Twenty Years and Counting

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As a school that educates teenagers, we're required to stay current. Youth connotes freshness and vitality, and celebrates many, but not all things new. Yet this community also venerates longevity and experience and all its benefits. In recent weeks, several faculty members have been recognized for their 20-year length of service to Cate,as well as for their extraordinary and varied contributions to the institution. As is tradition, each was recognized in assembly with the reading and presentation of a citation by Headmaster Ben Williams. Excerpts follow: 

Headmaster Ben Williams presents a framed citation to Lauren Jared in assembly.

Lauren Jared, History Department Chair

Lauren has been chair of the history department since 2008 and in that capacity has guided the department toward an exciting vision of a new curriculum for the 21st century.  She provides a valuable perspective in department chair discussions of student competencies at each grade level across the curriculum. She makes time to serve on the American Historical Society’s prize committee.  Lauren is a deep thinker, an attentive listener and a wise support to others, incapable of an unkind word or hasty judgment.  Ardently interested in education, history, politics and religion, she is a font of wisdom but like a Medieval pilgrim, is always seeking for more enlightened answers.  A much respected colleague and friend, she lives up to the words Chaucer used to describe the scholar, one of the most honorable of those pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales:  “Sounding of moral virtue was his [her] speech, and gladly would he [she] learn, and gladly teach.”
 

David Wood teaches a Japanese class.

David Wood, Foreign Language Department Chair

Of all the remarkable contributions David Wood has made to life on the Mesa in his twenty years here, it is the emphasis on intentional excellence that may have the most lasting impact on the School. Though these words about perfect practice are usually directed at the girls on the varsity soccer team he has coached for more than a decade, the mantra reflects an attention to detail and interest in personal growth that are evident in every endeavor of which David is a part. Whether he is preparing a lesson for his Japanese students, counseling us on the best waffle-making techniques, or tackling Gibraltar Peak on his bike, David models a deliberate approach to his work and play that inspires our own best efforts. 

Teachers and students applaud Sandi Pierce for her long and dedicated service to Cate.

Sandi Pierce, Assistant Head, Finance and Operations

Sandi’s appointment in 1991 was notable for a great many reasons.  She was literally sought out by then Headmaster Scott McLeod, who recognized in her the managerial skills, the interpersonal agility, and the financial acumen that have since distinguished her remarkable tenure.  Perhaps just as significant, Sandi entered an institution that remained at the time decidedly male, and especially so in the school’s administrative and trustee leadership.  Sandi was a pioneer, though she would never admit to such herself, and possesses all the mettle and resolve and hope required of those who help to blaze a trail.  But such qualities in Sandi feel more like compassion, thoughtfulness, organization, and discipline than anything harder edged.

John Tilton received a standing ovation from community members when receiving his citation.

John Tilton, Controller

Working with numbers is really a small part of John's impact.  His generosity of time and spirit can been seen in every interaction with him.  Whether it is answering business related questions, thoughtfully balancing the financial aid process between school resource and family need, working with the students on the volleyball court and sharing his vast knowledge and love of the game, or organizing the most recent lottery pool with great humor, John's personal touch shines through in everything he does.  He has the ability to take complicated information, break it down into understandable pieces, and through thoughtful conversation about the topic at hand he fills the role of mentor, educator and friend.  His quick wit and wonderful sense of humor add a rich dimension to each conversation. It is John's willingness to take the time to look at each individual person’s circumstance and tailor a response just for them with accuracy, kindness and gentleness where his caring and support of those around him is most evident.  

 

Donna Dayton with her husband Jerome Dayton after her recognition in assembly.

Donna Dayton, Director of Technology

Donna  has guided Cate’s technology program through twenty years of tremendous growth and transformation.  When she arrived on the Mesa, a campus-wide computer network did not even exist—let alone the wireless network, e-mail, voicemail, internet connectivity, computers for everyone, “smart devices” and so many of the items that we take for granted today.  She has overseen all phases of the development of a network that now embraces multiple operating systems, has increased from a single server to now over fifteen, and from a single T1 line to a high-speed microwave link.  Through many long days and often nights of hard work, fueled in part by pepperoni pizza, Donna’s boundless energy, determination and tenacious problem-solving abilities have made it all come together to fill the community’s many needs.