See the message below from Diane Freytag about the upcoming Grad Return Program on January 5, 2011. We hope to see you soon!

Dear Overlake Alum,

We are all very excited to know that you might be (or will be) able to join us for our annual Grad Return Program on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 9am. As you may recall when you were students at Overlake, there is great anticipation among students, faculty and staff about seeing and hearing from Overlake Alum at this event. We love hearing about your transition to college, and any tips you might want to share with those who are gearing up to make the transition themselves.

This year, we have a few new features in store. First, you will hear from our new Alumni Program Manager, Brett Rawson ’03, who we are delighted to have rejoin the Overlake community! Second, we will have coffee in the Board Room prior to the Assembly and breakfast for Alum afterwards in our new Student Center. We expect many students and faculty will want to stop by to chat at that time. Because of this special breakfast, we request that you let us know if you’ll be able to join us so that we can plan accordingly.

We look forward to hearing back from you before Monday, Jan. 3. If you can’t make it, please know that we think of you often and wish you all the very best for 2011!

Take care,
Diane Freytag
Directory of Counseling and Advising

Please contact Brett at brawson@overlake.org if you are able to attend - thanks!

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.

A message from Stephanie Hofland, Overlake School Lead Counselor, about the upcoming Wellness Fair!

Dear Overlake School Alumni,

The Wellness Fair is coming soon, February 10th! In the afternoon from 1-3 that day, all MS and US will be attending. The theme this year is: Stress Management for Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies, and Healthy Communities. This is my first year at The Overlake School. I am working in the Counseling and Advising Department as the Lead School Counselor and will be coordinating the fair this year. As you may remember, Overlake hosts a Wellness Fair every two years. The Overlake School would love to learn from you, our alumni, about your diverse health-related professions as we begin preparations for the Wellness Fair. If you are interested in presenting to the Middle and/or Upper School students at our Wellness Fair, please contact me soon for more information.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Hofland
Overlake School Lead Counselor

Contact Stephanie at shofland@overlake.org. Thanks!

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!

For the luckier ones in warmer regions, winter has certainly come in Seattle. The days have shortened, the temperature has dropped, and the first snow has fallen. But, on the other side of this seasonal coin are the many benefits winter brings: winter sports, the holidays, and hopefully more snow days.

For Overlake, the winter has brought the beginning of basketball. The season began to a musical beat on November 30th, where the girls team had a huge win but the boys an unfortunately close loss. Throughout the season, there are a variety of home game promotion nights, including but not exclusive to Green and Gold Spirit Night and Teacher Appreciation Night. I was personally holding out for John Wiley Look-Alike-Night, but it sadly didn’t make the cut.

A better night, however, did - Alumni Night! Whether you’re returning home for the holidays or living locally, we would love to have you join us in a night dedicated to you.

The Details:

The Who: You.
The What: Alumni Night @ Varsity Boys Basketball Game
The Where: Overlake Gym
The When: Tuesday, December 21st, 7:30pm

The Why & The Plan:

If you are among the first 30 alum to arrive, you will receive a free “Overlake Athletics” t-shirt, which are being made especially for this night. I might be biased, but these shirts are the bellwether of fashion. Not to worry if you are the 31st alum to arrive though, as there will also be a general raffle with equally great gifts. And for those who are energetically inclined, there will be half-time festivities to keep the crowd going.

So whether you’re here for the holidays or living locally, come stop by Overlake on Tuesday, December 21st for a t-shirt, a chance to see current students and faculty, and to support our stellar athletes in their match against Shoreline Christian.

Hope to see some 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!