Before the winter holidays, we sent out invitations to all college-aged alums for this year’s Grads Return Program. I expected a relatively normal distribution of RSVPs, with a few in the beginning, most in the middle, and some toward the end. But, as soon as we sent out the invitations, the RSVPs started coming and they didn’t stop. As we closed in on the date of the event, the forecast for attendance was many with a chance of tons.

Endless thanks to our young alums, as this year’s Grads Return Program had the highest attendance ever – 42 alums came back to share their experience and advice with our college-bound students.  

We thank all alums for keeping this program alive. It’s a good chance for us all - for alumni to come back and see Overlake from a different angle and for us to see where alums are & how they got there. Since the college application process can at times seem a competitive sport (with the long-distance planning and constant tests of patience), it’s nice to hear a variety of voices and experiences from those on the other side.

We hope to see you next year! 

Some more pictures from the event are below. Enjoy!

Many thanks to our young alumni for coming back to cheer on and support the varsity boys’ basketball squad in their match against Shoreline Christian. We had about 25 alumni return & many current students, families, and faculty show up as well. It was a nerve-racking game to watch, as the momentum switched back and forth throughout. The boys unfortunately lost, but they gave it their all ’til the final buzzer. Check out pictures from the night by visiting here and clicking on “Alumni Night.” A few other thank yous are also in order:

• A HUGE thanks to Becca Flora (6th grade teacher) for stepping into Hootie’s feet and rallying as our mascot for the entirety of the match. She kept the spirit alive & did so in dashing style.
• Dozens of thank yous to Alicia Gold for capturing the night on camera and taking  photographs throughout. Click on the link above to see the wonderful photos she snapped.
• And endless thanks to everyone that helped with set up, the raffle, Overlake Athletics t-shirts, and the Bird Feeder!

Thank you all for making our first annual Alumni Night at the boys’ varsity basketball match a success. We loved seeing all the familiar faces & we hope that you keep coming back.

A Happy New Year to all!

Did you know that Overlake had gymnastics in 1973? Do you know how many Overlake teams have won state titles? Are you curious as to how your sports teams are currently doing?

Well, this is what we do – connect athletic dots. Starting in 1967 and never ending in the future. The Athletic Historical Committee, a relatively new subcommittee of the Alumni Board, has been working over the past 6 months to gather, organize, and display Overlake’s athletic achievements since its infant age. When we first started, our data looked like a misshapen spider web, but each day, we untangle the achievements that make us who we are: Overlake Sports. And soon enough, it’ll be accessible to all, for you to see what we’ve done, to watch how we’re doing, and to follow where we’re going.

Call us crazy, but this is just the foundation to our committee’s construction. While the purpose of the committee is to have a complete archive of our athletics that is accessible to all, our main goal is to strengthen the Overlake Hall of Fame with an annual induction to honor both individuals and teams that have made outstanding achievements and contributions to Overlake sports.  Since 1971, we’ve made some pretty incredible achievements, and in our humble opinion, those teams, coaches, and individuals deserve some recognition.

And without further adieu, we’d like to introduce Overlake’s newly strengthened Hall of Fame, which will ceremoniously induct our next outstanding performers in the 2011 Alumni Reunion.

I hope we’ve peaked your interest. Afterall, you may be one of our future inductees. Stay tuned for the upcoming announcement for our next inductees to the Overlake Hall of Fame.  In the meantime, please send us any stories, thoughts, and athletic knowledge to brawson@overlake.org, as we can’t do this alone.

Calling All College-Aged Alumni – Hootie wants you!

Whether you’ve been away for one or seven semesters, we’re sure you have a wealth of stories about your transition to and experiences at college. And we’d like to hear ‘em!

For those of you still around from the holidays or attending school in the Seattle area, we cordially invite you to our annual Grads Return Day on Wednesday, January 5. Please come, as the classes of 2011-2014 are anxiously waiting to see your friendly faces, hear your entertaining tales, and absorb your wise advice.

We’ll meet in the campus center at 9am, where there will be a light spread of food and drinks. But don’t fill up, because after the Q&A session, we’ll be providing breakfast for you in the TLC Student Center, where you can catch up with teachers, students, and each other.

If you are interested, please email Brett at brawson@overlake.org, and additional details will be sent to you as we get closer to the date. 

Hope to see many of you soon!

December Greetings to All,

If you are an Alumni Blog frequent flyer, then you read in the last post that Yaeka was moving on to a new position. And sadly, she has. A big thank you to Yaeka Katsuta for everything she has done for the alumni association in the past five years. As most of you know, she was elemental in getting the program to where it is today. It hasn’t been long, but Overlake misses you already, so make sure you come back often, Yaeka!  

As you maybe saw on the Overlake or Alumni Facebook pages, I have been hired to fill her shoes and keep the good times rolling. For those I’ve yet to meet, my name is Brett Rawson class of 2003. My life since Overlake consists of living in Walla Walla for four years where I studied economics, ate sweet onions, and tossed my first ultimate frisbee. After graduating from Whitman, I put my economics degree to flexible use and taught English in Japan for two years. I lived in Akita, which for dog lovers may ring a familiar bell (see google images). I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Japan, but am happy to be back in Seattle and at Overlake.

There will certainly be more to come about upcoming events, but keep an eye out for these two in particular:

• December 21st, 7:30pm: Alumni Night at Varsity Boys Basketball game – free sweet t-shirts, raffles, and half-time events with prizes!
• January 5th, 9am: Grad Return Day- come share your thoughts & experiences with students, meet and see other alums, and enjoy a breakfast provided by us!

Hope to see you all around!

Charlie Michel ’07 is a junior at University of Miami and is on his way to the Atlantic Coast Conference later this month.

Read an interview with Charlie and how his Overlake coach, Peter Traube, gave him confidence to continue his track and field training in college.
http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/c-xc/spec-rel/092409aaa.html

Overlake Alum Dan Schoening ’06 recently founded a soccer consulting and training business called The Starting 11. They offer personal training, custom camps and college consulting for soccer players looking for an opportunity to improve over the summer. To learn more about The Starting 11, visit them online at www.thestarting11.com or email Dan at dan@thestarting11.com.

Alumni Board Member and Southwest Airlines Pilot, Steve Dubois ’89, spent 4 weeks visiting Jill Bowles’ 5 grade classroom with the Adopt-a-Pilot program. This program gives students a chance to talk with a real pilot and practice their math, science and geography skills while learning about aviation.

On the last day of the program, I visited the classroom to watch the students assemble balsa wood airplanes and compete for furthest flying plane.  It turned out to be a fairly windy day and most of the planes flew loops. There wasn’t a clear winner but the students clearly had fun and really enjoyed learning with Steve.

Upper School Service Day was kicked off this morning with music, a slide show and Beth Irwin ’99 speaking about her experience working with Global Partnerships. We love having alumni on campus sharing how Overlake instilled in them the value of service.

Global Partnerships is a Seattle-based nonprofit dedicated to expanding opportunity for people living in poverty through support of microfinance. Learn more about Global Partnerships work on their website: www.globalpartnerships.org and become a fan of the organization on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/c4x5an

To learn more about Overlake’s Service Learning program visit http://owlnet.theoverlakeschool.org/StudentLife/Service/default.aspx

We love to hear how Overlake alumni are making a difference in their communities and in the world. We just heard from Lauren Campbell ’06 and she wanted to share with the alumni community her current endeavor.

From Lauren:

I am an Overlake alumnus from the class of ’06 currently attending Carnegie Mellon University.  This summer, I will be traveling to Orissa, India to volunteer with Unite for Sight, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers communities to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness.  While I am holding several fundraising events on campus, these events alone will not allow me to reach my personal fundraising goal of $1,500.  Therefore, I need your help. 

If you would like to support the work of this incredible organization, you can find more information and donate at my personal fundraising page. 

100% of your donation will provide sight-restoring eye care to patients who are living in extreme poverty. I am excited to join Unite for Sight in its pursuit to end preventable blindness and greatly appreciate your support in this endeavor.  Thank you for generosity. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at lscampbe@andrew.cmu.edu.  Thanks again!