Zach Siegel will be attending Loyola University in Chicago where he received a scholarship to attend their Honors Neuroscience Program. In high school, he was on Walnut Hills’ A honor roll every year, ran cross country and was the principal bass in the Chamber Orchestra.
Zach shared many New School experiences that have been both meaningful and helpful in his life. Researching and presenting his senior project gave Zach critical skills that were helpful during high school and will be invaluable in college. Working in groups and knowing how to get the best work out of all members can be a challenge. Zach said The New School was helpful in teaching him how to work well in a group with kindness. Zach learned good work habits at TNSM. He was given time to work independently, to focus on tasks, and to be responsible for his assignments. The kindness of Zach’s teachers throughout his years at TNSM and their encouragement to read and think about novels has had made an impact on Zach. In the eyes of his teachers, he felt smart and capable and was proud of his ability to write and to understand how to think about math. Zach has fond memories of being outside in all kinds of weather and having time to enjoy lunch, recess and time together outside. He was also appreciative of the opportunities for creative expression through drama, music and even our annual “Who Am I?” celebration each Halloween.
Christy Powell will begin in the fall as a freshman at the University of Cincinnati and will major in history. She graduated from Saint Ursula Academy where she was involved in theater, orchestra, academic team, anime club and feminist club. Christy expressed her gratitude to TNSM saying, “My experience at The New School really helped me think outside the box. The New School Montessori taught me a lot about being independent while also working as part of a team.”
Callie Jacks graduated from The Madeira School, a boarding school near Washington, D.C. and participated in a wide variety of creative and performing arts activities. Callie was in charge of the school’s a cappella group, Sweet Ti, and was also a member of the choir. Callie took part in theater, playing Jack’s mother in Into the Woods and designing lights and costumes for the school’s One Acts Festival. Callie was a residential assistant in her dorm for two years and co-led the Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Callie credits The New School with teaching her to get her hands dirty and with giving her a strong background for research. Callie’s preparation in sixth grade for her senior project helped her as a junior in high school to write a research paper about the graphic novel Funhome and the legacy of the Stonewall Riots.
Molly Katkin will be heading to the University of Chicago this fall to major in comparative human development. Her studies will include a mixture of psychology, neuroscience and sociology. Molly graduated with honors from Walnut Hills High School and won the French, Latin, and social studies awards. She also received a scholarship from the Walnut Hills alumni association. While in high school, Molly stayed active as Consul of Junior Class League (Latin Club), President of the Jewish Culture Club and was a member of the Science Fiction Club.
Pablo Peguero-Winters will be attending the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has long been a student of the violin. While a student at The New School Montessori, Pablo most enjoyed the family-based relationships that the staff has with the students. After TNSM, Pablo attended Walnut Hills High School, SCPA and ECOT (online) from which he graduated in January, 2017.
John Stukenberg graduated from Walnut Hills with honors. While there, he was a left-handed pitcher for the baseball team and sang in the choir. John will attend DePaul University in Chicago this fall with a focus on political science and history. This summer, John has kept himself busy working at the downtown German confectioner’s shop, Doscher’s Candies. They use the old recipes for candy and even hand-bend each candy cane.
John has very fond memories of his years at TNSM and remains best friends with kids he grew up with at The New School. John misses the sense of community and the “family feel” he knew while attending TNSM. He loved his strong connection with teachers and Ex-Day staff. He was extremely well prepared for the rigors of Walnut Hills and because of his strong relationships with New School staff, could see Walnut Hills teachers as people and could easily approach them in conversation and friendship.
Jonathan Taffe played Junior Varsity and Varsity Soccer at Walnut Hills High School, played trombone in the band, and was a member of several clubs including the IT club. Outside of school, Jonathan has several interests including playing the drums which he took up during senior year. Jonathan will attend the University of Cincinnati in the fall. He is proud to be undecided with respect to his major as he has many interests and looks forward to exploring them further in his first year. Jonathan took a family trip to England this summer to see where his father (Dennis) was born!
Langston Thomas graduated from Walnut Hills High School this spring where he played trumpet in the marching band and marched in The New Year’s Day Parade in Paris with the band in 2016.
Langston’s longterm goal is to have a career in the military, perhaps Special Forces or the Marines. He has joined the Navy ROTC program at Miami University in Oxford and will begin his studies in the honors program in the School of Engineering this fall.
Langston has remained best friends with many of his New School classmates (pictured in the photo above) and will be forever indebted to TNSM for a beautiful start in life where both he and his sister, Maya, were able to embrace their truths and become firmly grounded in the work they were put here to do.
Kelen Thalinger will attend the University of Cincinnati in the DAAP program with a focus on fine arts and film. He hopes to have a career as a concept artist for a film studio and/or a comic artist and author. Kelen graduated from Seven Hills where he participated in art shows, plays, lacrosse, and orchestra. He graduated with honors and awards in art and personal achievement. Kelen has been working on writing and illustrating a graphic novel.
Kelen feels that his New School experience is so thoroughly engrained in him that it’s difficult to comment on only one specific way TNSM has impacted him. He says, “From art classes to human biology and ancient history courses, this school has introduced me to hundreds of subjects and has given me the tools to pursue my interests without assistance or supervision.” Kelen commented that even his food tastes are more interesting and varied as a result of his trying new foods during his years of TNSM lunches. Kelen enjoyed writing fables in fifth grade and marked it as one of the more unique experiences that further developed his creative writing skills. At TNSM, Kelen discovered teamwork, academic persistence, and found numerous personal creative outlets. Kelen summarized, “I am, quite literally, a product of the education I received at The New School.”
Rachel Thurman attended Walnut Hills High School and graduated with honors as a Cum Laude Initiate. She participated in a service club called Community Action Team that helps people around the city. Her work included tutoring underserved children at Evanston Academy and raising money for AIDS research at their annual dance marathon. Rachel also spent her junior and senior year volunteering for the Clinton campaign as well.