Alumni Awards and Nominations

List of 2 items.

• Nancy Nye Priest '39 Alumni Award

  Do you have a friend among Graland alumni who you think would be an excellent recipient of the Nancy Nye Priest '39 Alumni Award? Please take a few minutes to nominate this outstanding individual.
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  The Nancy Nye Priest '39 Alumni Award is presented each year to an outstanding Graland alumnus or alumna who embodies the loyalty and dedication of Nancy Nye Priest, a graduate of the Class of 1939 and a former Graland teacher who retired in 1995 after 43 years as a faculty member. As both a Graland alumna and teacher, Nancy epitomizes the very soul and spirit of the school. Her tireless work with literally thousands of students, as well as her unselfish devotion to her community, clearly makes her a role model many wish to emulate. An award in her name enables Graland to recognize alumni who, through their work, commitment to community, and loyalty to the ideals nurtured at Graland, represent a fitting tribute to both Nancy and those alumni honored in the past.

   

  The purpose of Nancy Nye Priest '39 Alumni Award is to honor alumni whose extraordinary contributions in his or her chosen field of endeavor are reflective of the exemplary qualities of the person, Graland Country Day School, and the global community in which we live.

   

  If you would like to nominate someone for this award, please send a one-page nomination letter addressing the person’s qualifications in the following areas:

  • Involvement with Graland Country Day School
  • Community Service
  • Philanthropy
  • Leadership
  • Dedication and Commitment
  • Selflessness and Courage
  • Creativity and Vision

  Please send your nomination to Anna Natassja Scheitler by email by regular mail to her attention at:

   

  Graland Country Day School

  55 Clermont St

  Denver, CO 80220

   

  Recipients of the Nancy Nye Priest '39 Alumni Award have included: 

  • 2022- Dr. Sarah Burgamy ’93
  • 2021 - Ken Cooper '70
  • 2019 - Jeffrey Hughes ‘99
  • 2018 - Margaret Hoover '93
  • 2017 - David McMurtry '94
  • 2016 – Luke Beatty '86
  • 2015 – Duke Beardsley '85 & Browning Cannon '85
  • 2013 – Valerie Gates '69
  • 2012 – Katherine Dines '67
  • 2011 – Scott Horsley '81
  • 2009 – Rebecca Love Kourlis '67
  • 2008 – Timothy Wirth '54
  • 2007 – Madeline McWhinney Dale '34
  • 2006 – Jennifer Atler '86
  • 2005 – Kent Rickenbaugh '81 & Caroline Rickenbaugh '54
  • 2004 – Robert Romero '69
  • 2003 – David C. Decker '81
  • 2002 – Kevin Preblud '78 & George P. Caulkins '80
  • 2001 – William M. Berger '37
  • 2000 – Kevin Plummer '82
  • 1999 – Charles Gates '34
  • 1998 – Ruth Nunn Steel '43
  • 1997 – Dr. Kerry Brega '76
  • 1996 – Fathers Roland Freeman '54 & Larry Freeman '54
  • 1995 – Nancy Priest '39

  
  
  

• Ruth Gorham Alumni Award

  The Ruth Gorham Alumni Award is presented each year to a member of the alumni community whose dedication and service to Graland exemplify Ruth Gorham’s lifelong commitment to the school.
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  At the inaugural Master Teachers ceremony in 1998, Ruth Gorham's fellow master teacher and dear friend Phil Hickey paid tribute to her ability to “open the eyes of hundreds of youngsters to new cultures, languages, and history. Always, everywhere, she ignited a spark in all of her students, continually nurturing a joy for learning.”

   

  Mrs. Gorham's career at Graland spanned from 1930 until 1992, during which time she taught English and French to countless students and mentored numerous younger teachers. Her fondness for the school knew no bounds, and, due to her long tenure she became a meticulous chronicler of the School's history. She spent several years writing Graland Country Day School: the First 50 Years, which remains the authoritative history of the school's formative years.  Mrs. Gorham passed away in 2004 at the age of 99.

   

  Her deep commitment to the School and involvement with generations of students evolved into a position as the de facto head of alumni relations at a time when there was no such formal position on the staff and no volunteer alumni board. It is therefore particularly fitting that in 2007, the Graland Alumni Association Board passed a resolution to establish a formal tribute to the formidable woman whose role in Graland's history was indeed noteworthy.  The purpose of this award is to honor alumni who have made extraordinary contributions to the school.

   

  The following areas of interest will be reviewed during the selection process:

  • Volunteer involvement with Graland Country Day School
  • Philanthropic support of the School
  • Leadership in alumni relations
  • Dedication and commitment to Graland, its history and its educational Programs

  Please send nominations to Anna Natassja Scheitler by email or to her attention by regular mail:

   

  Graland Country Day School

  55 Clermont St

  Denver, CO 80220

   

  Past recipients of the Ruth Gorham Alumni Award have included:
  
  2023 - Dr. Adam Barkin ’91 and Dr. Beth Linas ’97
  2022 - Ben Duke III '68
  2021 - Max Caulkins '87
  2019 - Kim Fuller ’86 Jacoby
  2018 - Greg Goldberg '83
             Edward Murane '78
  2017 - Phil Hickey H'81

  2016 - Jim Arneill '66
  2015 - Andrea Sodano '65

  2013 - Ted White '73
  2012 - Bruce Rifkin '72
  

  2010 - Ben Parkes '92

  2009 - Liza Grant '79

  2008 - Ann Harrison Hicks '81

  2007 - Diane Gates Wallach '69