Cross-Country
Junior runner David Goldstone finished second at state, leading his team to a fourth place finish. Goldstone has now been invited to compete in the Border Clash race in Oregon on November 20, an honor only extended to the top two Washington state finishers. After beating Goldstone at the Westside Classic meet to become the tri-district champion, CWA junior Ruben Riordan took third in state, finishing just nine seconds behind his teammate.   Also contributing to the team victory were junior Travis Hensley, freshman Nick Laberge, junior Dylan Harper, sophomore Drake Birnbaum and senior Bob Thureson.

“It’s a very difficult course,” Coach Jaime O’Dell commented after the team returned home from Pasco. “It’s hilly, windy and a larger race than any of the others our athletes run during the regular season. It can be very intimidating but despite the tough course, five of our boys set personal bests which is simply not expected on the state course.”

For the boys team, this is the best finish since the 2003-2005 seasons when CWA runners Tommy Wyatt, Alex Crabill and Peter Browne won the state championship in three consecutive years.

At the tri-district competition, junior Sarah Dimakis finished third for the girls, setting a new personal record, and sophomore Bryn Mayo came in fourth. Both advanced to state where they ran well in very cold weather.

Tennis
The boys tennis team had a fantastic fall. The team won the league tournament held at Vashon and the district tournament in Seattle. Senior Daniel Ham, junior Austin Kelley, freshman Teddy Grenley, freshman Philip Grenley, senior Tim Chang, and junior Evan Valentine won the quad-district title and all qualified for the state tournament in May. This is CWA’s second consecutive quad-district championship and in the spring the Tarriers will defend their state title, hoping to win three in a row.

Football
The CWA football team concluded the regular season as co-champions of the Nisqually League. This is the first time since 1989 that CWA’s football team was tied for or won the championship. CWA hosted Meridian High School at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood where the teams battled in the district playoffs for a trip to state. It was the Tarriers first district game since 1998. The Tarriers held Meridian to a 14-14 tie in the first half, but when the Trojans abandoned their passing-game CWA fell behind in the third quarter. They pulled within two to bring the score to 22-20, but then fell behind again and lost by a final score of 42-27.

Coach Mike Finch, now in his fourth year at CWA, picked up all-league Coach of the Year honors as many of his players were honored for their efforts. Junior running back Colin Reynolds, senior tackle Nick Mungia, and junior tight-end Beau Iverson were named first team offense. Mungia and Iverson were also named to first-team defense as a linebacker and lineman. Senior linebacker Alex Nielson and senior secondary Chris Lee were also named to the first-team defense. For special teams, senior Alex Dennis was named first-team as a kicker and second-team as a punter. Second-team honors on offense went to junior quarterback Fritz Jacobson. Senior Parker Rush was named second-team defense for his efforts as a lineman.

Volleyball
The volleyball team advanced to the district playoffs by defeating Orting 3-1 in their last match.. The team finished the season strong with three critical wins to make the playoffs. Their first and last playoff game was against Lynden Christian. The team played a great match but lost 3-0.

Soccer
The girls’ soccer team played well this fall and has won several important games. While the team did not advance into the post season this year, they were very competitive with other teams in the league.

Click here for full coverage of the NCAA Division III women’s soccer championship tournament.

Elsewhere in college sports

In her senior season at the University of Washington, goalkeeper Jorde LaFontaine-Kussmann ’07 was named to the second-team All-Pac-12, named GoHuskies.com Student-Athlete of the Week on Sept. 12, and named the Portland/Nike Invitational Defensive MVP for a performance in which she made 13 saves and allowed just one goal against the Huskies.

In football, Ishmael Stinson ’09 helped the Division II Central Washington University defeat Dixie State 42-14 in the Wildcats last game of the season. Stinson, a sophomore, rushed for a season-high 129 yards and had a touchdown in that game. Stinson ranks fourth in total contributions to the team’s offensive efforts this season and sixth for all purposes.

We would love to report more highlights from alums playing college sports. If you have news to share, please email Althea Cawley-Murphree at acawley-murphree at charleswright.org.

Williams applied to 13 schools she thought represented the full continuum. Then, to her tremendous surprise, she was accepted by 12 of those 13 schools. The only trouble with that bit of good fortune was that the full weight of choosing a college then fell on her shoulders and her shoulders alone. She wound up at Dartmouth, the school she originally considered a reach, but with so many options on the table it was not an easy decision.

Williams attended CWA from kindergarten and for all 13 years she was an athlete, musician and leader among her peers. She was one of only two girls in her graduating class who completed 12 seasons of competitive high school athletics. She played volleyball and basketball and sprinted for the track team all through Middle and Upper School, serving as a team captain for all three sports both her junior and senior years.

She won two state championship titles in the 4×100 meter relay (2009 and 2010) and had three second-place finishes at state in the 4×200 (2008, 2009 and 2010). She was a member of the three most successful Tarrier volleyball teams in school history. She played club volleyball for four years outside of school and coached a team of fellow CWA athletes after finishing her senior season. Williams was named the school’s most outstanding female athlete at the end of her senior year and nominated for The News Tribune’s female athlete of the year award.

Athletics were not the only activities keeping her busy. She sang in school choirs all through Upper School and competed her senior year at the state solo and ensemble competition with a quartet. Williams was also a member of the Green Key club and was very involved in community service. She was elected by her peers to be the ASB community service head her senior year. She volunteered as a tutor with Stand Up for Kids, an outreach program for homeless and at-risk youth. She also worked with the school’s Chapel Home, Boys and Girls Clubs, and global outreach programs. She served as the President of the Tacoma chapter of Jack and Jill America, Inc, a youth leadership development organization. Her senior year, Williams became an actress and Brendan Rome cast her in the role of Salome in his one act by the same name.

Academically, Williams also excelled in many areas, especially English, history, Spanish and science. She loved working on her junior research project and wrote an essay about her experience with that English paper for Ties last summer. She credits Creighton King (English), Neil Biermann (science), Howard Wouters (math) and Coaches Rob Scotlan and Mindy McGrath as some of her greatest influences at CWA.

Williams particularly loved her forensics class. “Since the third grade, I have wanted to spend my life investigating the dead to bring answers to the living,” she says. “My passion only deepened when I began taking Mr. Biermann’s forensics science class my senior year. I got hands-on experience with mini investigations so I know this is what I want to spend my life doing. I love not knowing the answers because I love discovering. I love figuring things out for myself and this is still what attracts me to the role of a coroner or medical examiner today. Many might ask whose aspiration it would be to sit with dead people all day… but someone has to do it and it might as well be someone who is genuinely curious and passionate about the matter.”

Perhaps it part because she has so many strengths and interests, the college selection process was hard for Williams. “I had a very long list of colleges, right up until I made my final choice,” she says. “I started with a summer tour of West Coast schools with my parents the summer before my junior year, then took a similar tour of East Coast schools before my senior year. In total I saw almost 30 schools. I looked at every type of college and university because I thought it would at least help me decide what sort of school I did not want to attend.

“I decided that I would probably prefer a smaller school and that I liked the idea of attending school on the East Coast, especially since I think I will probably move back to the West Coast to begin my career. Beyond that, touring schools did not particularly help me narrow down my list. I decide to apply to 13 schools – more than most students do – and just see what happened. I assumed the schools’ decisions would narrow the list considerably. I applied regular-decision to mostly liberal arts schools on the East Coast but I also applied to a few in California and one in Washington.

“Dartmouth was the big reach on my list. It was secretly my number one, but I only told a few people that. I was intimidated by its selectivity – less than 10 percent of applicants get in – so although I knew I wanted to run in college, I didn’t even bother to contact the Dartmouth coach. It seemed like a waste of time because I really didn’t think I was going to get in.”

What Williams most liked about Dartmouth was not the prestige of its Ivy League status, but the feeling she got on campus. “I visited in the summer and it was the only campus that felt alive. There were lots of students there and everyone was studying and laughing and having fun. Everyone was happy. It seemed like they were a bunch of Rachaels.”

The decision letter began arriving in February and one after another brought good news. The first eleven decisions she received were all acceptances. Because she wanted to run for the track team, she found herself leaning toward Colgate and Davidson, confident that she could make either Division I team. She had several conversations with their coaches.

The twelfth decision Williams received was a denial and she consoled herself that getting into eleven of thirteen schools was really pretty good. The Dartmouth decision was schedule for the very same day, so she figured she would check online before telling her parents. To her tremendous surprise, she found she had been accepted. “I ran into the other room and told my dad, then went right upstairs to update my Facebook status and call my best friend,” she recalls. “I decided to surprise my mom when she came home but yeah, I told everyone on Facebook first.”

Once the excitement wore off, Williams faced a difficult decision. She was still feeling a little intimidated by Dartmouth’s academic reputation and she was not sure she could run there. More research was necessary. She emailed the coach who responded: “Your times look like the people I would have talked to (while recruiting). I’ll put you on the summer workout list.”

With the possibility of running on the table, she booked a flight to visit the school a second time. This trip she made solo. “After the last performance of One Acts, I changed my clothes at school and went straight to the airport. I had to be back at CWA on Tuesday so it was a quick trip two-night trip. I mainly listened to what people had to say. I sat in on a Spanish class and I thought the professor was really funny. Apparently a rat had disturbed his last class by running through the classroom and he kept making jokes about the rat.”

Williams spent both nights in the dorms. The first night she stayed with Tori Portnow, a 2010 graduate of CWA. “We talked about the transition and how prepared she felt,” says Williams. “Her answers really pointed me in the right direction. I was concerned about the weather – I thought I was going to freeze to death and I still do, actually – and about the academic rigor. Because we come from the same high school, her comparisons of the programs were really helpful and I gained a lot of confidence from our conversations.”

As a pre-med student, Williams knows her chosen course of study will be challenging. She will likely major in biochemistry or neurology. “Dartmouth has a really strong premed program and the number one student-faculty research program, so if I want to do research as an undergrad, this will definitely be the school to do that,” she says.

Williams also made time to visit with members of the track team. She thought long and hard about what made her a successful student athlete in high school. “I think what makes me successful in the classroom is knowing that I have so much to do that I have to balance and manage my time well. The more free time I have, the less I manage my time well. Athletics provides structure and I make more efficient time of the work time I create for myself. Running in college will help me be a better student and it will provide an emotional release that keeps me well rounded.

“By the end of the visit, I was sure I wanted to attend Dartmouth. For such a serious academic school, Dartmouth students know how to have fun. It feels kind of like Charles Wright, really. There isn’t a person there who doesn’t have pride in the school and I think that’s really important.”

When she arrived home in Tacoma, Williams got online to make decision official and after notifying the admissions office she sent an email to the track coach. Because track is a winter and spring sport, she does not need to report to campus early. She does need to stay healthy and after rehabbing an injury for several months, she’s making that a top priority. Once the big decision was behind her, Williams relaxed and enjoyed the end of her senior year. Her peers selected her as one of three student graduation speakers, an honor she greatly appreciated. “I’m just really going to miss this place and everyone who helped shape me into the person I am today,” she says.

Officially, Barb’s work as a community builder began after college, but her ability to bring and keep people together has always been one of her many skills. She went to University of Puget Sound after graduating from Charles Wright and as is Barb’s way, she worked hard and she played hard, earning a Bachelors degree in International Affairs, with Minors in Economics, Politics and Japanese.  With degree in hand, Barb joined two of her sisters, Kathy ’79 and Chris ’77 and began an entrepreneurial  journey that would build three “sister” businesses, Dobler Management Company, Sound Screening and Sound Collection Services into one of the largest property management businesses in Washington today. Each sister is responsible for a separate area of the business, but no one would deny that Barb’s industrious and determined business management style has been one of the keys to their success.

Current CWA board member, business partner and sister, Kathy Dobler says, “Perseverance best describes Barb. If she needs to get something done, she will do it. 3:00 AM is just another part of her work day. If she needs your help to initiate or complete a project, look out—because there is no escape from her or her Blackberry—neither of them ever runs out of batteries.” She continues, “Barb is a team player and her perseverance makes her a perfect partner, responsible Board member, reliable volunteer, unrelenting coworker, and most importantly, a wonderful sister.  We have fun together in everything we do.

Fun is a big part of who Barb is and why she is successful. Dave Meadowcroft, fellow ’84 alum, who served with Barb on the alumni board over the years, had this to share, “In addition to being a successful entrepreneur and community leader, her finest hours are seen carrying the Dobler torch…  She is very active as a parent volunteer, party planner, sports fan, and photographer who even finds the time to manage her dog, Bella’s, Facebook page.  She is a loyal friend to many, has a great sense of humor and continues to be a great asset in the CWA community.”

Charles Wright is a fortunate beneficiary of Barb’s generosity and dedication. She is quick to support the school in whatever way necessary, often going above and beyond to assure what needs to happen, does—from capital campaigns gifts to hosting countless pool parties for the families of son, Michael’s class of 2018. She knows that community is important and works tirelessly to strengthen each one that she is a part of.

“There are so many little things you can do to build community”, says Barb who spends much of her time doing just that. She also spends much of her time looking for the biggest ways to improve our local communities. She currently serves as a community advisor on the Tacoma think tank, “Tidal Wave”, a coalition of city leaders and community members who create change in the City’s neighborhoods. She also serves on the boards of the Emergency Food Network, the YWCA, the South Tacoma Neighborhood Council, the West Mall Business and Neighborhood Coalition and the National Association of Screening Agencies (yes, NASA!)

In addition, Barb has served as an instructor for the National Crime Free housing program for the cities of Lakewood, Tacoma, Federal Way, Des Moines and Puyallup Police Departments since 1996 in an effort to create safe, stable communities around the south sound.

Because Barb embodies the best of what it means to be a Tarrier, it is with both admiration and gratitude CWA presents the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award to class of ’84 graduate, Barb Dobler Tucci.

Steve Daniels retired in June of 2011 and was presented with this Lifetime Teaching Award and the annual faculty/staff appreciation event.

For 41 years, Steve Daniels taught and coached at Charles Wright, always striving with humility, dignity and grace to help each student achieve his or her full potential. For so many years, and through so many changes, Steve was a steady rock in our community. He set high yet obtainable goals for his students and made sure they understood his expectations. His great consistency allowed growing minds to learn how to be good students as they fine-tuned their study strategies and built foundations for knowledge. He never gave up on anyone and always held all those around him accountable to themselves and the Charles Wright community. He modeled for all integrity, honesty, kindness and generosity.

Even at the end of his career, Steve was always looking for new ways to improve his teaching technique and frequently sought advice from his colleagues. As one fellow teacher pointed out, “He was willing to listen to my ideas, even though he had been teaching since before I was even born.” His unwavering support taught everyone how to be a better teacher, colleague and friend. So deep was his respect for those with whom he worked that he always willingly supported decisions made by the Middle School faculty, even if he did not always agree with them fully. In the classroom and on the field, he led by example, always demonstrating as much respect for and commitment to his students as he asked from them.

Although he taught physics, chemistry, environmental science, algebra and geometry in both the Middle and Upper Schools, he will forever be remembered for his long tenure as the teacher of eighth-grade earth science. Steve tirelessly worked to help students understand astronomy, oceanography and geology. He spent many hours in the lab helping students learn to identify rocks and minerals – and write poems and limericks about them. He helped students prepare to compete in Science Olympiad and a variety of science and engineering competitions. He brought to the classroom unbridled enthusiasm for drumlins and alluvial fans, plate tectonics and magma, dimensional analysis, dichotomous keys, and the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.

Steve was also a great coach. He brought the same committed and persistent attitude that he showed in the classroom to his role coaching football, baseball, track and field, basketball and rugby. For a time he also served as the Director of Athletics, while still teaching and coaching. When he wasn’t leading the team, Steve could always be found on the sidelines cheering, or up in the announcer’s booth calling out the names of the students engaged in each play.

Day after day, year after year, Steve demonstrated Tarrier spirit through his commitment, involvement and care for the whole community. In all, he taught more than 2,500 students at CWA. Each spring, the Middle School faculty has adopted a tradition of selecting three words to describe each eighth-grader’s spirit. One of Steve’s colleagues selected the following words for Steve as he graduated from his career at Charles Wright: dedicated, steadfast and granite-like.

With gratitude, the Charles Wright community honors Steve Daniels with a Lifetime Teaching Award for exemplifying all of those characteristics for so many years.

With advice from Aimee Mell, CWA’s choral music director, Gula wrote the music, lyrics and orchestrations for the show. Drew joined the project to help write the “book” or script.

Falling Back is the coming of age story of James Carney, a boy who runs away from his hometown with dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur in New York City. En route he befriends a traveling salesman, the CEO of a fortune 500 company, and the CEO’s lovely daughter. Of course, appearances are not always as they seem, and Carney finds himself caught up in a tale of crime, punishment and love. The show is suitable for all-ages.

Both Gula and Drew are veterans of CWA’s theater program and have appeared in several plays and musicals. This is their first writing project.

Two years ago C.J. Dale, Pat’s older brother, won the Scholar-Athlete Back of the Year award at the same event. He was the first Charles Wright student to earn the honor in the program’s history.

The Tacoma Pierce County Chapter was founded in 1977 under the leadership of former University of Puget Sound Football Coach Paul Wallrof and a group of coaches, football officials, business leaders, and civic leaders.

The Jumping Jaguars are coached by fourth grade teacher Jim Pelander. Coach Pelander stresses the importance of punctuality, attending practice, hard work, commitment to the program and the significance that team members are part of something larger than themselves.

The team practices twice a week for two hours and students are expected to practice at home as well. Jaguars chosen from among the students who audition each fall. Gaining a spot on the team is competitive and many of the 18 students remain on the team throughout their Lower School career. This year the team performed during several Upper School basketball games at CWA and at Sunset Elementary.

The Jumping Jaguars got their start in 1996 when student Andrew Evans teamed up with Pelander to start the squad. Evans graduated from CWA in 2006 and from Brown University in 2009. He now engineers tree houses, the sort a family can actually live in. Among the Jumping Jaguars’ many alums are current seniors Stephanie Friend, McKenzie Hayford, Elizabeth McAvoy, Drew Pine and Parker Reynolds.

Ballard was chosen through a competitive selection process and will receive a $30,000 stipend to complete a master’s degree in education, preparation to teach in a high-need public school, support throughout a three-year teaching commitment, and guidance toward teaching certification.

The fellows, many of whom have themselves experienced the challenges of high-need urban and rural schools, also share a common commitment to community service. “A quality education for all children in hopes of an engaged and knowledgeable citizenry is one prospect for which the WW-RBF Fellowship works tirelessly,” said Ballard. “I consider it a rare privilege and distinct honor to be among the ranks of WW-RBF Fellows.”

Established in 1992, the Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color were created to help recruit, support, and retain individuals of color as public education teachers and administrators. Since the program’s inception, it has awarded nearly $8 million in grants and financial assistance to 375 Fellows.

“The Foundation is pleased to add this impressive group of young and promising teachers to its national network of outstanding teachers and scholars,” said Bill Dandridge, program officer and director. “Their desire to serve children in the nation’s most challenging schools and communities is an important reason to be hopeful about the future of our public schools.”

Ballard grew up in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma and entered Charles Wright in the seventh grade. As a student, he was deeply involved in the life of the school, playing in the orchestra, acting in theater productions, running track, and taking on leadership roles among his classmates.

Upon graduation he wrote: “Growing up in a predominately ‘have fear and be feared’ neighborhood, I quickly came to realize that if we live by what other people say and do we will always live life with regrets. I worked to break free of the constraints the neighborhood created around me through the support of my family and the greater community, which afforded me the opportunities that have allowed me to be where I am today…. We proud few that call ourselves Tarriers have the privilege of bearing witness to the reality that education cannot stop at facts, dates, figures, and textbooks; instead, education much reach beyond that and grasp the true nature of the subject at hand. To read beyond the text and achieve true learning through expression, discussion, and exploration is what we are about. Because of dedicated faculty and staff, I am one inspired mind that will truly grow forever… I want to help people, and children in particular, and provide them with the same opportunities in life that I’ve been privileged to have.”

The WW-RBF fellows selected this year come from some of the nation’s top colleges and universities: the University of California – Santa Barbara, Yale University, Swarthmore College, Amherst College, the University of Pennsylvania, Spelman College, Brown University, the University of Southern Maine, Wellesley College, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Chicago, Williams College, Boston College, the University of Washington, the University of Arizona, Howard University, Montclair State University, and the University of Maryland.

Philley, a 6-foot-2 economics major, played basketball during his freshman year at Carleton and switched to baseball as a sophomore. He quickly became a star with a batting average of .364. Only two of his teammates were more successful at the plate and in runs scored. He led the squad in RBIs. He highlighted his versatility by playing every position except pitcher, catcher and first base, eventually settling in as the everyday designated hitter. This year it looks likely that Philley will find a home in right field.

Philley was a three-sport athlete at Charles Wright, earning all-league honors in football, basketball and baseball. A member of the 2008 1A state championship basketball team, he earned second-team all-state honors in that sport his senior year. Philley lists winning that state championship as the greatest moment in his athletic career on Carleton’s website. He was also the study body president and a member of the school choir.

Carleton’s baseball program was created in 1887 and the Knights have four conference titles to their credit, including the 1991 MIAC title. The team’s first game of 2011 will be March 5 at Central College in Jacksonville, Ill. The closest they will come to Washington this year are their ten games scheduled in California.

Five of Philley’s teammates were also named to the national list. The only other teams with as many players named are the defending National Champion, Illinois Wesleyan University, and pre-season #1 team in the nation, Heidelberg University.