Volume 2. Issue 3.

Dear Fellow Alumni,

New years bring new beginnings. For our seniors, new beginnings are on the mind as they receive college acceptances and prepare for a new chapter in their lives. For our alumni, as you will read, new beginnings are found in the completion of degrees, marriages to life partners, the births of children, moving to a new city, or starting a new job. These new beginnings offer us a fresh perspective on life and a reminder of the great gift that life is, as well as the capacity we all possess to create impact in the world.

Our time at St. Benedict brought with it innumerable experiences preparing us all for the new beginnings we encounter not just annually, but every day. Here at SBA, we continue to celebrate our history and embrace renewal through growth and investment in the future. In a particular way, we are embracing this spirit of renewal with an exciting new project for our Arts & Athletics programs. We invite our alumni to learn more about our Theater & Gym Lobby project and join the momentum in refreshing this space through updated aesthetics and function. You can make a lasting legacy by naming a seat in the Theater or Gym.

As always, we invite our alumni to read about our shared progress and continue joining us in laying a strong foundation of community, love of learning, prayer & work, service, hospitality, and pursuit of God, so that we will be prepared for all things to be made new.

Kyle Van Frank '15

Director of Alumni

1979

Sallie Dobbie Burroughs '79 has two grown boys and three grandkids.

1990

Doug Linton '90 currently works for Stryker as a Test Lab Manager and has been married for 27 years.

1994

John Hardy '94 is a paramedic with Memphis Fire Department and Regional One Trauma Center.

1995

Romeo Khazen '95 is the Vice President of Player Development and National Casino Marketing for Caesars Entertainment and serves on the SBA Advisory Board.

1997

Meghan Freeman Medford '97 was recently featured in a Daily Memphian article through her role as Summer Avenue Merchants Association president.

Justin Perkins '97 sold his business and has a 16-year-old son.

2000

Pearson Allen '00 recently moved to Duluth, MN where he works at East High School.

Drew Bringhurst '00 works as the Chief Commercial Officer for Hospice Dynamix.

Richard Forkum '00 has been married since October of 2011. He and his wife have one daughter (7). Richard works for the United States Federal Government.

2006

William Dickens '06 welcomed baby Theodore "Theo" Derrell Dickens this past November. William's mother, Terri, Serves as SBA's PLUS Program Director.

Ashley Dowdy Sandvig '06 is married to Jeff Sandvig '06. The couple has a son, Finnian, who is 3 years old. Ashley is a certified clinical perfusionist.

Dr. Colby Taylor '06 is an Associate Professor of Behavioral Science at Christian Brothers University and is a practicing psychologist at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center on Developmental Disabilities. He is married to Dr. Lauren Sims Taylor and they have two young children.

2007

Christopher Cahill '07 works as an attorney.

Catharine Coll '07 got married on May 7, 2022 in Chattanooga to Nicolas Richieri at Our Lady of the Mount Catholic Church in Lookout Mtn, GA. Catharine currently works for BCBST as a designer and runs a side business called Catharine Coll Creative, specializing in Watercolor Painting, Calligraphy, and Wedding Invitation design.

2008

Three members of the Class of 2008 got together this fall. Pictured L-R are Chad Martin '08 who works as a teacher for Compass Schools, Emily LaForce '08 who works as the Chef de Cuisine for River Oaks Restaurant, and Rachel Hurt '08 who works abroad as an educator in Japan.

2010

Hunter Black '10 graduated from University of Memphis and received a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice & Criminology and works as a Detective for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. He has been with the Sheriff's Office since 2016.

Rebekah Herman '10 has accepted a tenure track assistant professor position in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Tennessee which began in Spring 2022. Her research focuses on graph theory optimization problems and applications of graph theory in quantum computing. She has been invited to present her work at upcoming national conferences.

Shelby Bounds Morphis '10 works as an HR Manager for Tyson Foods.

2011

Mason Butler '11 graduated from UTK with his master's degree in library science in 2019 and works as a reference librarian at a public library in Xenia, Ohio.

2012

Valarie Holmes Ewing '12 married Richard Ewing '12 in 2018. Valarie works as an occupational therapist at Baptist Memorial Hospital and Richard works as a logistics analyst at International Paper.

Bailey Donahue Nash '12 lives in DC with her husband and their son. Bailey is an elementary school PE teacher at a Catholic School there.

Dr. Allison Fetz-Palazola '12 received her BS, MS, and PhD from the University of Memphis Biomedical Engineering program where she studied immunomodulation in tissue engineering. Allison is currently a Research Project Manager at MicroPort Orthopedics.

Michael Robinson '12 is a Professor of Teaching in the Journalism and Strategic Media Department at the University of Memphis, where he received his Bachelors and Masters degrees.

2013

Lauren Nelson '13 graduated with a Criminal Justice Degree from the University of Memphis. After that Lauren graduated from the Memphis Police Academy and now works as a Police Officer with Germantown Police Department.

Connor Ryan '13 recently made his acting debut in a FedEx commercial as one of their couriers.

Katie Speer '13 currently works as a pharmacist at Kroger Pharmacy in Oakland, TN, and is engaged.

Jordan Whittington '13 was featured in the Bartlett Express for his work as a Fireman for the City of Bartlett.

2014

Kaya Bayani '14 works as a Corporate Attorney for ALSAC-St. Jude where her primary responsibilities include providing strategic advice in areas such as regulatory, compliance, fundraising and solicitation, contracts, and risk analysis. Kaya is a loyal Memphis Tiger Alumni with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, a Master of Business Administration, and a Juris Doctor.

2015

Jenna Fischer Ambrose '15 graduated with her Masters of Physician Assistant Studies from Indiana University. Jenna lives in Indianapolis with her husband and baby.

Kirkland Schueler Austin '15 married Brett Austin in October. The couple live in Florida where Kirkland works at The Benjamin School.

Elizabeth Avery '15 graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2019 and works as a Sales Representative for acute care at Encompass Group, LLC.

Emily Gillenwater '15 works as a travel nurse exploring the states with her pup.

Shannon Conway Lafferty '15 has worked as a NICU nurse at Baptist Women's Hospital for four years, since graduating from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center with her BS in Nursing.

Katie Phillips '15 was recently promoted to Senior Customs Specialist at Amazon.

Cole Richards '15 moved to NYC in Nov. 2019, then COVID shut things down in March 2020 and Cole moved back to Memphis. Cole once again moved back to NY in May 2021 to continue working as an Analyst for Subscription Finance at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.

Lexie Schwab '15 works at FedEx as a digital sales specialist.

Matthew Smith '15 works as a Photographer for University of Memphis Athletics, where he received his undergraduate degree in Business Marketing.

2016

Landon Choi '16 received his Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering from University of Memphis and serves as a Sr. Researcher at St. Jude Research Division of Pharm Sciences.

Ben Jones '16 passed his Mechanical Engineering Master's Thesis defense at Auburn University. Ben's research is titled "Collaborative Architectures for Relative Position Estimation of Ground Vehicles with UWB Ranging and Vehicle Dynamic Models."

In early 2021, Ashley Hammond Yzaguirre '16 accepted a Publication Coordinator position with FedEx in their Air Carrier Publications department. Ashley then got married to Michael Yzaguirre in August of the same year.

2017

Sam Childers '17 got married in September. Also pictured are Trace Jenkins '17, Ivan Scheidhauer '17, Dylan Wynn '17, and Matthew Fehrenbacher '17.

Logan Prather '17 graduated from The University of Tennessee at Martin on December 10, 2022. Logan earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Business Degree and will be working as an AIT at Big Cedar Golf Resort in Missouri in a few weeks.

Anna Armour Slavick '17 received her undergraduate degree in Plant & Soil Sciences from Mississippi State University in 2021. She currently works as an Agrintelligence Area Technician for Helena Agri-Enterprises.

2018

Jaylen Becton '18 played football this fall for the Lincoln University Oaks.

Cameron Booth '18 was recently promoted to Equipment Specialist at IMC Companies.

Lauren Hagood '18 interned at an engineering firm and is one semester away from receiving her degree in mechanical engineering.

John Iovinelli '18 received the ACE Award in the Aircrew Flight Equipment course as a part of the 361 TRS. John was recognized for his exemplification of the Air Education and Training Command core value of "Excellence in All We Do" and achieved perfect scores on the entire course. John is now headed to 164th Operations Squadron, 164th Airlift Wing at the Air National Guard here in Memphis.

Nicholas Phillips '18 is a senior at Middle Tennessee State University and has become a pilot while in college. Nicholas is a Commercial Pilot ASEL/AMEL and a Certified Flight Instructor CFI/CFII. He is currently working for MTSU as a flight instructor teaching new students how to fly an airplane.

Callie Stiles '18 graduated with her bachelor's degree in nursing in May of 2022. She now works as a Registered Nurse for Urgent Care for Children.

2019

Tori Cappadona '19 graduated from the University of Memphis in December 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Public Relations.

Jesse Hollingsworth '19, a senior Electrical Engineering major at Mississippi State, has been selected for an internship with General Motors in Warren, Michigan. The internship will be with the EV team in the Global Product Development division. This opportunity was extended to only a handful of students from across the country. He will be working as a hardware engineer to develop and test electric vehicles.

Grady Jennings '19 is a senior graphic design major at University of Memphis and recently stopped by Mrs. Kate Schaffler's AP and Honors art classes to speak about the graphic design field.

Brianna Jones '19 works at Crosstown Concourse at the Curb Market.

Jessica Visagie '19 is a senior at University of Memphis, working for Peer Power Non-Profit foundation as a Success Coach helping students in lower income areas get the education they deserve.

Emily Whittenburg '19 studies animation at Middle Tennessee State University and recently stopped by Mrs. Kate Schaffler's AP and Honors Art classes to discuss the field of animation.

2020

John Beattie '20 serves as academic officer for his regiment at the United States Military Academy. John and the rest of the Third Regiment held the highest Center for Enhanced Performance tutoring attendance rate in the corps.

John was featured on West Point's social media saying, “We strive to develop a culture of academic excellence and found the Center for Enhanced Performance to be a valuable partner in achieving this goal. Their brigade-wide study sessions offer a unique opportunity for students to learn from their peers and develop a shared understanding of the material. Our academic teams went to great lengths to incentivize attendance and participation through the USMA tutor program. We aggressively advertised these sessions and often recommended them as a remedy for those struggling with course concepts.”

LaResha Gregory '21 is a junior at the University of Memphis majoring in political science. LaResha is also an intern for ALSAC-St. Jude and is active in multiple organizations at Memphis.

2022

Avery Barber '22 was recently featured in Vogue Italy.

Carly Boren '22, Emily Crone '22, and Erin Sharp '23 won the Industry Dance Award for Best Modern/Lyrical/ Contemporary Dance piece for "Is that Alright" by Dance Dynamics Memphis.

Various

Matthew Smith ‘15,

Daniel Franceschini ‘20, and Ryan Beatty ‘23 were all seen at the Liberty Bowl photographing the Memphis Tigers this fall.

Many SBA Alumni and current students staffed and attended the recent SEARCH retreat at Incarnation Catholic Church. SEARCH is the Diocesan retreat for High School students. Pictured L-R: (front) Lily Becker '23, Ryan Beatty '23, Maggie Gore '23, Farrah Rector '23, and Ella Anderson '23. (back) Spencer Smith '15, Pierce Petroff '22, Braden Dlabaj '22, Julian Mangrum '13, Sara Stukenborg Mangrum '13, and Hannah Zaleski '11.

Alumni of the SBA Wrestling program came out to support our Eagles this Winter. Pictured L-R: Brent Lamer '07, Coach Jim Kurtz, Kevin Pease '16, Shane Gaffney '17, Jeremy Stewart '15, Thomas Herrman '16, Noah Kurtz '16, and Ben Kurtz '13.

Phillip Allen Sr.

Father of Phillip Allen '22 (d) and Cole Allen '23

Marvin Bienvenu Jr.

Father of Eleanor

Bienvenu '96

Michael Callahan

Friend of SBA

Wendy Castaneda

Wife of SBA Director

of Maintenance

Jack Huelin Crowell

Husband of Alex Clay

Crowell '08

Jane Gaskin

Mother of Jake Gaskin '09

Megan Lynn McKenny '13

Class of 2013

Cynthia Peck

Mother of Leon Peck '04, Daniel Peck '06, Sean

Peck '14, and Nathan Peck '18

Mark Ricketts

Father of Zach Ricketts '08

Dr. Jim Stanford

Father of Rick Stanford '79

and Al Stanford '80

Tony Turner

Father of Alec Turner '11

and Katelyn Turner '14

Former SBA Assistant Soccer Coach

You are invited back to SBA on Friday, January 27th to cheer on our boys and girls basketball teams as well as reconnect with former teammates. Enjoy free admittance to the game and cheer on our students as they take on the Briarcrest Saints at 6:00 PM (girls varsity) and 7:30 PM (boys varsity). Go Eagles!

St. Benedict at Auburndale High School is hosting the Many Eagles, One Mission Gala & Auction on Saturday, April 29th, 2023. We invite you to join us for this fun-filled evening with dinner, entertainment, and silent and live auctions. The Gala & Auction is held annually on the last Saturday in April to raise funds for the SBA Annual Fund. The Annual Fund helps bridge the half-million-dollar gap between tuition and the actual cost of educating our Eagles.

Start here. Go anywhere. Join us for our upcoming Open House and learn about the St. Benedict high school experience!

At St. Benedict at Auburndale, we form a diverse student body in grades 9-12 through faith, to achieve academic excellence and experience a rich student life. With many college preparatory Academic Paths, Athletic programs, Visual and Fine Arts groups and classes, a vibrant Spiritual life, and more - every student finds community here. 

Join us at Open House to learn more and see why families across the Mid-South are choosing SBA! #SBAEagles #TheNest