Volume 002 | February 25, 2021
The Little School Alumni Newsletter
Hello Little School Alum Community!

We are thrilled to share with you the second edition of the TLS Alumni Newsletter! While we are unable to gather together in person for the time being, we can connect and collectively celebrate the accomplishments of The Little School and our alum.

If you have an update or idea to share for a future newsletter or would like to learn about the work of the AAB, please reach out to us at TLS-alums@thelittleschool.org. We are always happy to hear from you!

The Little School Alumni Association Board (AAB)
Alum Highlight: Sarah Gallien
Sarah Gallien, TLS student from 1986-1994, recently had work included in BAX 2020: Best American Experimental Writing, out now from Wesleyan University Press. Guest-edited by Joyelle McSweeney and Carmen Maria Machado, the sixth edition of this critically acclaimed anthology series features a bold and dynamic mix of poetry, fiction, nonfiction and genre-busting work from a diverse slate of writers, including Anaïs Duplan, Alice Notley and Raquel Salas Rivera.

She says, “You don’t grow up and do this kind of work without fierce intellectual curiosity, a strong sense of self, and an unwavering belief in the possibility of play. And The Little School is where that all happens.” You can find her online at sarahgallien.com.


Use the TLS Amazon link and search for BAX 2020 to learn more about this anthology and order a copy for yourself.
Alum Highlight: Jessica Johnson
Alum and former TLS teacher Jessica Johnson has written a picture book, entitled Two Moms, Two Houses. Jessica found inspiration for this story close to home.

"[This is a] story inspired by my son and how he always proudly tells people he has two houses and two moms. I wanted to create a story to help kids with LGBTQ+ parents who separated or are divorced."

Use the TLS Amazon link and search for Jessica Wexler to order one for your house.
Alum Highlight: Melissa Rice
One week ago today, the Perseverance Rover landed on Mars, an event that was no small feat. Melissa Rice, TLS alum and associate professor of planetary science at Western Washington University, is part of NASA's Perseverance Rover Team.

To learn more about NASA's Mars 2020 Mission and Melissa's work in the project, check out these links:



Melissa visited TLS to speak with students and participate in our Alumni Night pane in 2015.
Come Together: The Little School Celebration & Auction
Who's ready for a celebration?! Join us at Come Together: The Little School Celebration & Auction and help make it an even more wonderful party. 

This year's event will be online and virtual, and there will be lots of great friends to connect with. We hope you'll join us and get involved. Here's how:

Stay up to date with the auction happenings at https://thelittleschool.ejoinme.org/2021.

The procurement deadline is Friday, February 26. You can submit your donation or sign up to be an auction sponsor.

Send us your pictures! We want to see our alums represented as we Come Together! Upload a few pictures of your alum and your family in the Come Together folder on SmugMug. The deadline is March 2.

Then join us for the festivities!

The online auction begins Wednesday, March 17.

Come Together: The Little School Celebration & Auction kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 20 with the Come Together Social at 6 p.m. and the Virtual Live Auction at 7 p.m.

More details are on the way in the coming weeks, but if you have questions, just reach out to the Auction Team at auction@thelittleschool.org.
Faculty Highlight: Mike Murphy

Mike Murphy has been at The Little School for as long as some of us can remember, but how well do you know Mike? Alumni Association Board member, TLS history buff and current P.E. Specialist Jules Hetland asked Mike to share a bit about himself and his time at The Little School.


Welcome to the Rivers Building
The Little School has been on our Bellevue campus since 1970. When Eleanor Siegl and the TLS families were imagining what spaces would be needed to provide the educational experiences and connecting opportunities that would contribute to an exceptional school supported by a robust community, they knew we needed this! The Rivers Building has spaces for learning, places for creating, areas for connecting and spaces for supporting one another. Thanks to all who made a contribution to the Campaign for a Big Future to support this amazing project and to those who were able to stop by for a tour in January. It was great to see you, and we can't wait until we can invite you all in at once for a truly tremendous alumni community celebration!

You can find more pictures of the Rivers Building and our campus-wide project, along with our Hearthwarming celebration video, at https://bigfuture.thelittleschool.org/.

And if you'd like to schedule a tour sometime this spring, reach out to Becky Dolan, Director of Development & Community Relations, at beckyd@thelittleschool.org.
Top: Students make their way through the breezeway in the new Rivers Building, crossing a bridge across our temporary "river." Bottom: Gus ('14), Grant ('08), Elizabeth and Grace ('06) Mitchell visited the Jay Slide when they came in to tour the Rivers Building.
What's Next, 2014 Outgrowers?

Can you believe that our 2014 Outgrowers are about to graduate from high school? They've even starting to announce their post-high school plans. Here's what we can share so far, with more to come as decisions are made. Congratulations, Outgrowers!

Max Robertson is graduating from International Community School in Kirkland this June and will be going to Digipen Institute of Technology in the fall, studying towards a BFA in Digital Art and Animation. He’s long been interested in the game industry and this will set him on that path.

Nigel Fogelquist continues to play ukulele and is thrilled to be going to Evergreen State College, his first choice.

Sophia Beams: I got into Skidmore College and will be part of the class of ‘25. I’m graduating Seattle Academy this June and I’ll be going to school on-campus in fall 2021! 

Zoe Fowler: I am going to be attending the University of Puget sound to play soccer next year! I am hoping to study the exercise sciences and I am super excited about it!
Stay Connected
Engage and connect with the TLS community on social media.



Share an update with us!
Even though you're not on the Little School campus every day, you're still part of the TLS family. We care about how you're doing and what you're up to, so let us know! Started a new school? Got married or had a baby? Do you have an upcoming performance? Did you get a new job? We'd love to share your joy and celebrate you. Send an update to TLS-alums@thelittleschool.org or use the update link below.