ASP Alumni News, Spring Edition 2021
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Upcoming Virtual Events
Special Reunion for the Class of 1971 Cheers for 50 years!
Saturday, May 22, 7:00 p.m. Paris / 1:00 p.m. New York
Join classmates for a special event to mark this milestone. The reunion committee will provide the Zoom link and further details. RSVP to Steve Pendery '71.
Multiclass Reunion for Class Years ending in '1': 1951, 61, 71, 81, 91, 2001, and 2011 (breakout rooms available per class) Saturday, June 12, 4:30 p.m. Paris / 10:30 a.m. New York
Reconnect with classmates, faculty, and the alumni team via a special multi-decade special reunion! Let's celebrate ten years for Class of 2011, and all other classes with other big year reunions!
Save the Dates: Friday, May 27–Monday, May 30, 2022, Memorial Day weekend
Chuck Cosgrove '72 is spearheading an in-person reunion a year from now for "all early 70s graduates (and anyone else)" in Washington DC. Reservations are already being accepted for this event. See details via Facebook and to RSVP contact Chuck.
Recent Events
Alumni PAINTogether
ASP's first-ever 'global' painting session, on April 17, saw alumni from Hawaii to the Highlands, from the Classes of 1961 to 2018 paint their interpretations of Monet's bridge at Giverny and have a great time doing so! Thank you to art teacher Lexi Conrad '97, and bravo to all of our ASPiring artists!
Visiting Writer Zadie Smith
Renowned author Zadie Smith visited ASP on March 9 as our 2021 (online) Visiting Writer. During an evening presentation for adults including Paris-area alumni, she spoke about "Intimations", her most recent collection of essays. The Visiting Writer series, now in its 19th year, has been made possible thanks to the generosity of literary agent Steven Barclay '77.
Teacher Appreciation
Along with our students, faculty are at the heart of the American School of Paris. Their dedication, compassion and support make the school a special place. May is Teacher Appreciation Month, an opportunity to say thank you for everything they do to inspire and prepare students. Do you remember that amazing teacher who made your school years so memorable, or influenced your chosen post-ASP path? Let them know! Here we present two alumnae who recently contacted the Alumni Office in order to reconnect with special teachers who have made a difference in their lives.
Nona Kiknadze '14
"Chris Friendly, one of my favorite and most influential ASP teachers, was the one who helped ignite my passion for psychology. I loved the subject from the first moment I studied it in his class. I wanted to share with him that I have just been accepted to the University of Miami to pursue a doctorate in Counseling Psychology. Chris's faith in me helped me get to where I am today. That's my journey: from Chris Friendly's ASP classroom in 2013 to a PhD program in 2021." Read more.
Marie Bernard-Brind'Amour '13
Marie is pursuing her Masters in Media Studies at Concordia University. She shares: "It was so special to reconnect with my Grade 5 teacher Nadine Bertoglio. This past year, with the pandemic confining us in our homes, I have thought of the links we form throughout our lives, and the importance of taking a step back and remembering them. Teacher Appreciation Day is a great time to reach out to teachers who have made an impact on us, even if it's 15 years later!" Read more.
Share a message honoring a teacher here or contact the Alumni Office to connect with them directly!
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ASP Annual Fund donations help today's students have the life changing ASP experience you did.
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Giving of Time and Talent
Anja Sunneva Rahlenbeck '18, Pauline Kress '13, Kelly Morrison '11, Sara Kamboj '17, and Heather Murdock '07 were the alumnae judges of ASP's 2021 Women in STEM club award.
Faculty advisor Laura Schupack shares: "the judges were thoughtful and thorough, the applications impressive." Read more.
Alana Aksoy '14, joined James Wilson's Digital Music class to discuss her work on the management and agency end of the music business.
Henry Ott '11 joined the same class to talk about his ASP alumni band Mammifères and about touring with Ms Velvet and the Blue Wolf. Read more about Alana and Henry's visits!
Jacob Saltzman '15, founded Soterios International, a global disaster response and health and safety consulting company. He has been working with PictureStart and Netflix to develop infection prevention strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on film sets. Jacob recruited Souki Gonzalez '15 as a compliance officer to help with the production of the film "Am I OK?." Souki, a production designer and art director, offered insights into the production world, supporting Jacob's work and the project's success. That's the ASP alumni network in action!
Nanette (Dubé) Andersson '83, an architect specializing in institutional and educational projects, has joined Engberg Anderson Architects in Chicago. She writes: "Living in Paris had a profound effect on my career choice. I remember awakening to the powerful emotions architecture could evoke - the awareness of the sublime while visiting cathedrals such as Chartres, the joy and playfulness in the Pompidou Center. It was truly a wonderful education and a life changing experience."
Walid Al Saqqaf '93, a London-based entrepreneur, outlines his new venture: Rebalance Earth, "a global initiative, whose aim is to build an equitable and sustainable economy underpinned by a regenerative nature and thriving local communities. Our Mission is to quantify companies' efforts to protect nature. We are seeking transformational change: to reimagine carbon offsetting markets, rebalance our behavior towards the natural world, and create an economy where both nature and humanity flourish once again."
Clara Du Aime '11 created a video of her grandmother, retired faculty member Rosemary Du Aime P'70, '73, '76, '86 for the Facebook ASP alumni group, speaking to her former students as comments and greetings came rolling in. Rosemary provided an update on her whereabouts, activities, and her new car! Thank you to Ian Shapiro '76 for creating the initial post, and to Clara. If you missed this magic, you can see it unfold here.
New and Notable
Ardavan Amir-Aslani '82 has written the new book "Le Siecle des Defis, " addressing shifts in world geopolitics. Ardavan is a Paris-based attorney and author.
If you are a published author, please send us a brief write up about your works to share with the alumni community in future Alma Matters newsletters!
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In Memoriam
We note the passing of beloved alumni community members
Barbara Wood Welke '64, November 2020 in California USA
Bill Bromsteadt '71, March 2021 in Maine USA
Jonathan Warnhammer-Noak '00, February 2021 in Texas USA
Gerard Welker '64, February 2021 in Brittany, France
Michael Pasquale '64, March 2021 in Georgia USA
Robert Fox '86 (right in photo) recently accompanied his daughter when she had to travel for sports, and met up with Josh Simon '85, a former ASP teammate, whom he travelled with for sports 37 years prior! Robert is publisher for Fox Publishing in North Carolina, and Josh is Commercial Manager for GE Power in Atlanta.
AlumniConnection is your go-to place for ASP yearbooks of years past, contact information for registered alumni, news from school, and more! Register and let us know your feedback about this platform and how we might be able to improve the user experience for you!
Sarah Noble '98 wrote a blog entry in ASP's Weekly Word, sharing the impact her ASP experience has had on her life and chosen career path. Interest to contribute to the Weekly Word? Contact: alumni@asparis.fr
ASP is developing a robust in-person internship program in the Paris area for its Upper School students. Is your company in a position to welcome our students for a few days or weeks this summer? ASP students are intelligent, tech savvy, intrepid global citizens, and hard workers, eager for opportunities to go beyond classroom learning. Please contact Upper School Assistant Director Brian Brazeau, for more information.
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