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Bleed Green Alumni News – Spring 2025

March 31, 2025

 

Message from the Alumni Relations Manager

 

Tarrier Alumni,

 

Spring is off to an exciting start on the CWA campus!  The CWA Alumni team finished out the 2024-2025 Regional Tarrier Tour, where we hosted 10 different Pub Nights across 6 different states. We recently spent a week in California, where we connected with alumni from many different classes. This year’s Regional Tarrier Tour has been a success thanks to your participation. We hope you will consider joining us next year once we have set event dates for 2025-2026. Throughout the Tarrier Tour, there was a consistent theme across many of the conversations we had with alums: The recognition of the impact that CWA has had on their life, and the love and the support that they want to give back to this special place. We also heard your feedback about past challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead. The Development & Alumni Relations Office looks forward to continued partnerships with each of you and working towards a more robust alumni program in the future. 

 

This edition of Bleed Green includes a note from our Head of School, some alumni highlights and profiles, a last call for nominations for this year’s Alumni of the Year Award, a detailed recap of our travels, a spotlight from our Tarrier Athletics program,  and information about our upcoming spring events.  Our next edition of Bleed Green will come out in June. Additionally, we will be bringing back TIES this spring, so be on the lookout for those in the mail!

 

Lastly, we want to thank you for your engagement this year and hope that you will continue to visit our Alumni Webpage to stay up-to-date on all things Charles Wright Academy!

 

In Partnership,

 

Henry Cheney ’16, MBA

Alumni Relations Manager

Message from the Head of School

 

Dear Tarrier Alumni,

 

On February 19, 2025, the Board of Trustees offered me the long-term position as Head of School. I am honored and excited to step into this role. I have been deeply moved by the warmth and support of the community, and I am eag

er to build upon the strong foundation that makes our school special.

 

I want to thank the alumni who have continued to engage with our community – whether at Homecoming or the Alumni Art Show & Reception last fall, at the local pub nights, one of our Regional Tarrier Tour events, or even a gift to the Fund for CWA. Your continued commitment is a testament to the trust and shared vision we hold for our school’s future. Your engagement fuels our work, and I am grateful for your partnership.

 

Looking forward to the future, we are in the process of making important strides in key leadership roles that will help shape the next chapter for Charles Wright: 

  • Middle School Director – We just completed the confirmation process for Crysta Swarts-Gillison. Crysta has been serving as the Middle School Assistant Director for the past few months, bringing dedication, insight, and compassion to the role. With over fifteen years of experience in independent schools, she has a passion for working with adolescents. She is deeply invested in supporting the whole child through this time of rapid growth and change. 

  • Upper School Director – We have been working with a search consultant to attract and identify the best possible candidates for our next Upper School Director. Laurel Webster has been serving as Interim Upper School Director since the fall and has been doing a phenomenal job. Upper School Director finalists completed their campus visits, and we look forward to announcing our next permanent Upper School Director in a few weeks! 

  • Director of Educational Technology – We are thrilled to welcome Muhammad Ramadan back to Charles Wright Academy. Muhammad brings a wealth of experience in developing and implementing strategic technology initiatives that enhance teaching, learning, and operational efficiency. This pivotal role will help us embrace the future by integrating technology, including the use of AI, into our academic programs. 

 

This spring marks the return of a beloved tradition – Founders Day! We have an exciting line-up of events for the day and I am looking forward to seeing the campus filled with fellow Tarriers. Additionally, our Online Giving Day will also take place on Friday, May 9, 2025 – coinciding with Founders Day. This is our last big push to meet our goal for the Fund for CWA. I hope you will consider making your best gift in support of our mission. When you make a gift to CWA, you invest in our students, faculty, and families. The Fund for CWA is essential to our school, supporting current-year operating expenses not covered by tuition.

 

I look forward to engaging with more of you in the coming weeks, months, and years as we work together to make Charles Wright Academy an even stronger, more innovative, and connected community. I am hopeful for what lies ahead and grateful to help lead the way. 

 

With Gratitude,

 

Rachel Rippl, P’ 31
Head of School

Submit Your Updates and Celebrations!

 

We are collecting class notes for the upcoming issue of TIES and want to share your updates, accomplishments, and celebrations. Have you recently moved to a new city, grown your family, or experienced a career shift? Do you have a great photo from a gathering with fellow Tarriers? Share your good news by filling our the class notes form. We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 

Alumni Spotlight and Profiles

 

Fulbright Generations: A Legacy of Learning Interview

 

 

 

As a Fulbright Türkiye alumnus, Dr. David Adams had an opportunity to sit down with CWA Alumna and 2024-2025 ETA Ela Sezgin ’19 for an interview to discuss their unique experiences and insights. You can watch a condensed version of their interview HERE. 

Winterim: Student & Alumni Dinner (Boston, MA)

 

 

In January, we organized a Student and Alumni Dinner at Joe’s on Newbury as part of our Boston Colleges & Culture Experience. In partnership with Talia Pole, Director of College Counseling, and Laurel Webster, Interim US Director, they hosted a student and alumni dinner at Joe’s on Newbury. This dinner was designed to re-engage recent CWA alumni and to provide a space for mentorship to current students as they shared reflections and tips about their college discernment, application, and selection process. We had alumni from Boston University (Samuel Brink ’24 & Ian Pla ’24), Northeastern University (Joshua Piatok ’20), and Boston College (Abigail Webster ’18 & Claire Nelson) join us. Students shared that this was an incredibly impactful experience for them!

Regional Tarrier Tour Recap

 

We hosted the Boston and DC Regional events with Joshua Piatok ’20, Miranda Ferguson ’16, and Jack Nightingale ’76 in attendance.

 

We concluded our Regional Tarrier Tour with visits in Portland, OR, Bellevue & Spokane, WA, Los Angeles, CA, and the Bay Area. While in Spokane, we had lunch with Amy McVee ’76, who emphasized the impact CWA has had on her experience, resulting in an unexpected matching gift towards the Founder’s Day campaign. This gift is renewable each year with the potential to increase given her capacity each year. In Los Angeles, we met with Michael Zeeck ‘03, Mino Cha ’16, and Cameron Pinckney ’00. In the Bay Area, we had lunch with Jeffrey Stice ’24 in Santa Clara and then connected with Aukeem Ballard ’07 and Charlie Boyd ’07 in Berkeley!

 

 

These are just a few examples of how our Tarriers are staying connected! We’d love to have our Tarrier alumni come back to campus and hear about what you have been up to over the years. If you have a story that you want featured in the next edition of Bleed Green, please feel free to submit it to alumni@charlesw​right.org or submit a class note!

Tarrier Athletics Spotlight

 

Youth Sports

The CWA youth basketball program had a very successful season.  Kindergarten through 5th grade, we had 9 teams, over 85 students participated, and three of those teams competed for championships, with our 3rd/4th grade girls winning the championship!  All teams were coached and led by family member volunteers!  This spring, CWA will be offering and competing in Girls Volleyball, Flag Football, and Track and Field. 

 

Middle School Spring Sports

This season for Middle School track, we have over 65 students who are competing for the Tarriers.  The legendary Christopher Hoppin continues to lead the program in his 23rd season with CWA Middle School track.  Like our Upper School golf team, the Middle School golf team is practicing right now at Chambers Bay, its home course. CWA Middle School football has started practicing, and is led by Upper School Head Football Coach, Brian Burdick.  Middle School tennis is competing right now, and the program is led by Upper School boys Head Coach, Jeff Crumb. 

 

Upper School Spring Sports

The spring is a very busy time on campus for CWA Upper School athletics.  At times CWA feels like the central hub for athletics for the Nisqually League.  CWA is one of two schools in the Nisqually League that has a track, which allows our students to compete where they practice every day.  The CWA golf team practices down the road at the beautiful Chambers Bay and hosts matches at The Home Course. The girls tennis team has a good core of underclassmen who will compete for a state tournament berth.  The boys soccer team has its largest turnout since covid, and it will be exciting to watch them compete and make a run at a district playoff spot. The baseball tea,m which combines with Life Christian, has a strong group that is building off last season’s District Championship appearance, and hopes to make another playoff run. CWA baseball continues to practice and play games on beautiful Minnerly Field on the CWA campus.

 

Upcoming Events

 

 

 

Join us as we bring back this beloved tradition! We will be offering a community breakfast, hosting an all-school assembly where we will present our Alumni of the Year and Inspirational Faculty Awards and honor our Society of Elders, followed by cake and an afternoon reception! We hope you will consider joining us as we celebrate the incredible achievements of our Charles Wright Community. RSVP is not required, but is encouraged. 

 

Online Giving Day | Friday, May 9, 2025

In honor of bringing back Founders’ Day, a beloved CWA tradition, we are hosting CWA’s very first online giving day to support where we’ve been as well as helping to shape our future. Join us on this special day as we come together in multiple ways to honor the legacy of Sam and Nathalie Brown in support of the future generations of Charles Wright Tarriers. Stay tuned for more details on how you can be part of this meaningful celebration!

 

Class of 2000 – 25th Reunion | May 31, 2025

It’s time for the CWA Class of 2000’s 25th Reunion! Join us for a fun-filled day of reminiscing and reconnecting with old friends at Charles Wright Academy. This in-person event will be a great opportunity to catch up with classmates, share memories, and create new ones. Don’t miss out on this special occasion to celebrate 25 years since our graduation. We can’t wait to see you there! RSVP here!

 

Ways to Connect and Get Involved

 

Submit a Class Note
Update your Contact Information
Visit the CWA Alumni Webpage