carolyn Kennedy 

Erika Lagrisola and Bram Hillsman 

Peggy Lam and Anthony Mak 

Anne and Stanley Levy 

Timothy Lewis and Teresa Surichamorn 

Pica Lockwood 

Kathy Marden 

The Mazer Family 

Suzanne McDowell 

Karina Momary 

Arturo Navarro 

Cedar Nelson 

Jill Nesbitt 

PARTNER CIRCLE 

$100 – $249 

Jim and Cathy O'Dea 

The O’Damptons 

Sweety and Kamal Patel 

Macheo Payne 

Todd Petersen 

Amanda Picetti 

Alexander Pollard 

Tiffany Proehl 

Tiffany Roduit 

Gregg M. Rotenberg 

The Rowland Family 

Ana Schwartzman and Jeff Reichenberg 

The Smith-Warner Family 

Katie Steele 

Bob and Angela Steele 

Paiboon and Patcharin Surichamorn 

Rita Sussman 

Haroon Tahir 

Kent and Janet Emi Taylor 

Lisa and Horst Tebbe 

Barry Turner and Angela Hsu 

Toi and La Shawn Wells 

Anita and Jim Whitehead 

Jalil and Rhoda Whitfield 

Eleanor Williams 

Gene and Fran Zegar 

38 | REDWOOD DAY

Anonymous (6) 

Shan Amos 

Aisha Bastiaans 

Darlene Bell-Carson 

Michael Bishop 

Brisa Camacho-Lovell 

Joelle Chartier 

James and JoAnn Dawe 

Lennon Fanning 

Vince Faso 

Lucy Featherston 

Mangala and G. Gurushanthaiah 

Jessica Hadden 

Cindy Johnson 

Daniel Johnston and Rebecca Denison 

Sean Kanady 

Caroline Kanner 

Ken and Ruth Krosin 

Amy Leach 

Sarah Masanek 

Scott Maumalanga 

Jorie McDonald 

Caroline McDowell 

FRIEND CIRCLE 

Non Profit Org 

US Postage 

PAID 

Oakland, CA 

Permit No. 2508 

3245 Sheffield Avenue 

Oakland, CA 94602 

510.534.0800 

rdschool.org 

Grow Into Great 

Redwood Day inspires 

students to reach for their 

next challenge, embrace 

differences, and develop 

the intellectual and 

emotional courage to 

be ready for anything.

2021-22 RD Connects Magazine-Belonging at Redwood Day

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