HOS Search Update
Earlier this month, the chairs of our Head of School Search Committee shared this letter with our Bay Area alumni community regarding the committee's unanimous decision to bring three candidates back to Urban to meet the rest of the community. We were pleased to see alums from a broad range of years in attendance at our first HOS finalist meeting -- thank you for your engagement in this important process for Urban!

If you live outside of the Bay Area and would like to be added to the list of alums receiving updates regarding this week's finalist visits please email us. To stay apprised of this search process see the HOS section of our website.

Dan Murphy Fund for Educational Innovation and Faculty Growth:
Support the Next Generation Teachers!

Thank you to all our alums who have made gifts to the Dan Murphy Fund honoring Urban teachers and the culture of life long learning and intellectual growth that Dan fostered throughout his 50-year tenure with the school.

Watch the Dan Murphy Fund page for stories of the exciting ways our teachers bring their professional growth opportunities back into the Urban classroom, track our progress toward our ambitious goal of 200 donors by June 30, and make your gift!

Alums from the Classes of 2014 - 2017 are invited to make a gift or pledge payment to your Class Funds also in support Urban's endowment and our students and teachers. 

Thank you for investing in Urban's greatest resource – our inspiring and hard working teachers!

Celebrating Urban Legends 

At the end of this school year, we will be celebrating the retirements of two of our longest serving faculty members, Frances Evens and Wendy Parkman. We invite all our alums to join us for a reception on Saturday, June 9, from 4 - 6 pm, in the Gumption Theater and Courtyard to celebrate their innumerable contributions and legacies. RSVPs are required for this event.

Thank You 2017-18 Workplace Hosts!

Last month, Urban Sophomores stepped out of their day-to-day routines to spend time exploring the Bay Area and visiting Urban alums at their workplaces. Thank you to our powerful network of nearly 70 alums for providing such a diverse range of opportunities for our young students and for making this unique program possible. 

We put together this fun slideshow, which features some (but not all!) of the incredible opportunities that were available to our students thanks to our wonderful alum community.

Save the Date! All-Alumni Reunion in Honor of Mark Salkind ('70)

Saturday, October 20

We are planning a special All-Alumni Reunion in honor of Mark and all he has helped Urban accomplish on Saturday, October 20, at Urban. The grand celebration will kick off with an alumni round robin basketball tournament, followed by a reception for all alums and their families, faculty, former faculty and alumni parents.

Alum classes ending in "8" will have their own chances to celebrate as part of the weekend's festivities. Email us to start to plan an anniversary gathering for your class!.

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

It has been a pleasure to serve this year as Urban's Alumni Council President. The council is stronger than ever, and I hope you will join me in providing a warm welcome to our new slate of leaders: President Andy Nguyen ('99), Vice President Emily Volberding Seip ('05), Secretary Jesse Brown ('06) and Treasurer Claudia Mercado ('02).

This year we focused on increasing the connections among our community. Over the course of the school year, more than 100 alums served as a guest speakers, panelists or workplace hosts for our students. December brought a standing room only holiday party at the Wild Hare with 100 guests enjoying each other's company over nibbles and our signature cocktail The Old Library.

It has been exciting to see the thoughtful engagement from our alumni community in Urban's Head of School search process. And next year we will come together to celebrate Mark Salkind ('70) and Urban's rich history at our All-Alumni Reunion on Saturday, October 20.

Finally, as Chair of our Alumni Fundraising Committee, I was honored to have the opportunity to work with Urban on the launch of the Dan Murphy Fund for Educational Innovation and Faculty Growth, the income of which will support the continued learning of Urban faculty. Urban agreed that this year's alumni fundraising efforts would be in support of the fund (meaning they won't be soliciting you for an Annual Fund gift this spring 😀).

A hundred of us have made gifts thus far and we are reaching out to our broader alumni community to help us reach our goal of 200 donors by June 30. To make a gift, or learn more, check it out our Dan Murphy Fund page and share with your friends! 

Thank you for helping us strengthen our growing community and I look forward to seeing you at Urban again soon.

Jared Dowell ('99)

2017-18 Alumni Council President

Congrats to Ezra Berman ('98) on the opening of the Oakland Athletic Club just in time for Western Conference finals! Read about the fun new spot in Hoodline and SF Eater.

Southern California alums: catch Taylor Bostwick ('10) in the premier of Stand Down the March part of this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival. The play previews Friday, June 1.

Beth de Araújo ('03)'s film project, Josephine, was one of 13 independent feature film projects selected for the Sundance Institute Directors & Screenwriters Labs! Read this Sundance interview with Beth about her experiences working on the film.

Talia Fried ('07): See this fun local piece from the Richmond ReView/Sunset Beacon about Talia's commitment to fight a water and sanitation crisis around the globe through her work with Global Citizen in New York.

Alyosia Gavre ('92), co-founder of the circus-dance-theater performance group Troupe Vertigo, is bringing her show, Tableaux, to Fort Mason's Cowell Theater for the San Francisco International Arts Festival and is offering a 20% discount to the Urban community. Shows are Friday through Sunday, June 1-3.

*20% OFF Urban Promo Code use: Vertigo {case sensitive}. Purchase tickets here.

An Urban triple whammy! This NowThis Food video features the hard work of several Urban alums. The video, produced by alum Lyndsey Galoob ('05), features Mission Pie co-owner Karen Heisler ('78) and General Manager Jesse Brown ('06), on minimizing food waste and prioritizing the environment in their pie-making.

Artist Malcolm Kenter ('06) is showing his wonderful sculptures at Ampersand International Arts in its exhibit Play House, which is running through Saturday, June 2.

Congratulations to Andrew Nance ('83) whose work with Mindful Arts San Francisco  and the San Francisco Education Fund was honored by the state of California and city of San Francisco. Andrew founded Mindful Arts in 2014 and leads a team of volunteers who reach over a thousand SFUSD kids a week through their work.

Elizabeth Rynecki ('87)'s documentary film project Chasing Portraits, premiered in Warsaw on Saturday at the Jewish Motifs Film Festival. The London Jewish Chronicle carried this interview with Elizabeth prior to the premier.

In Memorium
Last month our longtime neighbor and friend Jimmy Poulas passed away at his home next to Urban, where he lived for more than 60 years. Jimmy was a dedicated Blues supporter and friend to Urban for decades. We will miss him.

Francis Scarpulla ('89): We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of alum Francis Scarpulla. A deeply kind, thoughtful, and gentle young man, Francis brought a capacious intellectual curiosity, a generosity of spirit, and a strong commitment to environmental issues to the Urban community. Our hearts go out to his friends and family.