2. 2 1
02
12
08
15
10
24
What Have We Been Up To?
And Where Are We Going?
Letters from: Head of School,
Board Chair, and Parent Association
President; Meet the four new Direc-
tors who are sharing their expertise
with our community.
Let the Sun Shine!
Check out our new solar initiatives
and find out how they not only
help us be sustainable, but are a
great learning tool as well.
Around Campus
Check out our new entrance,
and see how well you know
our campus!
We Are Grateful
Notes from the Development
Office, Board & Parent Associa-
tion members, auction high-
lights, operating budgets and
donor lists. Thank you to our
many generous supporters!
It’s About More Than
Winning...
Read about our Athletics program
and how doing your personal best
builds character.
Over the Horizon
What are our alumni up to? Plus,
Mums of Alums, 21+ Reunion,
Alumni Outing Day, 8th Grade
and Beyond, Class of 2015.
Marin Horizon School believes that
every child can grow up to make a
difference in the world. Every day,
our faculty enthusiastically delivers
a top-notch education to children
from preschool through middle school
in joyful classrooms where academics
and character are of equal importance.
We do this because we believe the
world doesn’t just need smart people.
The world needs smart people with
the courage to be kind and to stand
up for what’s right.
3. 2 3
Dear Marin Horizon Families,
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
Recently, I have heard a number of new families remark on our
students’ ability to articulate the importance of taking risks and
venturing out of one’s comfort zone.
In fact, last year during our 8th grade graduation one of our students
had this to say, “If I learned anything from my time here at Marin
Horizon, it is that you are always supported when you dare to venture
into the unknown, or the unpredictable, or the ‘yuck, I don’t want to
do that’ zone. In the words of the comedic Will Rogers, ‘even if you are on the right track, you
will get run over if you just sit there.’”
This fundamental belief represents a mindset encouraged at Marin Horizon, one that I dare
say will serve this student well in life as he stays open to the possibilities that lie ahead
of him.
Recent research has given voice to this theory, espoused by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., of Stanford
University, who found evidence of two types of mindsets and writes about them in her book,
Mindset. Her work has focused on the distinction between what she has labeled a “fixed” and a
“growth” mindset, and the powerful effects they can each have on one’s performance.
According to Dweck, “In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intel-
ligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence
or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success —
without effort. They are wrong.”
In a growth mindset, she continues, “People believe that their most basic abilities can be
developed through dedication and hard work — brains and talent are just the starting point.
This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplish-
ment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.”
I would argue that all great schools must be committed to, and must engender in their stu-
dents, a growth mindset. 2014–2015 was a year in which we modeled that behavior as an
institution. We committed ourselves to be a school that not only talks about a growth mind-
set, but strives to put it into practice.
Last December we completed our California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) Self
Study report, which set the stage for our CAIS accreditation visit. The process included a
full year of self-reflection, culminating in a visit by five practitioners from all over the state to
observe the connection between what we described in our Self-Study report and what was
experienced by our students, parents, and faculty.
This year we also concluded the Leadership Phase of our Facing Forward Campaign, which
raised $4 million. The Board then approved an ambitious and growth-oriented total goal of
$7 million, making Facing Forward the largest major giving campaign in the school’s history.
Looking ahead, the Community Phase of the campaign represents a growth opportunity
that will allow us to increase teacher compensation, provide more professional development
for our staff, increase our tuition assistance, and make necessary campus improvements
that will better serve our programs.
Last year, I wrote about the Innovative Revenue Initiative, and this year, the Board took the
bold step of approving the launch of two programs that were generated by the IRI Committee.
Helmed by a group of parent volunteers, I know these will complement our other long-term
financial sustainability goals.
The first program is ¡Hola Panamá! a two-week, full immersion program in Panamá. Begin-
ning in the summer of 2016, students entering grades seven through ten will have the
opportunity to dramatically improve their Spanish language skills in this first-of-its-kind
program. The two sessions will run from June 18th – July 2nd and July 30th – August 13th.
The sessions are designed to immerse students in innovative, hands-on activities in a “real
world” setting for five hours in the mornings, and offer community-based service projects
and recreational outings in Spanish in the afternoons.
If you are interested in learning more about the program, please contact Carla Wilkins, at
cwilkins@hola-panama.com and visit our website at www.hola-panama.com.
The second program is a coding camp that will help hone the skills that our students are
already learning, and allow people outside of our immediate community to come learn from
us as well.
An incredible year of growth for Marin Horizon and the excitement for what lies ahead is
palpable. My promise will continue to be that as a community of learners, we will never
tire of challenging our minds, listening to one another’s voices, and nurturing our hearts.
That is our recipe for the growth mindset our children and our world need.
Warmly,
LUIS OTTLEY, MBA, Ed.D.
Head of School
4. 54
Dear Marin Horizon Families and Friends,
Serving as President of the Parent Association the last two years at
Marin Horizon has been a very rewarding experience for me. Not only
have I been able to work on interesting projects, I’ve gotten so much
out of working alongside a talented and engaged parent body. I am
overwhelmed by the energy and generosity of the parents, and the
spirit of volunteering they each bring. I genuinely appreciate being
able to create a feeling of welcome and inclusion, as the foundation
for the wider school community.
Together, we had a lot of fun in 2014–2015! We were busy organizing
potlucks, hosting Moms’ and Dads’ Nights Out, organizing teacher
appreciation luncheons, and of course, checking for lice. We had our second annual shop-
ping night at The Store in downtown Mill Valley. Carolina also participated, enabling us to
raise $2,000 for the school in just a few hours. We also hosted interesting and educational
community events: a downtown lunch; our annual Chili Cook-off & Bingo Night, chaired
by Sonia Lee; several Parent Education events; Dine & Donate dinners at local restaurants,
and Grandparents and Special Friends Day, chaired by Katie Dyos. Last year we also held
our inaugural Fun Run in the Spring which was a huge success with participation from
grades 1–8.
The Annual Art Auction was a fantastic night at the Corinthian Yacht Club — we were suc-
cessful in our fundraising efforts and had record attendance! I would especially like to thank
our incredibly talented and dedicated Auction Co-Chairs, Bethany Freed and Jen Cromar,
along with a dedicated group of volunteers including Sonia Lee, Rebecca Lien, Susanne Carek,
Rachel Wynne and Regan Ural to name a few.
Thanks to the hard work of countless volunteers, and all of you, our generous school com-
munity, the Parent Association contributed over $170,000 to the school’s operating budget!
I have learned so much from my experience and want to thank this wonderful community
for working so hard on behalf on Marin Horizon and its students! I am confident that
our incoming Parent Association President, Kim Gallelli will take our community to even
greater heights!
Warmly,
BARI CESSNA
President, Parent Association, 2013–2015
Cade ’17, Hope ’18 and Shane ’23
Dear Marin Horizon Families and Friends,
The 2014–2015 school year was a productive year for the Board. This
last year saw the realization of a number of important goals that
the Board has been working to advance over the last several years.
First, we successfully launched the school’s first major giving
campaign, Facing Forward. Thanks to the efforts of my predecessor,
Trigg McLeod, and current Trustee Doug Grant, the school raised
over $4 million to support our endowment including teacher
salaries and tuition assistance, as well as capital improvements.
Our efforts will continue into 2015–2016, when we plan to reach
our $7 million goal.
The Board is also proud to have adopted a Campus Master Plan. It is a transformative
vision of our campus and reflects the future of facilities that support our already excellent
programs. Many of you have had the opportunity to see the plan and I hope you are as
excited about it as we are. I would specifically like to acknowledge the efforts of our Site
Chairs, Tim Dixon and Craig Croteau, who carried this process throughout the last few
years and were tenacious and diligent in finally bringing this work to fruition. Thank you
Tim and Craig.
In addition to adopting the Campus Master Plan, we set to work on launching a new
strategic plan. This represents a collaborative effort, joining together Trustees, Faculty,
Administration, Staff and current parents under the leadership of Trustee Lauren Cooks
Levitan, Luis Ottley, and our outside consultant Irvenia Waters of Strategic Perspectives
Consulting. We expect to share the plan with the community in Winter 2016.
Finally, in June 2015, the Board of Trustees decided to acquire a new Head’s residence.
This was an exceptional opportunity for our school and, in the tight Bay Area housing
market, required a bold and nimble response by the Board. Strategically located close to
our campus, it offers much needed space for school functions and supports both current
program goals, as well as future initiatives. Throughout the Fall, the school hosted many
events at the new residence and we are pleased with how well it fits the needs of our
community.
It is a privilege to work alongside this talented and dedicated group of trustees. Hundreds
of volunteer hours are spent every year to optimally position our school for the future,
and I am proud to represent the Board’s work on the school’s behalf.
With warm regards,
ANDREA ELKORT
Chair, Board of Trustees, 2014–2015
Kate ’14 and Chloe ’17
5. 76
ISA ELIASCHEV
DEAN, TODDLER & PRIMARY PROGRAMS
“As a teacher, I truly enjoy working with young
children, nurturing their creativity and passion for
learning. As a Dean, I enjoy the responsibility of main-
taining and improving the quality of a program for
the benefit of the students. As well as supporting
teachers with new and useful professional develop-
ment, materials or just by being their cheerleader.”
Isa, who grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, comes to us
via Gulliver Schools in Miami, where she held various
roles including Pre-K Head Teacher and Coordinator
for 10 years. She has a passion for Early Childhood
Education and was inspired early on by a literature
teacher who made her “think outside of the box”and
made her love reading. Her favorite book is Rayuela
by Julio Cortázar, which translates to Hopscotch and
has an even more international pedigree than Isa
herself, having been written in Paris in Spanish!
Isa earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Admin-
istration with a minor in Finance from the New York
Institute of Technology and a Master of Arts in Educa-
tion/Curriculum and Instruction from the University
of Phoenix.
Isa, her husband Ale, and their three children, Nikki,
Mila, and Alex, all seem to be adapting nicely to the
West Coast, where they are enjoying the outdoors
and can even still find her favorite food, mangos!
CAMILO WILLIS Ed.D.
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
“I love seeing a student’s excitement when they learn
something new. It’s even more gratifying when the
student discovers that he or she excels at that task
or skill.”
Camilo was inspired by professor and mentor Arthur
France at San Francisco State, and brings a passion
about technology in education to Marin Horizon.
“When I interviewed with Dr. Ottley, I was impressed
by his vision (for the technology program) and the
available resources.”
Self-taught in web design, Bay Area native Camilo was
in New York working on his Doctorate in Instructional
Technology and Media at Columbia University when
he started doing freelance work. When he redesigned
an independent school’s website, they quickly hired
him as Assistant Director of Technology, and he’s been
a technologist in independent schools ever since.
Combined with his interest in broadcasting and stint
as a web production intern at Carnegie Hall, it’s easy
to understand why the Upper School students love
working with him! Walk into his classroom on any
given day and you might find him giving a lesson on
SketchUp or Photoshop to an engaged and excited
group of students. And surely he’s had plenty of
opportunity to put his knowledge to use, on the
photos he has taken on trips to Glacier National Park,
or kayaking in Monterey!
EMILY BROCKMAN
DIRECTOR OF LEARNING SUPPORT
“I love helping children find and develop their indi-
vidual skills, strengths and talents and then celebrating
their progress and success as individuals in class, at
school and in life.”
Emily found her path to becoming an education spe-
cialist by first being a volunteer at her children’s school.
She was inspired to pursue her Education Specialist
Credential at Cal State Northridge after being asked
to work with a student with special needs.
Originally from the East Coast (growing up in Pennsyl-
vania, New Jersey and Ohio), Emily spent some time
in San Francisco after college as an apprentice to a
master weaver before choosing to stay at home with
her children for several years. After moving to Southern
California, Emily started teaching in 2002, and spent
the last ten years as the Special Education Coordinator
at Odyssey Charter School in Altadena, CA.
She was drawn back to the Bay Area after a 20-year
hiatus by Marin Horizon’s philosophy and broad cur-
riculum, in particular the Outdoor Education, Arts,
and Music programs, as well as the commitment to
supporting students with learning differences.
With a BFA in Fabric Design from the University of
Georgia, Emily has a passion for weaving, reading
(Willa Cather is a particular favorite) and exploring all
the great walking to be done throughout the Bay Area
with her dog, children and family friends.
JUSTINE LEWIS
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
“I have always been passionate about education… I
get a kick out of writing about all of the fun things that
go on in the classrooms and on campus. I love seeing
and relating the joy in the classrooms here at Marin
Horizon (through our many communications avenues).”
A Bay Area native, Justine has spent much of her life
in the independent school community. She attended
Maybeck High School in Berkeley, where she later
worked with the Board as a marketing consultant, but
cites her grandmother, a retired high school biology
teacher, as her favorite teacher. “She made learning a
part of our everyday play; we would do science experi-
ments collecting pond water and looking at it under
my junior scientist microscope.”
That love of learning stuck, and Justine went on to earn
her undergraduate degree in Urban and Environmental
Policy at Occidental College, where she ran several
co-curricular educational programs bringing art and
organic gardening to several schools within LAUSD.
She later received her MBA from Mills College.
When she’s not drafting the Wednesday Bulletin or
maintaining the school website from her post at the
Toddler Cottage, Justine is spending time with her
two young children, Holden and Jackson, her author
husband, and her large, local extended family. She’s
also an avid bookworm (can you name the books that
inspired her children’s names?!). Her other hobby?
Ballroom dancing!
New Leadership at Marin Horizon School
6. 98
WHERE
ON
CAMPUS
?Our first change was to add stairs to the
front entrance, so students coming up from
the lower chute can walk up without having
to negotiate the narrow space between idling
cars and the wall. Secondly, we are in the
process of adding a buzzer system to our
front doors. In the future, we will require
all guests to the campus to sign in and get
a visitor badge. We know this is a significant
change to how we welcome guests to our
campus, but one we strongly believe is in the
best interest of everyone in our community.
Since we were already doing construction in
that area, we also took the opportunity to
update the front office itself, making it more
welcoming and less cluttered, with an actual
waiting area for guests!
Eventually, we will also add daytime locks
to our parking lot fences and secure the
pathway between our campus and the
Homestead Valley Community Center. Of
course the safety and well-being of our
entire community will be taken into consid-
eration as we move into the design stage of
Facing Forward’s capital campaign.
We hope you’ll stop by soon to say “hi”
and check out our new look. We think it’s
pretty spiffy!
AROUND
CAMPUS
Not only have the roofs of Marin Horizon gone solar, but the
front of our school is shining bright too! Last summer, as part
of our Campus Master Plan, we made some changes to our
entrance and front offices. These changes not only give us a
much-needed freshen-up, they will help us stay more secure
as we roll out a long-range security plan.
Can you guess where on campus these photos were taken? Answers on Page 33.
7. 10 11
In recent years, we’ve also seen our alumni
reach great heights as they go on to higher
education…we’ve had one get accepted to the
University of Arizona as a swimmer on the
Wildcats (psst…we like your team name!);
several compete on the Planet Granite
climbing team, which competes in USA
Climbing Competitions in local, regional
and national stages; one is a starting QB
on the freshman football team at Marin
Catholic; yet another is the captain of the
boys’ Varsity Cross Country team at Bran-
son. Go, Wildcats, indeed!
But beyond the trophies, ribbons and high
fives lives a deep-seated belief that athlet-
ics are about more than a score. At Marin
Horizon, athletics are a way for students
to build character by learning resilience,
humility and good sportsmanship. Our
Athletics Department is about school spirit,
being part of the team, and achieving one’s
personal best.
Helmed by Athletics Director Joel Booth and
Coach Stevie Lee, our Athletics Department
provides a great opportunity for students
of all abilities to participate at all levels,
learn new skills, increase fitness and have
fun with friends. Everyone is invited to join
every team, regardless of ability.
At every opportunity, Joel works closely with
our Outdoor Education team to make sure
sports and an appreciation for our magnifi-
cent own backyard (Mt. Tam…Tomales Bay…
Tahoe…not too shabby!) are integrated when-
ever possible. This includes stand up paddle
boarding, kayaking and trail running, in
addition to the “usual” basketball, cross
country, flag football and track and field.
“What I love about our program,” says Joel,
“is that our students always have the best
time out there. They are the ones with
smiles on their faces no matter the outcome.
I always remind them to ‘Participate, go
for PB (personal best), and finish strong.’
By joining in, our students are learning
valuable character development skills that
they will use throughout their lives beyond
Marin Horizon. I encourage them to always
lift each other up and celebrate each and
every little win, even when it’s “just” how
hard a student tried.
I’ll never forget the year that, during a race,
one of our fastest runners didn’t cross the
finish line with the first group of runners.
Or the second. For a moment we all got wor-
ried. Where could she be? Then we realized
that she, along with another one of our
runners, had stopped to help a competitor
who had tripped and scraped both knees
and hands and couldn’t run any more. Our
runners carried her the rest of the way, and
across the finish line, giving up their own
opportunities for a win. That, to me, is the
true story of a Marin Horizon athlete.”
ATHLETICS
“Go for PB and finish strong!”
– Joel Booth, Athletics Director
The Marin Horizon Wildcats excelled last year, with our girls’
and JV Boys Basketball teams winning the Southern Marin
Small Schools Competition, close to 30 runners participating
in the Cross Country County finals, and several students
medaling in track and field.
8. 1312
SOLAR
Just a few weeks ago, a new generation of
kindergartners built solar ovens out of pizza
boxes and treated themselves (as well as our
Panamanian exchange students and many
a lucky staffer) to solar-baked s’mores.
In their triennial “Nukes to Rays” energy
unit, Middle Schoolers design even more
elaborate solar cookers and test them in
cookie baking and soup production. Middle
Schoolers also experiment with solar car
design. Given a kit including the chassis,
wheel assemblies and a photovoltaic cell,
students play with the variables that impact
a solar car’s speed and maneuverability.
Our Earth Day solar car races inspire cre-
ativity as kids compete to avoid shadows and
get their vehicles across the finish line.
These future Tesla employees are honing
their engineering skills as surely as those
MIT grad students are! From electric cars
to solar powered cars — Marin Horizon
students will get us there…they get that
fossil fuels are on their way out…they get
that converting to solar energy is an essen-
tial step in curbing the green house gases
that contribute to global warming...they get
that solar power is cheap and green…they
get that solar is IN!
It has long been a dream of ours to “go solar”
right here on campus. At the 2015 Auction,
many generous parents raised their paddles
during the Fund-a-Need to support the
installation of solar panels on the roof of
the Primary building. The goal is that the
Marin Horizon students have always known that “going solar”
is the right thing to do. For years, they’ve been investigating the
clean, economical, earth-friendly power of our very own star.
They’ve experimented with both active and passive solar energy
by creating passive solar home models and water heaters,
creating sun prints, and engineering gizmos that convert solar
energy to electricity.
GOING
BY MO POXON, MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER
9. 1514
Environmental stewardship is a cornerstone of a Marin Horizon
education. Not coincidentally it is a deeply-held value of our
faculty. We teach here because we believe that our students
— armed with both knowledge and appreciation of the power
of green technology — will make a wonderful difference in
our world.
savings from using solar as opposed to
standard utilities will help offset our yearly
operating budget.
Teachers can now take solar energy inves-
tigations to new heights, with access to an
up-close, real life example of sustainable
energy technology in action. Students can
monitor real-time energy output, monitor
weather and usage variables, and bask in
the knowledge that Marin Horizon’s carbon
footprint just got a lot smaller. Math and sci-
ence teachers now have fabulous fodder for
lessons on energy consumption, costs and
benefits, green technology and much more.
The solar panels are already producing sig-
nificant savings on the school’s energy bills.
For years to come they will provide students
and teachers with an invaluable teaching
and learning resource.
2014–2015 was a year of firsts at Marin
Horizon. In the Horizon Fund annual giving
campaign, we reached our highest percent-
age of family participation — 90%! — and
blew through our goal of $375,000 to raise
$390,000. Thanks to a very strong showing
in our Fund-a-Need, we were able to install
solar panels around campus (see the previ-
ous article to read all about it). Lastly, we
launched the Community Phase of Facing
Forward: The Campaign for Marin Horizon
School, having raised $4.1 million in the
Leadership Phase, well on our way to our
$7 million goal.
And we owe it all to our amazing communi-
ty — current and alumni families, Trust-
ees, Faculty and Staff, grandparents and
friends. I am proud to be able to acknowl-
edge everyone here for your support in every
way — your generous donations, your hours
upon hours of volunteer work, and for giv-
ing us the gift of educating your children.
Thank you!
In this issue, you will find updates about
our strong financial position which we owe
to your support the careful stewardship we
practice as an institution. I would especially
like to thank my hardworking, fast think-
ing, dedicated 14–15 Development Chair,
Rebecca Lien, along with Horizon Fund
Co-Chairs Gillian Mishalko and Jennie
Skelton. It is thanks to your diligence that
we moved the needle so far!
Further thanks go to Bari Cessna who
completed her second year as Parent Asso-
ciation President, and brought us together
in new and exciting ways. And no year
would be complete without our Annual Art
Auction, deftly co-chaired by Jen Cromar
and Bethany Freed (see page 17 for more!).
Over the next few pages you will find infor-
mation about our finances, as well as the
names of the many generous donors and
volunteers who choose to support our stu-
dents and programs.
We couldn’t do what we do without each
one of you.
Thank you!
LYLA MAX
Director of Development
WE ARE grateful!
10. 16 17
The 2015 Annual Art Auction, Step Right
Up, was a thrilling carnival-themed eve-
ning featuring contortionists, plate spin-
ners and fortune telling! Held once again
at the beautiful Corinthian Yacht Club, the
auction raised much-needed resources for
teacher salaries, professional development,
and tuition assistance.
Our co-chairs, Jen Cromar and Bethany
Freed (pictured above, top left in their
best Flapper Girl finery!), helped create an
elegant, fun evening that brought together
over 200 guests as the sun set over the
beautiful San Francisco Bay. The silent
and live auctions were both well-attended
and the Wine Toss, back for a second year,
provided some lively entertainment.
Deftly emceed by our very own Middle
School teacher, Danny Scuderi (in top hat,
bow tie and vest!), the Live Auction and
Fund-a-Need were both successful, with
hands flying up for art projects, vacation
homes and the ever-popular “Head for the
Day.” The Fund-a-Need raised enough for
us to be able to install solar panels on our
buildings, providing savings in year one
to support three years of Artists-in-Res-
idence, as well as a fascinating learning
tool for our science teachers (see page 12).
Of course, we also have to thank the 60+
volunteers who supported the co-chairs.
People pitch in in so many ways – design
and branding, donation procurement and
organization, data entry, budgeting, event
planning, decorations, video production,
and so much more. Thank you!
AUCTION highlights
17
2014–2015
Parent Association Board
PRESIDENT
Bari Cessna
AUCTION CO-CHAIRS
Jennifer Cromar
Bethany Freed
CLASS PARENT
COORDINATOR
Kerrilyn Garma
CHILI COOK-OFF
Sonia Lee
SWEETHEART BALL
Lizelle Green
DINE N DONATE
Samira Willson
GRANDPARENTS &
SPECIAL FRIENDS DAY
Katie Dyos
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Regan Ural
Rachel Wynne
DECORATIONS
Dyer Grote
LOST AND FOUND
Livia Glasgow
PARENT EDUCATION
Kim Gallelli
2014–2015
Board of Trustees
CHAIR
Andrea Elkort
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Luis Ottley, Ed.D.
VICE CHAIRS
Abby Adlerman
Diana Greenstone
SECRETARY
Daniela Manning
TREASURER
Kirk Hobbs
PARENT ASSOCIATION
LIAISON
Bari Cessna
FACULTY MEMBERS
Kathleen Hazelton-Leech
Kristin Lorenz
PARENT MEMBERS
Elizabeth Brown-Lewin
Craig Croteau
Timothy Dixon
Marsha Dugan
Doug Grant
Gina Hector
Lauren Cooks Levitan
Rebecca Lien
Cliff Mishalko
COMMUNITY MEMBER
Scott Duyan
Of course, we at Marin Horizon couldn’t do what we do so well
without the incredible dedication of our Board and Parent
Association volunteers. These parents, alumni and community
members devoted countless hours and talents to our school
and our students, and we are a better place for it. Thank you!
16
11. 1918
MARIN HORIZON STATEMENT
OF OPERATING ACTIVITIES
School Year 2014–2015
This issue of On the Horizon was produced by Marin Horizon’s Development Office and includes all gifts received between
July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015. In preparing this report, every effort was made to ensure that all information is accurate and complete.
If there is an omission or an error in spelling, please accept our apology and notify Lyla Max, lmax@marinhorizon.org.
REVENUE Amount Percent
Tuition & Fees $7,937,738 99%
Daycare, Enrichment, LSP 397,528 5%
Summer Camp 134,265 2%
Investment Income 78,963 1%
Fund Raising 608,146 8%
Other Income 94,252 1%
Less Tuition Assistance -1,215,720 -15%
Total Revenue net of tuition assistance 8,035,172 100%
EXPENSES Amount Percent
Personnel $5,219,531 66%
Plant & Transportation 590,250 7%
Program 641,555 8%
Operations & Overhead 635,844 8%
Interest Expense 319,066 4%
Depreciation 496,693 6%
Total Expenses 7,902,939 100%
Fund Raising
Other Income
Tuition & Fees
Operations & Overhead Program
Plant & Transport Interest Expense
Personnel
We are grateful to
the many parents,
Trustees, Faculty,
Staff, grandparents,
friends, foundations
and corporations
that support
Marin Horizon.
2014–2015
Horizon Fund
Participation
We are very proud to
have once again reached
100% participation from
our Trustees, Faculty
and Staff. This year we
also reached a record
90% family participation.
Thank you!
FOUNDER
$10,000+
Anonymous (2)
Nina and Christopher Buchbinder
Beth and Neil Cherry
The Schow Foundation
Kathryn Van Dyke and Doug Grant
BENEFACTOR
$5,000–$9,999
Anonymous
Eimile and Spiros Bouas
Sarah Chao and Chris Downing
Andrea and Daniel Elkort
Jennifer Gosselin and
Reed E. Maltzman
Lizelle and Martin Green
Hollie and Jay Haynes
Kristine Jaeger
Elizabeth and Darrell Krasnoff
Rebecca and Chris Lien
Love Family Charitable Fund
The MacDonald Family
Elizabeth and Michael Mooney
Catherine and Stephen Simon
Sarah Slaymaker and Ryan Stever
Marina and Alan Terpins
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE
$2,500–$4,999
Abby Adlerman and Brian Platter
Hannelore Barnes and
Bruce Pflaum
Susanne and Paul Carek
Jennifer and Craig Croteau
Whitney and Lansing Davis
Kathryn and Spencer Fast
Nancy and Jarom Fawson
Bonnie Frank and Alan Bear
Tay and Matthew Franklin
Natalie and Ian Gotts
Diana and Scott Greenstone
Dyer Grote and Rob Edington
Colleen and Hunter Hancock
Karyn Hillman and Timothy Dixon
Stephen Jaeger
Angie and Noah Knauf
Lauren and Paul Levitan
Natalie and Richard Loggins
Trigg and Bill McLeod
Patti and George Oliver
Meeta and Vipul Patel
Tatem and Morgan Read
Julie and Narendra Rocherolle
Susan Sakmar and Kirk Hobbs
Anne and James Smith
Regan and Tim Ural
Sally and Bill Van Ingen
Annie Williams and Harry Shulman
The Wyman Family
Pam and John Zissimos
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
$1,000–$2,499
Corinne and Djamel Agaoua
Anonymous (3)
Candice and Todd Barker
Elizabeth Brown and Janet Lewin
Bari and Sean Cessna
Joanne Chan and James Kramer
Mary and Todd Clyde
Jade Dalton and Tom Bassett
Suzanne DiBianca-Lieser and
Ted Lieser
Leslie Dixon
Rachel and David Duffy
Carrie Eagles and
Luis Ottley, Ed.D.
Mr. and Mrs. William C. Egan/
Wood Family Foundation
Alisa and William Egan
Arah and Brett Foley
Allison and David Geisler
Livia and Mutahar Glasgow
Charlotte Gronseth and
Jagrit Malhotra
Amy Hershman and
Richard Patterson
Vanessa and Bill Higgins
Marlis and Kjartan Jansen
Danielle and David Jarvie
Liz and Kirt Jorgenson
Keith Kallweit
Mira Kim and Darren Malvin
Aron Knickerbocker
Sue Kreusch and Kevin Smead
Sharon Lange-Kallweit
Sonia Lee and Alan M. Grumet
John Littleford
Marrie and Tom Lyons
Shruti Mathur and Rohit Agarwal
Amanda and Stuart McLeod
Nicole and Andrew McWhorter
Kimberly Oxford-Barna and
Peter Barna
Shirley and David Parks
Ms. Sue Pearlstine
Lisa and Allen Preger
Cecilia and Fred Quezada
Staci and Tom Reilly
Mimi Rowe and Chris Rodzewicz
Mary Russell and Nicholas Oust
Jade and Charles Schoenhoeft
Christine and John Simpson
Jennie and Christopher Skelton
Catherine and Gregory Stern
Robin and Geoffrey Strawbridge
Lisa Tenorio-Kutzkey and
Tim Kutzkey
Margret and Kevin Trilli
Michelle Verloop and
Robert Ahearn
Ravee Vorachard and Steven Pugh
Tiana Wimmer and Warren Leiden
Anthony Zanze
CONTRIBUTOR
$500–$999
Tateyuki and Akiko Adachi
Hilary and Eric Bader
Alison and Jon Barad
Christopher Bermudez
Shelly and Brett Horton
Helena Chaye and Key Shin
Gwynne Church and
Christopher Bull
The Courant Family
Rachel Courtney and Sean Reilly
Lauren Cuthbert and
David Robinson
Michael Duncan and
Thomas Richard
Wendy and Alexander Fraser
Gianna Frazee
Brad Frazee
Kim Gallelli and David Brown
Johanna and Michael Gridley
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hermanos
Daycare, Enrichment, LSP
Summer Camp
Investment Income
19
12. 20 21
Kate G. Knickerbocker
Natalie and Theodore Lee
SoYoung Mack and Michael Nash
Daniela and Mike Manning
William and Kathryn Massara
Lawrie Mott
Jessica and Dan Parisi
Stacy Pasko
Suzanne Passalacqua and
Peter Gobos
Rick and Georgia Pimentel
Jade Prospero
Elia and James Robinson
(in memory of Lucy Robinson)
Beth and Jonathan Rutchik
Michal and Adam Scheer
The Stone-Grijalva Family
Gloria and Mark Thomas
Christina Mace Turner and
Alex Turner
Carol Schussler Van Winjen
Nashara and Scott Wisenbaker
Catherine and Kenton Wolfers
Rachel Wynne and Van Wilshire
Sally Xu-Plants and
J. Daniel Plants
FRIEND
UP TO $499
Dorie Akka
Beth and Dain Anderson
Anonymous (4)
Christine Armstrong and
Lou Dangles
Paul Austin
Chris Baker
Jennifer and Guy Bar-Nahum
Cara and Chris Barde
Linda Baron and
Thomas Luehrsen
Ellen Elizabeth
Soraya Betterton and Brian Urey
Boorman Family
Annie and Paul Brennan
Ashleigh and Chris Brody
Fatima and Manuel Castaneda
Jane and Ron Clyde
Kristen and Louis Commesso
Amber Copeland
Jennifer and Matthew Cromar
William Dacus
Dana Dacus-Hare and Kemp Hare
Maxine De Cook
Paula DeLuca and
Dr. Francis DeLuca
Charlie Denby
Marcello Diaz
Debbie Dicker
Rachel Dobkowski
Linsly and Chris Donnelly
Kyle Donohoe
Laura Duggan
Brenda and Scott Duyan
Katrina and Jamie Dyos
Meg and Steve Edelson
Christopher Elbers
Anjuli Elias
Angie Evans
Dennis and Amy Fitzpatrick
Debbie Freed
Bethany Freed and Chris Arian
Kerrilyn Garma
Claire Garwood
Oxana Godfrey
Constance, Paul and
Ashley Goldsmith
Annie Gordon
Geoff and Kathy Gougion
Nasimiyu Green
Junnitta Green
Nancy Greenfield
Susan Guadagno and Al Tommei
Harriet Hayward
Kathleen Hazelton-Leech and
James Leech
Gina and Byron Hector
Chandi and Lewis Hemapala
Catherine Hills and
Audrey Borden
Victoria and Jeremy Huerta-Miller
Merrill Hunn
Hillery Jaffe-Urell
Dana Sugarman Johnson and
Matthew Johnson
Jennifer Johnston and
David Penny
Merel Kennedy and
Adrian Lurssen
Amy Keroes and Jeff Fisher
Johanna Kleppe and
Stephen Schneiderman
Whitney and Swen Kolterman
Suji Kong and Matthew Bennett
Lois E. Kortum and
George W. Mc Bride
Angella and Erik Kriens
Toshiko and Eijun Kujo
Cori Ladd and Michael Beerman
Emily and Jamie Land
Kim and Josh Larson
Andrea Lenzi
Hilary Levey
Meg and Jeremy Levie
Mr. Andrew Lien
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Lisska
Jacqui Pearson Long
Pashia Lord
Kristin and Todd Lorenz
Anita Franklin Love
Marin Hearing Center
Lyla Max and Thomas Paffel
Sharon and Stephen Mayo
Curtis McCready
Michelle and Michael McCulloch
Christopher and
Veronica McGregor
Desmond McKissock
The David and Diann Melnick
Family Trust
Ashley Mevi and Kevin Kneafsey
Kate Milliken and Adam Karsten
Jill Minus
Victor Morales and
Sharon Halpern
Nafysa and Salim Parpia
Jesse Pearson
Maria and Joe Penny
Veronica Perez and Luis Cortez
Ms. Beth Perry
Ann and Gary Polumbus
Anne Porter-Roth
Lizzie Porter-Roth
Maureen Poxon
David Rivers
Patricia and Jason Roberts
Laura Roche
Claudia Rodriguez and
David Johnson
Jennifer Rund
Mary Sample-Mattos
Lisa and John Scarsella
Alison and Yair Schers
Ushi and Jon Schick
Catherine Schoen
Danny Scuderi
Laura Seligsohn and Rich Williams
Kristina and Christopher Shaffer
Barb Sharp
Jessica Shavers
Mark Sherburne
Lois Sheridan
Anna Shubeau
Barbara and Stephen Siskin
Mr. and Mrs. James Skelton
Suzanne and Dan Smiley
Colleen Smith
Susan Smith
Jennifer Spielberg
Kathryn and Steve Starke
Mona and Mark Steinberg
Tenisha Tate
Karin Taylor and Steve Hermanos
The Thistle Family
Courtney C. Tindall
Greson Torchio
The Trammell Family
Koji and Satoko Tsutsui
Deborah Turney
Rebecca and Michael Wara
Katie and Gene Webb
Talley and Paul Webb
The Westbrook Family
Carla Wilkins
Samira and Nick Willson
Karen Woodall
Cristin Yang
Jami and Andrew Zakem
GRANDPARENTS & FRIENDS
Anonymous
Jane and Ron Clyde
Elliot Clyde ‘17
William Dacus
Adriano Hare ‘24
Alonzo Hare ‘20
Paula DeLuca and
Dr. Francis DeLuca
Isla Robinson ‘26
Mr. and Mrs. William C. Egan/
Wood Family Foundation
Brooks Egan ‘24
Debbie Freed
Taylor Arian ‘21
Nancy Greenfield
Adriano Hare ‘24
Alonzo Hare ‘20
Chandi and Lewis Hemapala
Ishan Lewis-Gabriel ‘23
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hermanos
Ansel Hermanos ‘21
Merrill Hunn
Toshiko and Eijun Kujo
Kaia Land ‘22
Maxwell Land ‘19
Mr. Andrew Lien
Danny Lien ‘17
Henry Lien ‘20
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Lisska
James Bryan ‘25
John Littleford
Anita Franklin Love
Milo Franklin ‘24
Winston Franklin ‘22
William and Kathryn Massara
Chloe Elkort ‘17
Katherine Elkort ‘14
The David and
Diann Melnick Family Trust
Elianna Bar-Nahum ‘20
Victor Morales and
Sharon Halpern
Alexandra Stone ’11
Natasha Stone ‘17
Maria and Joe Penny
Andrew Penny ‘24
Noah Penny ‘22
Ms. Beth Perry
Isabelle Brennan ‘21
Maeve Brennan ‘23
Rick and Georgia Pimentel
Audrey Jaeger ‘21
Daniel Jaeger ‘18
Ann and Gary Polumbus
George Lyons ‘17
Mac Lyons ‘13
Mr. and Mrs. James Skelton
Rawlings Skelton ‘25
Reid Skelton ‘26
Deborah Turney
Rex Rutchik ‘21
Katie and Gene Webb
Carter Read ‘24
James Read ‘26
ALUMNI & ALUMNI FAMILIES
Beth and Dain Anderson
Christine Armstrong and
Lou Dangles
Kristen and Louis Commesso
Rachel Dobkowski ‘04
Meg and Steve Edelson
Christopher Elbers
Anjuli Elias ‘96
Constance, Paul and
Ashley ‘97 Goldsmith
Annie Gordon
Kathleen Hazelton-Leech
Hillery Jaffe-Urell
Lois E. Kortum and
George W. Mc Bride
Jacqui Pearson Long
Curtis McCready
Michelle and Michael McCulloch
Lawrie Mott
Ms. Sue Pearlstine
Jesse Pearson ‘88
Lizzie Porter-Roth ‘01
Maureen Poxon
Lisa and Allen Preger
The Schow Foundation
Mark Sherburne
Anna Shubeau
Kathryn and Steve Starke
Mona Steinberg
Carol Schussler Van Winjen
The Westbrook Family
Carla Wilkins
FACULTY & STAFF
Dorie Akka
Beth and Dain Anderson
Paul Austin
Chris Baker
Ellen Elizabeth
Boorman Family
Kristen and Louis Commesso
Amber Copeland
Dana Dacus-Hare and Kemp Hare
Maxine De Cook
Charlie Denby
Marcello Diaz
Debbie Dicker
Kyle Donohoe
Laura Duggan
Carrie Eagles and
Luis Ottley, Ed.D.
Christopher Elbers
Anjuli Elias
Angie Evans
Claire Garwood
Annie Gordon
Susan Guadagno and Al Tommei
Harriet Hayward
Kathleen Hazelton-Leech
Chandi and Lewis Hemapala
Catherine Hills and
Audrey Borden
Merrill Hunn
Hillery Jaffe-Urell
Andrea Lenzi
Hilary Levey
Kristin and Todd Lorenz
Lyla Max and Thomas Paffel
Michelle and Michael McCulloch
Desmond McKissock
Jesse Pearson ‘88
Anne Porter-Roth
Lizzie Porter-Roth
Maureen Poxon
David Rivers
Jennifer Rund
Mary Sample-Mattos
Lisa and John Scarsella
Alison and Yair Schers
Danny Scuderi
Mark Sherburne
Lois Sheridan
Anna Shubeau
Colleen Smith
Susan Smith
Jennifer Spielberg
Kathryn and Steve Starke
Courtney C. Tindall
Greson Torchio
Carla Wilkins
Karen Woodall
Cristin Yang
13. @
for the
Marin Horizon School
Annual Auction
Saturday, April 30th 2016
Mill Valley Community Center@@@
SAVE THE DATESAVE THE DATE
=------------
=------------
22 23
CORPORATE, FOUNDATION,
DONOR ADVISED FUNDS &
MATCHING GIFTS
Artisan Partners Limited
Partnership
Blackrock Matching Gift
Program (2)
Electronic Arts OutrEAch Program
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund (2)
Gordon and Betty Moore
Foundation
Hawthorn PNC Family Wealth
Jewish Community Federation
Levi Strauss & Co.
Love Family Charitable Fund
MCM Foundation
R.S. Evans Foundation, Inc.
Salesforce Foundation (2)
The Schow Foundation
Schwab Charitable Fund (3)
The Benevity Community
Impact Fund / Apple
The Clorox Company Foundation
The Hanley Foundation
United Way of the Bay Area
Walt Disney Company Foundation
Wells Fargo Community
Support Campaign (2)
Western Union Foundation
Wood Family Foundation
FUND-A-NEED
The 2015 Fund-a-Need
was a great success,
raising close to $80,000 to
help fund the installation
of solar panels around
campus. See page 12 for
the full story. Thank you!
The Adlerman/Platter Family
Dorie Akka
Anonymous
Cara and Chris Barde
Candice West Barker and
Todd Barker
Soraya Betterton and Brian Urey
Bev and Rolly Boorman
Eimile and Spiros Bouas
Annie and Paul Brennan
Susanne and Paul Carek
Helena Chaye and Key Shin
Katie and Jamie Dyos
Carie Eagles and
Luis Ottley, Ed.D.
Andrea and Daniel Elkort
Nancy and Jarom Fawson
Nina Frank
Tay Via Franklin and Matt Franklin
Kerrilyn Garma
Livia and Mutahar Glasgow
Annie Gordon
Cindy Grijalva and Sandra Stone
Dyer Grote and Rob Edington
Colleen and Hunter Hancock
Shari and Bjarne Hansen
Harriet Hayward
Hollie and Jay Haynes
Kathleen Hazelton-Leech
Karyn Hillman and Tim Dixon
Vicotoria Huerta-Miller and
Jeremy Huerta-Miller
Merrill Hunn
Kristine Jaeger
Stephen Jaeger
Liz and Kirt Jorgenson
Mira Kim and Darren Malvin
Susan Kreusch and Kevin Smead
Sonia Lee and Alan Grumet
Hilary Levey
Lauren Cooks Levitan and
Paul Levitan
Rebecca and Christopher Lien
Natalie and Dick Loggins
Jacqui Lopez-Wyman and
Matt Wyman
Ashley and Elvin MacDonald
Amanda and Stuart McLeod
Trigg and Bill McLeod
Elizabeth and Michael Mooney
Lawrie Mott
Stacy Pasko and Matt Miottel
Elia and James Robinson
Susan Sakmar and Kirk Hobbs
Susan and Roger Schow
Jennie and Chris Skelton
Kathryn Starke
Catherine and Greg Stern
Robin and Geoffrey Strawbridge
Marina and Alan Terpins
Michelle Verloop and
Robert Ahearn
Tiana Wimmer and Warren Leiden
Catherine and Kenton Wolfers
Rachel Wynne and Van Wilshire
Tony Zanze
8TH GRADE LEGACY GIFT
The Class of 2015 worked
hard all year to raise funds
for their Legacy Gift,
culminating with the 8th
Grade vs. Faculty and
Alumni Basketball Game
Day in June. It was a fun-
filled afternoon of good
sportsmanship, popcorn
and slushies. All-in-all, the
students raised a whop-
ping $800 towards the
Class of 2015 Legacy Gift,
supporting the endow-
ment, and ensuring that
lots of students after them
will get to enjoy our amaz-
ing program!
$1,000,000 and Above
Anonymous
$250,000 – $999,999
Anonymous (2)
Nina Frank
The Schow Foundation
Kathryn Van Dyke and Doug Grant
$100,000– $249,999
Anonymous
The Adlerman/Platter Family
The Bouas Family
Nina and Chris Buchbinder
Stephen Jaeger
Hollie and Jay Haynes
The William G. Irwin
Charity Foundation
Lauren and Paul Levitan
and Family
Trigg and Bill McLeod
Staci and Tom Reilly
$25,000– $99,999
Anonymous (4)
Candice West Barker and
Todd Barker
Hannelore Barnes and
Bruce Pflaum
Henry and Glenda Corning
Andrea and Daniel Elkort
Allison and David Geisler
Livia and Mutahar Glasgow
Colleen and Hunter Hancock
Kristine Jaeger
Sonia Lee and Alan Grumet
Rebecca and Christopher Lien
Steve Minus
Susan Sakmar and Kirk Hobbs
Robin and Geoff Strawbridge
Marina and Alan Terpins
Sally and Bill Van Ingen
$5,000– $24,999
Elizbabeth Brown-Lewin and
Janet Brown-Lewin
Helena Chaye and Key Shin
Jennifer and Craig Croteau
Carrie Eagles and
Luis Ottley, Ed.D.
Fleishhacker Foundation
Diana and Scott Greenstone
Shari and Bjarne Hansen
Amy Hershman and
Richard Patterson
Daniela and Michael Manning
Gillian and Cliff Mishalko
The Negley Flinn
Charitable Foundation
Olive and Roby Robinson
Beth and Jonathan Rutchik
Mona Steinberg
Up to $4,999
Anonymous
Susan Baker
Skyler Bakken-French
Ellen Beller
The Boorman Family
Class of 2014 Legacy Fund
Class of 2015 Legacy Fund
Veronica and Luis Cortez
Debra Wetherby Fund for Marin
Scott Duyan
Amy Keroes and Jeffrey Fisher
Kerrilyn Garma
Gina and Byron Hector
Vanessa and Bill Higgins
Susan Kreusch and Kevin Smead
Dara and Scott Potter
Meme and Peter Scherr
Molly West and Chuck Slaughter
Susan and Chris Yates
FACING FORWARD: The Campaign for Marin Horizon School
In the spring of 2015, we launched the community phase of Facing Forward: The
Campaign for Marin Horizon school, an opportunity to build our endowment and
make capital improvements to our campus. This major giving campaign will be
transformational to our community as we ensure long-term support for our beloved
teachers and Tuition Assistance while also supporting our newly adopted Campus
Master Plan. We are extremely grateful to the donors listed below, who helped us
reach a record $5.1 million in gifts and pledges by October, 2015. We will continue
to invite every family to learn more about how they can support Facing Forward
throughout the 2015–2016 school year, in an effort to reach our goal of $7 million.
14. 2524
ALEX SCHMITZ ’98
After graduating from Branson,
Alex earned his Bachelor of Sci-
ence degree with a concentration
in Finance from the Leeds School
of Business at the University
of Colorado. In addition, he
completed advanced coursework
at New York University’s School
of Continuing and Professional
Studies in his pursuit to become
a CFP®
practitioner.
He recently started a wealth
management firm, One Wealth
Advisors in San Francisco where
he is Driector of Financial Plan-
ning, after serving as a Financial
Advisor for The Steele Group
at J.P. Morgan Securities. He
was also a financial analyst at
Schmitz Capital Partners and
worked during college as an
intern at Morgan Stanley.
An active outdoorsman and
sportsman, Alex enjoys basket-
ball, golf, hiking and skiing.
24
98
SPRING 2015
ALUMNI REUNION
CHRIS BAKER, OUTDOOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION, AND ANJULI ELIAS, MIDDLE SCHOOL
HUMANITIES TEACHER
Marin Horizon’s alumni maintain a strong
connection to our Outdoor and Environmen-
tal Education program long after they have
moved on. In fact many alumni have become
guides for our Outdoor Education trips.
Most recently Sam Schow ’02, Micah Vassua
’02, and Adam Sterry ’08, have participated,
along with Simone Wainwright ’11 who is
following up her experience in the Team
Program at Tamalpais High School with
a NOLS Program in South America before
heading off to college.
The Spring 2015 Alumni Reunion took
place, once again, at Planet Granite, where
the influence of their former teacher (and
avid rock climber) Joel Booth, was definitely
felt. The majority of the alumni were certi-
fied to belay, so instead of hiring staff, they
were able to belay each other (and their
teachers!). Take a look at the photos to see
if you recognize any of the smiling faces.
After a fun morning at the gym, the group
ventured down to the waterfront for lunch
overlooking the bay before returning to
Marin Horizon. For Anjuli and Chris it was
a pleasure to watch old friends reconnect,
and to hear about everyone’s experiences
at high school. It is a testament to our
program and community that our alumni
remain so active, engaged and committed
to these kinds of activities.
ALUMNI NEWS
over
the
horizon
ASHLEY GOLDSMITH ’97
Now in her 2nd year on the
Alumni Council, Ashley works
for Counseling and Support
Services for Youth (CASSY) and
is a school-based therapist for an
elementary school in Palo Alto.
After finishing her internship,
she hopes to become a licensed
Marriage and Family Therapist.
97
KYLE LEMLE ’03
After attending Marin Acad-
emy, Kyle went on to study at
Northwestern University, then
earned his B.A. in Environmen-
tal Studies and International
Development Studies at Brown
University. His focus has been
on community-based natural re-
source management and climate
change in the developing world,
and he most recently worked in
Bhutan and Thailand.
He is currently back in the Bay
Area, working as the Outreach
& Volunteer Coordinator with
Friends of the Urban Forest,
where he is coordinating 30
neighborhood campaigns to
plant 1,200 trees a year.
03
15. 26 27
KATIE SUGARMAN ’01
Katie majored in photography at Lewis and Clark College,
and currently does wardrobe for commercials and photo
shoots. During college Katie studied abroad in Kenya and
Tanzania where she got to live with a Maasai family and
studied Swahili, politics and culture, biology, marine biol-
ogy and ornithology. It was during this time that Katie fell
in love with that part of the world and its amazing people.
She soon went back to be part of Biocultural Conservation
Institute’s women’s trip to Mt. Kenya. Not shortly after, she
joined the board of this organization that is made up of a
group of outdoor educators and conservationists who wish
to act proactively and assist the Maasai community of
Ololgului/Olorashi. Her focus is on BCI’s Maasai Girls Edu-
cation Project, empowering women through education.
Like many Marin Horizon alumni, Katie has spent a signifi-
cant part of her life in the great outdoors and truly under-
stands the importance of conservation, education and
what it means to collaborate with local communities based
on their needs.
You can visit her project website here:
http://www.bioguides.org/maasai-girls-education-project/
NICK DIETZ ’04
Nick Dietz went on to Stuart
Hall, and then University of
California, Los Angeles. He is
currently in medical school at
Georgetown University School
of Medicine. Last summer he
was accepted into the Visiting
Research Internship Program at
Harvard Medical School Catalyst
Clinical Translational Research
Center and got to work on two
exciting projects in biomedical
informatics at Harvard Medi-
cal School and Brigham and
Women’s Hospital.
While there, Nick drafted a 17-
page manuscript, which he pre-
sented to an audience of faculty
and researchers. Additionally,
he attended several conferences
and lectures about the future
of healthcare in personalizing
medicine and using targeted im-
munotherapy for cancer.
Later in the summer, Nick got to
fulfill a dream that took shape
when he was in Kathleen’s Kin-
dergarten classroom, studying
the jungle eco-system. He took
a two-week solo trip to South
America, visiting Brazil and Ar-
gentina (see photo, above), where
he got to practice his Spanish
and meet lots of new people.
ASHER KING
ABRAMSON ’05
From Marin Horizon, Asher at-
tended the Urban School, and
then University of California, Los
Angeles, where he earned his B.A.
in Psychology with a minor in Ac-
counting. While at UCLA, Asher
helped Yale’s Neuroscience lab
publish a meta-analysis on neural
prediction error, interned for KPMG
audit services, and led the school
Quidditch team — a real-life ver-
sion of J.K. Rowling’s fictional
sport from Harry Potter — to sec-
ond place in the World Cup.
Asher went on to study at App
Academy, a coding bootcamp in
the Bay Area, where he became
an instructor, followed by a stint
teaching and working at an Ed
Tech startup. Asher is currently a
software engineer for The Minerva
Project — a cutting edge inter-
national undergraduate program
that uses the science of learning to
prepare the brightest students in
the world for jobs that don’t even
exist yet.
Asher’s other achievements include
placing second in the ICCAs (yes,
like Pitch Perfect), dropping a ten-
track freestyle rap mixtape, and
authoring a newsletter focusing on
effective learning strategies.
SARAH SHERBURNE ’04
After Marin Horizon, Sarah Sher-
burne (yes, that Sherburne!),
went on to Marin Catholic High
School, and then earned her
B.A. in Economics and French at
Wellesley College.
She is currently living in Boston
where, by day, she is working for
New England Venture Capital
Association running Tech Gen-
eration, a program connecting
hundreds of undergraduate and
graduate students with Boston’s
hottest tech startups through
internships, workshops and
networking events. By night,
she is working towards earning
her M.B.A. from Babson College
— Franklin W. Olin Graduate
School of Business.
Recently engaged, she and her
fiancé are proud parents to
Bugsy, a Goldendoodle puppy
(pictured above).
RACHEL DOBKOWSKI ’04
While studying at Tam High,
Rachel traveled to Spain on a
study abroad summer program
and to Fiji and New Zealand on
a Global Works trip. She went on
to University of Oregon, gradu-
ating in 2012 with a degree in
Sociology and double minors
in Business and Communica-
tions. While in college, Rachel
travelled to Spain, Italy, Greece
and Mexico. After college, Rachel
went to Israel and then returned
to the Bay Area for work.
Since November 2012, Rachel
has been the Bay Area Regional
Sales Representative for Designs
For Vision, Inc. (DVI). DVI is the
world’s leading manufacturer of
magnification eyewear (loupes),
illumination products and hands
free video cameras, primarily for
surgeons and dentists, and oc-
casionally veterinarians and tech
workers. Rachel is living in San
Francisco and loves it! She also
enjoys going to music festivals
and spending time with friends
and family.
04 05
OVERTHEHORIZON
Featured Alumni
16. 28 29
SKYLAR BAKER ’14
Skylar is currently attending the
Urban School where he joined
the cross country team “to try
something new” because Marin
Horizon taught him to step out of
his comfort zone! “Marin Horizon
made so many parts of my high
school experience 100 times easi-
er. Especially my history teachers
in Middle School (Beth and An-
juli) who prepared me extremely
well for the academic challenges I
am faced with every day.”
Last summer, Skylar moved with
his mother to Amsterdam for a
few months, where he quickly
picked up Dutch. He credits
Marin Horizon with helping him
be able to adapt to new and dif-
ferent situations which helped
him meet other teens while he
was there.
Later in the summer, Skylar
became an assistant leader in a
makers program at the Presidio
NICK SMILEY ’12
Nick is studying at Tam High
School, and is an intern for the
AIM program, which encompass-
es English, Social Studies, and
Documentary Film. He is also
working at Planet Granite where
he is on the youth climbing team.
Over the summer, he did a two-
week program at NYU called
SEMI (Summer Electronic Music
Institute) where he studied, pro-
duced, and performed electronic
music.
SHIRIEL KING ’12
Shiriel has moved up from copy
editor to editor-in-chief for the
Redwood Bark, Redwood High
School’s newspaper, where she
is starting a Spanish section.
She credits Carla for getting her
excited about Spanish and is
looking forward to covering local
events in the Hispanic world.
Check out her hard work at red-
woodbark.org!
In school, Shiriel enjoys the
challenge of BC Calculus and a
theatre improv class at College
of Marin, but focuses much of
her time on Bark and college
applications.
Over the summer, Shiriel at-
tended the pre-professional divi-
sion of Tap City, a week-long tap
dance festival in New York City,
where she took master classes,
culminating with a performance
on 42nd street!
says Margo. “I love working on
school sustainability with the
amazing students here and am
so grateful for the Marin Horizon
community, which has always of-
fered a home for me and encour-
aged me to pursue my passions.”
Margo will also be attending culi-
nary school to become a Certified
Natural Chef so she can exam-
ine food and ecology from every
angle. “I look forward to collabo-
rating with Marin Horizon in my
efforts to raise environmental
awareness and promote a system
of consumption that is nourish-
ing for people and the planet.”
YMCA, and he is now co-leading
an after school version of the
program.
Skylar switched to Chinese at
Urban and hopes to do a home-
stay trip to China next summer.
He loves the Chinese language
and learning about the culture,
which has opened up so many
unexpected doors.
MARGOT REISNER ’06
After attending Marin Acad-
emy, Margot earned her B.A. in
Environmental Students from
Skidmore College where she
concentrated on Sustainable
Agriculture, gaining experience
in landscaping, gardening,
permaculture and nutrition.
Margo moved back to the Bay
Area in 2014, and came back to
the Marin Horizon community,
first teaching gardening in the
2nd/3rd grade classrooms, and
chaperoning their trip to Red-
wood Glen camp. In 2015–16,
Margo is again teaching garden-
ing, leading the Green Team, and
guiding Outdoor Education trips.
“In exchange for my knowledge
about soil, plants, and animals,
the students share their curios-
ity, excitement and optimism,”
06
12 14
OVERTHEHORIZON
“I am so grateful for
the Marin Horizon
community, which
has always offered
a home for me and
encouraged me to
pursue my passions.”
“Marin Horizon made so
many parts of my high
school experience 100
times easier. Especially
my history teachers
in Middle School who
prepared me extremely
well for the academic
challenges I am faced
with every day.”
17. 3130
ELI KRANEFUSS ’11
Eli attended Marin Academy where he rode for
their mountain bike club, and he has been on
the Bear Development Team for the last three
years. Over the summer, he won the bronze
medal in the Cross Country Men’s Junior 17–18
category at the Mountain Bike National Champi-
onships on Mammoth Lakes – making him third
in the Country! He followed that up with the
Trois Etapes, a Pro-am road race in the French
Pyrenées and in the fall participated in the
World Championships in Andorra riding for
USA Cycling.
It’s no wonder then, that he is currently taking
a gap year to pursue professional cycling. Next
year, he plans to attend Colorado College.
When reflecting back on his experience at Marin
Horizon, Eli says, “Marin Horizon influenced
me by teaching me to overcome obstacles.
Our teachers always pushed us further and to
dig deeper. I have taken this everywhere as this
helped me to excel in high school, on the bike
and also in work.”
Eli, pictured above with Jens Voigt, former professional road bike
racer, and Tour de France participant.
KATE BRANDT ’95
Kate graduated from Saint Ignatius and went on
to graduate with honors from Brown University,
followed by a Masters in International Relations
from the University of Cambridge, where she was
a Gates Cambridge Scholar.
Kate, who is currently leading the development
of corporate sustainability for Google, Inc. credits
her early fondness for the field to the lessons she
learned at Marin Horizon. The school’s mission
to be good stewards of the earth struck a chord,
with Earth Day being a particular favorite event!
Before moving back to the Bay Area with her
husband, Kate served as President Obama and
the Nation’s first Chief Sustainability Officer. Prior
to her appointment, Kate held several senior
government posts including: Senior Advisor at
the U.S. Department of Energy in the Office
of the Under Secretary for Science and Energy;
Director for Energy and Environment in the
Office of White House Presidential Personnel;
Special Advisor for Energy to the Secretary of
the Navy, and Policy Analyst in the White House
Office of Energy and Climate Change.
Featured Alumni Mums of Alums Brunch
21+ Alumni Holiday Gathering
In May, about 18 Mums
of Alums gathered for a
festive brunch at Piazza
D’Angelo in downtown
Mill Valley. Memories
were swapped over coffee
and mimosas and several
lucky mums won copies
of our very own Marin
Horizon Cookbook, filled
with recipes from our
community!
On December 26th, 18
Marin Horizon alumni,
21 and over, gathered at
Brixton Bar in San Fran-
cisco for a festive holiday
reunion. Faculty members
Stevie Lee, Mo Poxon,
Jesse Pearson ’88, and
Annie Gordon joined them
for the walk down memory
lane, cocktails and a bite
to eat. It was great to hear
from grads who live near
and far and to catch up
on all the Marin Horizon
gossip!
PICTURED ABOVE, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Catherine Cox, Nancy Saarman,
Susan Schow, Sharon Gurewitz, Mona Steinberg, Mo Poxon, Annie Gordon,
Hillery Jaffe-Urell, Sharon Portnoy, Linda McCready, Devi Brown, Lora Ogloza,
Connie Goldsmith, Audrey DiFilippo, Robin Strawbridge, Bev Boorman,
Susie Reinhard, Simone Jordan, and Anne Porter-Roth
PICTURED ABOVE, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Lizzie Porter-Roth, Sam Schow,
Stevie Lee Jr., Carey Smith-Marchi, Jack Schow, Ashley Goldsmith,
Stephanie Lee, Miles Lassi, and Jesse Pearson.
18. 3332
EIGHTH GRADE CLASS OF 2015
We are proud of our graduates and the choices they and their families made for their
high school education. We wish you all the best of luck and hope that you stay in touch!
Branson School
Drew School
Marin Academy
Marin Catholic
High School
Redwood High School
Sir Francis Drake
High School
Tamalpais High School
The Bay School
University High School
Eighth grade is a
transitional and
transformational
year. For many of
our students who
are getting ready to
move from their day-
to-day life at Marin
Horizon, this is the
last in a 12-year
experience! Even for
those who have not
been here since their Toddler year, it can
be a bittersweet time — our students form
strong bonds with each other and our fac-
ulty, and though they are certainly ready
to spread their wings and fly away, they will
always be Marin Horizon students.
This year we asked Owen McWhorter (pic-
tured above) to give some insights about his
last year at Marin Horizon, and his transi-
tion into 9th grade at Bay School. Below are
his answers.
What was your favorite part of 8th grade?
My favorite part of 8th grade was the
amount of independence we were given.
You have the opportunity to earn more
privileges, like lunch off campus. You are
also looked upon as a leader.
Fondest memory of Marin Horizon School?
My fondest memories of Marin Horizon are
the close friendships I made and the awe-
some teachers I got to know over the years.
I have great memories of some crazy things
some of the teachers did to get our attention.
Most challenging part of 8th grade?
The most challenging part of 8th grade
was all of the SSAT prep. The prep did not
stop in the classroom. There was a lot of
prep work to do at home and on your own.
It took a lot of focus and time, but was well
worth it.
Describe your experience of the high school
application process. Was it hard? Scary?
Stressful? Fun? Did you like the process?
I found the high school application process
challenging. It definitely put my time man-
agement skills to the test. It was very time
consuming, but Marin Horizon really helps
you be well prepared for the process.
What were you most concerned about in
going into 9th grade?
What I was most concerned about going
into 9th grade was starting over and being
in a new environment. Everything went
from being very familiar to being brand new.
In what ways did Marin Horizon prepare you
for 9th grade?
I felt Marin Horizon did a great job prepar-
ing me for 9th grade. I felt prepared for
the homework load and Marin Horizon
taught me good time management skills.
I felt very prepared for all of the writing
and annotating.
My transition into 9th grade was smooth.
Both socially and academically, I feel com-
fortable at Bay.
The best advice I can give to a Marin Ho-
rizon 8th grader is to take all of the SSAT
prep and application process seriously. It
is time consuming and tiring, but in the
end, you want to feel as though you did
your best. Also, remember the year is not
over after you send in your applications
and take the SSAT. The rest of the year is
important. Enjoy it!
EIGHTH GRADE and beyond
ANSWERS FROM PAGE 9, WHERE ON CAMPUS: Star: Science Lab; Roof: Primary 3, Pillars (clockwise from
top right): Basketball court, Garden, Primary 1, Primary 2/3, 4th-5th Grade; Primary 2; Base, Primary 1
19. 305 Montford Ave
Mill Valley CA 94941
415 388 8408
www.marinhorizon.org
WHERE ACADEMICS
& CHARACTER
ARE CLASSMATES
