Our alumni gather for reunions, come back to volunteer, and tell us amazing stories about their accomplishments. Explore Bertschi alumni news and photos below.
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We loving hearing from our alumni about their accomplishments and when possible sharing them with the broader community.
From Bertschi School green team member to award-winning environmental activist! Annika was as 2022 recipient of the Brower Youth Awards in recognition of her efforts to organize and advocate for carbon neutrality.
Naomi Fina '15 and Cal Phinney '16 started their Ultimate frisbee career as Bertschi Bugaboos, and it recently took them all the way to the Ultimate Frisbee world championship. Both graduates of The Northwest School in Seattle, Naomi and Cal were on the U20 Junior Women's and Open teams who won Gold at the World Junior Ultimate Championships this summer in Poland. We are so proud of our Bugaboo alumni!
Pictured top left: Naomi and dad, Steve
Pictured bottom left: Cal at the team (he's top center, just to the right of the trophy).
Lily Wong, '14
Posted 04/29/2021
Lily Wong '14 is confronting Anti-Asian Hate through dance. We applaud Lily for embodying one of the most important lessons at Bertschi School: the lesson of being an upstander instead of a bystander when witnessing a wrong against any member of our community. Bertschi stands in solidarity with Lily and our AAPI families and their children.
Ruby Pope '14
Posted 04/29/2021
Ruby Pope '14 started her own streetwear line Ruby Laine Apparel last year at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (her junior year of high school). She is currently running this business as a senior with a lot of success! You can shop online, check them out on Facebook, or visit the brick and mortar shop in Ballard.
Zach Santos Ufkes '11
Posted 04/29/2021
Zach and the The Zach Santos Band released a new album, Portraits in the Rain, in February 2021. Learn more, listen, and support Zach Santos Band here.
Julia is producer of the podcast Design Can Save the World. Her episode, "Think about how a flower works," tells the story of our school's Living Building and features the voices of Science Specialist Julie Blystad and Director of Technology and Campus Planning Stan Richardson, as well as several Bertschi alumni. Julia appreciates all of the support from the Bertschi community. Listen to the podcast online or on iTunes.
Nina Hartman, '03
09/26/2014
"After attending Bertschi School, I went to middle and high school at Seattle Academy. During my senior year, my art teachers urged me to apply to Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), so I did, and miraculously, I got in. I think a lot of my passion for art was discovered during my art classes at Bertschi. I went to RISD for four years, completing my BFA in Jewelry & Metalsmithing and Concentration in Nature, Culture, and Sustainability Studies. Now I'm back in Seattle setting up my own jewelry studio, submitting my work to galleries all over the world, and working for a jewelry supply company and an art jeweler on the side. My recent work can be seen at nina-raizel.com."
Rachel Yost-Dubrow, ‘05
04/26/2014
"I'm a sophomore at Yale University this year and recently declared Ecology and Evolutionary Biology as my major. When I'm not playing soccer, you can find me at the radio station turning out some cool new sounds. My first love was Bertschi and the open community that it fostered. These are the same reasons that drew me to Yale! I think about Bertschi often and truly think it was the best thing my parents ever did for me. Love you guys!"
Emma Grossman, ‘13
04/26/2014
According to Emma's mom, Emma is enjoying SAAS immensely and continues to pursue her interest in dance through the SAAS Dance Project and All That Dance. She takes classes five days a week while keeping up her straight A status, making new friends at SAAS, and staying connected with Bertschi friends.
Gavin White Lewis, ‘05; Cameron White Lewis, ‘07; and Ian White Lewis, ‘13
04/26/2014 10am
We all miss Bertschi - all 14 years! A sophomore at U. of Oregon, Gavin just pledged the Sigma Chi Fraternity and says he's having a great time as a "Duck". He still hangs out with Parker Mays '05, one of his best friends from Bertschi, when they're both in Seattle. Cameron is enjoying his senior year at Lakeside and plans on majoring in Computer Science in college. He celebrated the Seahawks' Superbowl win with '07 graduates, Jacob Swan and Jackson Sage, at Peter Rakita's 18th birthday. Ian's having a great 6th grade year at Billings - he's made new friends but still finds time to hang with Bertschi Class of '13 friends Isaac Long, Derek Eng, Michael Youmans and Dylan Lee.
Zora Crnkovic Hahn, ‘09 and Neva Crnkovic Hahn, ‘11
04/26/2014
Zora is a 10th grader at Lakeside, studying a lot and enjoying her friends and classes. She especially likes art and math. Her other activities include piano playing and intensive keeping in touch, in whatever way possible, with her many buddies from all over the world whom she had met during summers in Croatia, her second home. She says Bertschi helped her become a more confident and caring person, as well as an inquisitive and calm student.
Neva is an 8th grader at Lakeside, where she works hard and enjoys all her classes, especially English, science and art. She plays piano and keeps up her Croatian language practice with her mom and sister. Neva loves to read and is looking forward to some free time to get to a stack of books waiting for her. She credits Bertschi for much of her present academic and personal strengths, and remembers her teachers and friends with affection.
Allie Belyaev, ‘06 & Nicholas Belyaev, ‘03
04/26/2014
Alli and Nicholas' dad wrote in to tell us that Allie is currently a freshman at Macalester College in Minnesota and had a very good first semester. Nick is a senior at Franklin & Marshall in Pennsylvania and joined the basketball team this year. He says both are enjoying their student life!
Barbara Blackburn, 1978-1982
01/30/2014
"I am one of the early Bertschi Kids; I attended in the 1970s along with my two step-sisters who still live in the Seattle area.
Today, I am an attorney practicing employment law in California. I still frequently visit my family in Seattle and have never forgotten my time at the school. I remember how amazing Brigitte and the other staff and educators were at Bertschi. Please say 'hi' for me!"
Audrey Western, ‘07
01/30/2014
Audrey is a senior at University Prep and lives on Capitol Hill. Her sister Vivienne also attended Bertschi and is currently a junior at Scripps College. In her years since Bertschi School, Audrey has become a champion in the race to save our city's honeybees. "I got interested in beekeeping when I read an article in National Geographic about colony collapse disorder and how important bees are to our food supply," says Audrey. "I wanted to do my part to help, plus I like honey."
At age 13, Audrey began attending Puget Sound Beekeepers classes. Working with her local mentor, Corky Luster of Ballard Bee Co., Audrey got her family involved in her project; her grandfather helped build two hives while her mother helped paint them. "I think my interest goes back to Bertschi kindergarten when I had Anne as a teacher and we had chicks, a highlight of my school years and something I will always remember," says Audrey.
Today, Audrey keeps two hives. She sells a few jars of honey at Volunteer Park Cafe, and donates the proceeds to Pollinator Pathways, a group that works to make Seattle more green.
Julia Laurence, ‘05
01/30/2014
Julia graduated from Lakeside School this spring where she studied Spanish, wrote and drew comics for the school newspaper, and enjoyed a month-long canoe and backpack trip through Canyonlands, Utah as part of an English elective. Her Varsity Girls Lacrosse team became 2013 Washington State Champions! Currently, Julia is enrolled as an undergraduate at Stanford University. She says, "I am part of the a cappella group, The Stanford Harmonics, and I am planning on joining the club lacrosse team here. I am currently taking classes in Arabic, theater, politics, and education policy. I am also interested in economics and human rights issues. I can't wait to catch up with my fellow Bertschi classmates in the future!"
Anna Tupper-Bridges, 1998-2002
09/16/2013
Anna is currently a senior at Wellesley College, studying Political Science and Religion. She recently returned from the University of Oxford, where she studied for the past year. At Wellesley, she runs for the Varsity Cross-Country and Track teams, and is the head copy editor for the Wellesley News. To this day, she credits Bertschi with giving her a strong academic foundation and confidence to excel academically.
Ben Sanders ‘12
05/13/2013
Ben is an actor, dancer, and singer. Currently, he trains at the KidStage Institute at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, All That Dance dancing studio in Seattle, Redmond Academy of Performing Arts in Redmond, and Seattle Talent in Seattle. In January 2013, Ben's performances as a stand-up comic and as a "Gangnam" dancer were very well received at the Showcase of the International Presentation of Performers (IPOP!) at the Hyatt Regency in Los Angeles. While performing is his passion, Ben also rock climbs, has a black belt in Kung Fu, and plays ultimate Frisbee and baseball. Click here to watch his stand up performance at the Hyatt Regency in Los Angeles in front of a crowd of 1,500 people.
Louisa Gaylord, 1992-96
05/08/2013
Louisa lives and works in Seattle. She studied English and Journalism at Clark University in Worcester, MA, and has experience writing, editing, and photographing for newspapers, magazines, blogs, and private companies. She is interested in most things that fall under the "sustainable" umbrella: recycling, green architecture and engineering, new uses for plastics, ocean preservation, among other things. Check out her blog post on the certification of Bertschi's Living Building Science Wing.
