Your roundup of Fountain Valley School news
July 2018
Groupon Founder Brad Keywell P '18 Disrupts Commencement
Commencement speaker Brad Keywell P ’18 challenged graduates to question and break unwritten rules as they find their passions. He is a successful entrepreneur who has built several businesses--including Groupon--that disrupt traditional industries. He shook things up early at Commencement by inviting the entire audience to stand up and dance to Jackson Five's "I Want You Back." See the audience dancing below, and read Keywell's compelling address here .
FVS Round Square Around the World!

by Matt Marine

Fountain Valley School’s membership in Round Square continues to offer exhilarating, life-changing experiences for students, greatly enriching the School’s global curriculum and culture.

This is experiential learning at its finest and can best be seen through the vibrant blogs FVS students have created, chronicling their exchange experiences in schools across the globe. You'll find their blogs and the full story here .
In Search of Happiness: Math Faculty Blake Pelton Explores Norway
Winning the Ballantine Grant gave math faculty Blake Pelton the opportunity to explore Norway and delve into why the country is named "the happiest place on earth." What she found was a nation of people who "tend to be strong and independent but also look out for one another," Pelton writes. "They place high value on peace and harmonious interaction. My time in Norway renewed my hope and strengthened my faith in the best of humankind."

See photos and read her travel account here .
To all who gave, thank you for your votes of confidence in Fountain Valley School and for helping us reach our $1.3 million Annual Fund goal. Your gift goes to work immediately, providing the transformative FVS experience that sends young people out into the world who are courageous, open-minded, self-reliant, curious and compassionate.
Warrior Dane: Athletic Trainer Brittany Pestak Works the Warrior Games
by Emily Crouch-Ponder

The first week of June 2018, approximately 300 former and current service members from four countries, U.S. Special Operations Command, and all five U.S. military branches converged at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs to participate in the ninth annual Warrior Games . Fountain Valley’s athletic trainer, Brittany Pestak, was one of 15 trainers given the honor to volunteer at the Games.

The experience was inspirational and sometimes emotional. She told the story of two athletes competing in the 400m at a track-and-field meet. One runner had suffered a traumatic brain injury, and the other was a double above-the-knee amputee with prosthetics. “The amputee was hella fast,” she says. “He finished the race 150 meters in front of the other runner, then he turned around and ran the rest of the race alongside him. Everyone choked up!” Read the full story here .
Why We Linger: An Alumna's Account of Her Five-Year Reunion

by Emma Reynolds '13

Growing up as a faculty child, there is none of this waiting for your 5-year, 10-year, 20-year. We got to go to every   Alumni Weekend, be it as a faculty’s child, a reunion staff member wearing a red t-shirt and driving a golf cart, or an actual alumna. This was the first I attended as a flesh-and-blood alumna. I traded stacking chairs and giving directions for a name tag, a dance floor, unlimited reminiscing, an “over-21” wristband, and a deeper sense of whom I want to be—not a bad trade in my opinion.  

Read Emma's full essay here .
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