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Every time one enters the main doors of the Georgia Nelson Building on campus, they are greeted by the Master Teacher wall, which houses the portraits of Graland educators (former and current) who have dedicated 20-plus years of their career to the school, its mission, and its students. This year, the 71st Master Teacher headshot was added to the wall in honor of Drama Teacher Dan O’Neill.
Every year, Graland’s Alumni Board honors a member (or members) of the alumni community with the Ruth Gorham Award for their extraordinary contributions to the school. Ms. Gorham, the longest-serving teacher in the school’s history (62 years!), will always be remembered as a dedicated educator and mentor who nurtured the joy of learning in her students. For this reason, Graland is pleased to announce that this year’s award recipients are Dr. Adam Barkin ’91 and Dr. Beth Linas ’97.
Last May, Ben Duke, Class of 1968, received the Ruth Gorham Alumni Award, which each year honors an individual “whose dedication and service to Graland exemplify Ruth Gorham’s lifelong commitment to the school.”
While serving as assistant head of school at Graland, Ben notably initiated the Master Teacher Program, in which Master Teachers who have dedicated twenty years of service to Graland are recognized in the spring.
Graland has a long and distinguished history. Before settling in as a “country day school” at its present site in the fall of 1928, the school began at three locations near downtown Denver. The earliest years are worth knowing about and appreciating as they tell the story of how a group of determined parents worked with the founding teachers to make Graland a reality.
On October 27, 2022, clinical psychologist Dr. Sarah Burgamy ’93 returned to Graland to receive one of the school’s highest alumni honors, The Nancy Nye Priest Alumni Award. Many who knew Mrs. Priest ‘39 (Graland alumna and former educator of 43 years) remember her for her leadership, selflessness, service, courage, creativity, and dedication to the school and the community. Those who have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Dr. Burgamy would agree that she embodies these same qualities as Mrs. Priest.
For those students and alumni who have experienced the Grade 5 knighting ritual, these are the words spoken by the king just prior to the moment they are awarded the status of knighthood.
“Lady Nelson” is Miss Georgia Nelson, the first leader of Graland who served as headmistress from 1927 to 1960 and from 1963 to 1964.
Each year, The Ruth Gorham Award is given to a member of the Graland alumni community whose service and dedication embody Ruth Gorham’s lifelong commitment to the school. A longtime educator, Ruth Gorham devoted her career to Graland, teaching French and English from 1930 until 1992. She is remembered as a mentor, a diligent school historian, as well as the de facto head of alumni relations at a time when a formal position did not exist. For this reason, it is particularly fitting that Graland alumnus Ben Duke is the recipient of this year’s Ruth Gorham Award and will be receiving this honor during the Alumni Reunion on May 21, 2022.
The Graland Alumni Board’s Networking Committee recently held a virtual panel on entrepreneurship. Graland thanks the alumni below who volunteered their time and shared their expertise and professional purpose with fellow alumni and other members of the school community.
Graland would like to congratulate two very special educators and Graland Master Teachers, Ms. Cathy (Kosal) Naughton and Mrs. Annie Lassiter, on their retirements! The Graland community has learned so much from each of them over the years and will miss their presence in the classroom and on campus. Please continue reading below to learn about their contributions over the years as well as what they are looking forward to most in their retirement.
As we explore the concept of living out your passions, the Alumni and Development Office wanted to highlight two outstanding Graland alumni who reflect this idea in their everyday lives. Meet Rasa Humeyumptewa from the Class of 2014 and Cully Cavness from the Class of 2002!
On Wednesday, December 8, several alumni returned to Graland to share their life experiences and successes with current Grade 8 students. The distinguished speakers included President of Crusoe Energy, Cully Cavness ’02, Director of Sustainability and Beverage Packaging (North and Central America) at Ball Corporation, Sara Axelrod ’04, and Graland Alumni Board Member, current parent, and Co-Founder of ABBY&FINN, Amanda Poe ’00 Little. While the speakers primarily returned to Graland to inspire students before their upcoming capstone project on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, they also are a critical piece of tying Graland’s past to its future.
Each year, The Nancy Nye Priest Alumni Award is presented to an extraordinary Graland alumnus or alumna who lives out the admirable qualities of Nancy Nye Priest, a graduate of the Class of 1939 and Graland faculty member who retired in 1995 after 43 years of teaching. Many remember Mrs. Priest as a role model who embodied the very spirit and soul of the school. An award in her name not only allows Graland to pay tribute to Mrs. Priest but to honor alumni who carry on her legacy of service, curiosity, passion, and loyalty.
Kenneth “Ken” Cooper ’70’s educational experience at Graland was foundational in his pursuit towards excellence throughout his life and still today. One of Graland’s first Black students, Mr. Cooper is a Pulitzer Prize winner, an author, and has been a reporter and editor for more than 40 years, specializing in government, politics, and social policy, at the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Knight Ridder, St. Louis American, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
With great preparation and many layers of health and safety precautions taken, Grade 6 students were able to once again attend the Southwest Trip, a hallmark of Graland’s historic experiential learning. This trip originated 50 years ago, in 1971, and was the idea of teaching legend Nancy Nye ‘39 Priest, who passed away just last November at the age of 93.
In our nearly 100-year history, Graland has educated thousands of students, held hundreds of events, established dozens of traditions, and watched some of the world’s finest educators practice their craft in and out of the classroom. While there are many precious intangibles related to these factors, the tangible evidence of the Graland legacy can be found in an expansive collection of artifacts, documents, and photographs going back to the school’s earliest years. It’s no small task to identify, preserve, and catalog these items, and we are fortunate to have a team of volunteers with the passion and expertise to keep Graland history alive.
Graland was honored to have former trustee, former parent, and Graland grandparent Barry Hirschfeld on campus recently to share the story of his family’s special artistic and architectural gift to Graland. Keep reading for the history of the Georgia Nelson Building’s alphabet tiles.
The four Romo-Nichols siblings, three Graland graduates and one current student, have likely set some kind of record with their family’s participation in the Gates Invention and Innovation Program. And not just because each of them competed every year in Middle School, which itself is exceptional, but also by earning top awards and even a United States patent.
My first entry into the Gates Invention and Innovation Competition at Graland wasn’t much more than two photovoltaic cells sandwiched together with a few bent paper clips and a substantial quantity of hot glue. The device was meant to recycle a room’s ambient light for use during the nighttime, but the machine didn’t work, this much I knew. What I didn’t know was that this malfunctioning little science project would catalyze my fascination with technology, boost my self-confidence, and most importantly, show me that I could solve real problems.
Electric violinist, Jeffrey Hughes ’99 rocked the house at last week’s alumni cocktail party! More than 100 alumni, parents of alumni, faculty, and former faculty were in attendance when we gathered to celebrate Jeffrey Hughes ’99, this year’s honoree and recipient of the Nancy Nye Priest Alumni Award. Mrs. Priest beamed from the front row as we wrapped up the remarks and Jeff picked up his violin. “Oh good! He’s going to play some music” she exclaimed. Jeff began to play and D.J., Quintin Sherrell, came in with accompaniment wowing the crowd as he played.
It was a fantastic evening! Click here for photos from the evening and a video from his performance.
Graland’s Development & Alumni Office is pleased to welcome Anna Natassja Scheitler ’13 as the newest member of the team. A Denver native, Ms. Scheitler returned to Graland as development manager in July 2021. A proud alumna, Ms. Scheitler has many fond memories of being an Eagle. She is a firm believer that Graland shaped her into the person she is today and is looking forward to making many more memories during her professional career. Ms. Scheitler graduated magna cum laude from Bucknell University with a bachelor’s degree in English literary studies. In her free time, as a former NCAA Division I rower, she enjoys coaching junior rowing at the Mile High Rowing Club. When she is not on the water, Ms. Scheitler enjoys spending time in the mountains, reading poetry, and volunteering.
Graland alumna Dr. Sarah Burgamy ’93 visited a middle school assembly recently to give an UpWords speech on Honor Individuality. UpWords speeches allow members of the Graland community (students, teachers, alumni) to share how they live Graland’s Guiding Principles in their everyday lives. Sarah’s message to students was, “Be as strange as you can … and do it visibly,” a motto she adopted after struggling with her own identity development.
Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday announced that he has chosen University of Colorado law professor Melissa Hart to fill a vacant seat on the Colorado Supreme Court...
Congratulations to Graland alumni who recently won the Colorado Mock Trial State Championship and will go on to compete nationally May 11-13 in Hartford, Connecticut.
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1924, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.