Special Announcement about Frances Evens and Wendy Parkman from Mark Salkind ('70)

At the end of this school year, we will be celebrating the retirements of two of our longest serving faculty members, Urban Legends Frances Evens and Wendy Parkman. For decades Frances and Wendy have each educated and mentored Urban actors, directors, writers, performers and technicians, many of whom have gone on to professional careers in the arts. We will miss them deeply and are grateful for the legacy they are each leaving -- deep, rich and meaningful programs, experiences and traditions that have become the hallmark of our school.

Thanks to Frances and Wendy, generations of Urban students in theater and circus discovered wellsprings of their own creativity, the power of persistence, the challenges of authenticity, and the joy of performing. The measurement of their success is not how many working artists are Urban alums, but in the many young people who discovered the thrill of performing and the courage to risk being vulnerable in the process of doing creative work.

We are compiling books of memories, photos and tributes to present to each of them at the end of this school year. If you have a sentiment you would like to share with Frances and/or Wendy please send them to our Director of Alumni Relations, Marianne Evans no later than Monday, May 7.

Photo from Urban's 2016 fall production of Spring Awakening

Is there anything great about Urban that isn't fully and fabulously manifest in our plays, musicals, and performances? From Circus Minimus to Macbeth, Our Town to Spring Awakening – and so many others in between and since – Wendy and Frances' enterprising and inspiring productions have shown the rest of us the power of the ensemble – by now an influential enterprise not just in theatre but in every subject and activity at Urban. ~ Jonathan Howland, Dean of Faculty

TONIGHT! MONDAY, April 16, 5:30 - 8:30 pm

Networking Reception With Bay Area Peer School Alums

DON'T MISS this special opportunity to connect with Bay Area independent school alums from a wide range of ages and professions at this casual networking reception.

Tickets are $15 and include beer, wine and nibbles in Google's new Community Space for non profits on San Francisco's Embarcadero.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

5:30 pm: Doors open

6:30 - 7:15 pm: Panel discussion on new industries and trends
7:15 - 8:30 pm: Mingling and conversation

PANELISTS
- Hossain Albgal '10 (Marin Academy); Partnerships Manager Mobile Apps, Google
- Albie Brown '12 (Urban); CEO, Spotter Parking
- Lisa Curtis '06 (Bentley); Founder and CEO, Kuli Kuli, Inc.
- Gina Mulvey '94 (Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep); Global Marketing at Dolby
- Patrick Wendell '07 (University); Co-Founder and VP Engineering, Databricks

Southern California Reunion

Mark, LeRoy, Marianne and Anna are looking forward to sharing some delicious food and drinks and reconnecting with our Southern California alums at the home of honorary Alumni Council member Jessica Kase ('92) and her husband Chris Olness in Venice this Saturday, April 21. This may be Mark's last visit down south as Urban's Head of School - we hope you can join us to wish him well in his retirement! Email Marianne or LeRoy for details or to RSVP.

Message from Alumni Council President, Jared Dowell ('99)

At the end of this week, Jordan Calhoun ('10) and I will be meeting with a small group of young students to talk about how our teenage passion for airplanes and flying guided us to our current careers in aircraft finance. We will be in good company - on Thursday and Friday, 66 Urban alums will be hosting small groups of young students at their workplaces all around the Bay Area as part of Urban's third annual Career Visiting Days for Sophomores!

I am proud to be part of a phenomenal alum community that can make this uniquely Urban experience possible for these young students.

In other Urban Alumni News:

• Urban Board Chair, Eve Niquette, joined a recent Alumni Council meeting to share news about Urban's new strategic plan, Urban Thrives, and update us on the Head of School search process.
  

• We are excited to support past, present and future Urban teachers as we launch phase two of the alumni campaign for the Dan Murphy Fund. As of today, 74 alums, faculty and former faculty have made gifts toward our ambitious goal of 200 donors. We hope you will help us reach our goal! Alums from the Classes of 2014 - 2017 will also be supporting Urban's growing endowment this year with gifts to their Class Funds. Click here to make a gift to the Dan Murphy Fund or here to make a gift or pledge payment to your Class of 2014 - 2017 Class Fund.
  
  
• This fall brings the return of the All-Alumni Reunion as we celebrate Mark's last year as Head of School and all that Urban has accomplished during his tenure. All alums will be invited to a grand celebration complete with an alumni round robin basketball tournament, music, food, drinks, Classes Without Quizzes and more. Alum classes ending in "8" will have their own chances to celebrate as part of the weekend's festivities. Email us if you would like to help us make this the best All-Alumni reunion ever or if you are an alum from a class ending in "8" and would like to plan an anniversary gathering for your class.
  
  

Thank you fellow alums for helping us strengthen our growing community and for supporting current and future Urban Blues!

Jared Dowell ('99)

2017-18 Alumni Council President

Hannah Dreier ('04): Last year we shared Hannah's work as AP's Venezuela correspondent, she is back in the US now covering immigration for ProPublica. Her latest investigative story "A Betrayal" about a young El Salvadorean immigrant from Long Island who helped feds track down MS-13 gang members, was published in partnership with New York Magazine. She discussed the story last week on NPR's Midday on WNYC podcast.

Izzy Goldberg ('16): Why are certain species found where they are, and when did they get there? Those are two of the questions then Urban senior Izzy Goldberg ('16), Urban science teacher Matt Medeiros and scientist Rosemary Gillespie sought to answer with their investigation of a group of Hawaiian Thyrocopa moths that live in windy, dry, rocky places. Matt will be presenting their project the American Genetic Association's Origins of Adaptive Radiation symposium in Hawaii this summer. Matt is happy to share information about this work with members of our alumni community. Email us if you are interested in learning more.

Claire Greenwood ('05): We are excited to see Claire in LA on Saturday, so we can talk to her about the upcoming publication of her book! Bow First, Ask Questions Later: Ordination, Love, and Monastic Zen in Japan will be published by Wisdom Publications in May. We enjoyed James Ford's review published on his Monkey Mind blog on Patheos.com. 

Bill Stanisich (Urban faculty from 1972 - 1998): The Andra Norris Gallery in Burlingame is currently featuring works from Bill's latest collections of paintings and watercolors from San Francisco's Land's End. Last month, Yale's Alumni Magazine carried a feature on the show which will be run through May 12. Congratulations Bill!

Bill Stanisich's Lands End #2 oil