Alumni Association Newsletter Fall 2017 Edition The operations of the Bexley High School Alumni Association (BHSAA) are managed by the Bexley Education Foundation. Message from Alumni Relations Distinguished alumni recognized Committee Chair at Centennial Celebration Dear Fellow Bexley High School Alumni, On Sunday, September 17, 2017 the Bexley City The Alumni Association has been School District celebrated its 100 year anniversary working hard this year to strengthen on the Carlton Smith Field at Bexley High School. relationships with Bexley alums. This This once-in-a-lifetime event welcomed new mission seems especially appropriate Superintendent of Schools, Kimberly Miller, and as Bexley Schools celebrate their recognized the tradition of educational excellence Centennial Anniversary. of the district. Dan Pink In my second year as the Alumni Relations Chair, I have been fortunate “At this 100-year mark, we have a great opportunity to hear many stories about how special to look back and reflect on not only what has Bexley Schools are to alumni. The made this a great school district, but a truly great stories were particularly poignant one community,” Miller said. “We are educating the next year ago at the 2016 BHSAA Memorial Tennis Tournament. The tradition generation of thinkers, artists, musicians, problem- of recognizing Bexley graduates solvers, school leaders, national leaders.” with Distinguished Alumni awards was revived at the School District’s The Bexley High School Alumni Centennial Celebration. The gratitude Association marked the occasion Sue Ramsey expressed by six individual honorees by reviving the Distinguished has been a powerful statement about Alumni Awards. the value of a Bexley education and the Six Bexley High School strong sense of community felt by those graduates were recognized as who walked the halls of Bexley High School. Distinguished Alumni. Three of the honorees, Joel Goldman We have much to be proud of and Joel Goldman ‘81, Richard Nafzger ‘59 and Sue much to celebrate this past year. In Ramsey ’74 were in attendance, May, the alumni committee hosted a Senior Day Celebration Day with food and family members of Lisa Lisa Switkin trucks, games, and photos for the Class Switkin ‘92, Dan Pink ’82 and of 2017. Thanks to the many volunteers Jeff Janis ‘89 accepted on their behalf. The last who made this a special and fun day Distinguished Alumni recognition was held in 2011, for the newest members of the Alumni prior to the Alumni Association coming under the Association. umbrella of the Bexley Education Foundation. Bexley alumni are over 12,000 strong, living across the country and around Biographies of the Distinguished Alumni Award the world. We want to hear about the Jeffrey Janis recipients are on the Bexley High School Alumni all the wonderful things you are doing. Association Website, www.bexleyalumni.org, along Please contact the BHSAA with any with the criteria and past recipients. news or questions. Together, we can express our gratitude for the rich BEF Board of Governors Vice Chair, Betsy Farrar experience we shared. said, “It seems particularly fitting to present these awards today as the Bexley City School District celebrates its 100th anniversary because in reality Jennifer Ridgley Bunker ‘91 we are celebrating every student who has had the Chair, Alumni Relations Committee opportunity to benefit from one of the finest public Richard Nafzger school systems in Ohio and the country.” 348 S. Cassingham Road, Bexley, OH 43209 • [email protected] • 614.338.2093 • www.bexleyalumni.org 1 Miller takes on role of superintendent When Dr. Michael Johnson announced his retirement after 16 years serving the Bexley City Schools, the Bexley City School District was in need of a new superintendent. After a nationwide search the Board of Education announced in April 2017 that Kimberly P. Miller had been selected for the position. Miller has 28 years of experience in K-12 public education. She has a demonstrated track record in administration, teaching and learning in high- performing and high-achieving school districts. She most recently served as the Chief Academic Officer at Dublin City Schools, where she worked collaboratively with staff to develop clear and common instructional goals that had created a strong sense of alignment and focus across the district’s 20 schools. Bexley Board of Education president Melissa LaCroix believes Miller is the best fit due to her passion for what she does and a “clear vision” that Miller communicated when she interviewed in April. Miller has spent the weeks since her August 1 start date meeting with staff at Bexley High School, Middle School and the three elementary schools. She aims Kimberly Pietsch Miller, to create strong working relationships and develop a district-wide strategic plan Bexley City Schools Superintendent for continuous improvement. “I am honored to become the superintendent of Bexley City Schools,” said Miller. “Bexley’s reputation as a community that is committed to the development of each student is well-deserved and I look forward to working alongside the school board, staff, parents and the community as we continue to build on Bexley’s success.” Stephen Kress ‘63, wildlife conservationist Dr. Stephen Kress, executive A 1963 graduate of Bexley High and Harvard Medical School director of the Seabird Restoration School, Kress started the Audubon’s where he trained as a surgeon. Program and vice president for Project Puffin in 1973 in an effort Widely recognized today as a Bird Conservation of the National to restore puffins to historic nesting groundbreaking researcher and Audubon Society, is the 2017 islands in the Gulf of Maine. Project cancer warrior, Dr. Folkman served Dr. Judah Folkman Scientist-in- Puffin has evolved to support active as the graduation speaker for Residence. Kress received his seabird restoration programs in Bexley High School in 2000. Bachelor’s in Zoology and Master’s Maine. Kress’s passion for the He passed away in 2008. in Wildlife Management from The project began in 1967 during a Ohio State University, and his Ph.D. summer job at the Sunbury Shores Since the program began in in Environmental Education from Arts and Nature Centre in New 2000, physicians, scientists and Cornell University. Brunswick, Canada. He noticed researchers have come from that Easter Egg Rock had no puffin across the country to participate. inhabitants, despite its history as a Past programs have included breeding ground for the birds. presentations on: alternative fuel For the last 30 years, Kress has sources/green energy, emergency devoted his life to restoring the medicine, forensic medicine puffin populations in their natural and crime scene investigation, North American habitats. environmental science, cardiology, nuclear medicine, oncology, The Scientist-in-Residence program pathology, and haptics. The is made possible each year by Folkman Scientist-in-Residence the Dr. Judah Folkman (Class of Program is a held one day a year 1950) Science Endowment Fund at and made available to Bexley High the Bexley Education Foundation. School science students taking The program honors the life and physical science, biology, chemistry, work of Dr. Judah Folkman, a and physics classes (including 1950 Bexley High School graduate advanced placement classes). who went on to attend Ohio State Dr. Stephen Kress ‘63 (photo courtesty Project Puffin) 348 S. Cassingham Road, Bexley, OH 43209 • [email protected] • 614.338.2093 • www.bexleyalumni.org 2 1950 graduates continue tradition, meet regularly Article and photos courtesy of Bill Creager ‘50 Since 1993, twelve graduates of the class of 1950 have continued the tradition of meeting regularly to catch up and reminisce. Four of them, Bill Creager, Scott Imboden, Bob Clark and Halliday Hayes reunited in August 2017. Together, they drove from Columbus to Bellefontaine, Ohio and revisited the YMCA’s Camp Willson. They had each attended the camp together in the summer of 1945. They rounded out their journey by visiting classmate Bob Jolliffe in Troy, Michigan before returning to their Bill Creager, Scott Inboden, Pictured together at Camp Willson in respective homes in different parts of the country. Bob Clark, and 1945. (Left two boys) Scott Imboden Halliday Hayes and Bill Creager. (Right two boys) Halliday Hayes and Bob Clark. Bexley alum named teacher of the year Chelsea Callif BHS ’04 recently received the Teacher of the Year award at Olentangy Preschool, part of the Olentangy Local School District. Her peers said: “She goes above and beyond to reach each student. She is a wonderful teacher and deserves this honor!” Chelsea also coaches the Bexley High School Girls Junior Varsity Basketball team. Castorena named BHS head football coach After a highly successful 2016 Castorena is a 2004 graduate of season – winning in the playoffs Napoleon High School and has for the first time and the first degrees from both Ohio State unbeaten season since 1926, and Notre Dame College in South Bexley High School Football saw Euclid, Ohio. head coach John Smith step down in December 2016 after ten Eli Goldberger, Bexley Athletics seasons. With hopes of riding last Director, was quoted in This Week year’s success, Nathan Castorena Bexley saying Castorena has all was hired to fill Smith’s position. the qualities in a coach that he Castorena served as the offensive was looking for. Nathan Castorena, Head Football Coach line coach at Olentangy Orange With several key players (photo courtesy of This Week Bexley) for three seasons, and has been graduated in 2017, Castorena assistant coach at DeSales, Grove will now rely on the leadership a really strong group ready to City and Gahanna where he of rising seniors Grant Robinson, make a name for themselves and teaches history. Henry Bredemeier, Tyler Mitchell, carry on the program’s recent “I am very excited to be the new Mason Remes and Wesley winning tradition. I expect that Bexley Head Football Coach.