The Defender Dispatch - Alumni Newsletter - Winter 2024

It was great to see so many of you at our Cookies and Cocoa alumni event in December! And thank you all for joining in singing "Carol of the Bells" on stage at the Christmas concert!

We're so happy that our former Music Director Christy Young could join us!

Congratulations to Jessica Mathews ('14) on her first cover story for Fortune Magazine!

To read her article, "The Dawning of the Unicorpses: the Boom and Bust of Billion-Dollar Startups", click here.

Click here to read more about Jessica.

Our Junior Kindergarten class loved having Petty Officer Philip Hale ('17) come to speak about the US Coast Guard this past fall!

Amanda Hall ('08) and her fiancé Tim Overduin celebrated their recent engagement in his hometown in The Netherlands. Congratulations, Amanda!

Best wishes to Quinn Peebles (‘15), who married Mary Larkin Rumbarger in September! They reside in St. Louis where Quinn works for Raymond James. 

Class of 2015 members Pender Wells, Quinn Peebles, Kellan Maxwell and Kevin Wukasch enjoy celebrating at Quinn’s rehearsal dinner.

Congratulations to Jane Bradford Wickliffe ('16), who is engaged to marry Brantley Green in the fall of 2024!

Congratulations to Andrew Laurence ('15) and his wife Madelaine, who welcomed Theodore Joseph Laurence into the world in December!

We're so happy for Luke Howard (‘14) and his wife Kate, who welcomed their son Ryals in October!

And a big congratulations to Winston Atnip (‘12) and wife Emily Rose, who welcomed daughter Laura Elizabeth in September!

Lincoln Atnip (‘16), Henry Reneau (‘18), and Charles Reneau (‘16) met up in NYC for the US Open. 

Georgianna Wells (‘16) and Addie Funderburg Laird (‘13) caught up in NYC in December.

Eryn Fisher and son, Will Fisher ('18) were thrilled to be selected for tickets for Justin Timberlake’s free hometown concert at the Orpheum Theater earlier this month!

Mason Hodges, Georgianna Wells ('16), Witt Wells ('12), Mark Bellot ('09), and Van Martin ('04) connected at a reception following a concert in Manhattan. 

Funis Runis fun!

Visiting Lichterman Nature Center in the First Grade

"Mrs. Peckham's Princesses" from the Class of 2021

Mrs. Hilliard's half of the Class of 2035

Thanks to our Artists Guild, we have new murals in the Upper School stairwells!

We'd love to have our alumni join us for this year's Westminster Classic Golf Tournament! We're looking for businesses to sponsor the tournament, donate prizes, and provide goodie bag items...Or, you can just bring a team and be a part of the fun!

Click here to read more about ways you or your business can get involved!

All proceeds go to our Purple and Gold Annual Fund.

Do you have preschool aged kids? Bring your little ones to enjoy snacks and crafts while taking some time to explore our early education classrooms!

We love seeing our alumni return with their children! Come check out all the ways the school is changing and growing at our JK/K Open House!

RSVP for our JK/K Open House here.

Alumni, please join us on Friday, February 23 at Ridgeway Country Club for the annual WPA Trivia Night & Silent Auction. This year's theme is a luau...a prize for best costume will be awarded! Your ticket includes several rousing rounds of trivia and a buffet dinner; alcohol will be available for purchase. Tickets available HERE, and the deadline to purchase is February 8th.

Westminster Academy won first place in the Small Business category of the Memphis Top Workplaces 2023!

We also got first place for being the Most Meaningful Place of Business in Memphis!

Upcoming Dates to Remember...

• February 23 - WPA Trivia Night and Auction - 6pm @ Ridgeway Country Club
• March 1 - JK/K Open House - 9am
• March 1 - Choir Pops Concert - 7pm in the RBC Sanctuary
• April 8 - Author Kelly Kapic speaks on his book You're Only Human - 7pm in the RBC Sanctuary
• April 29 - Westminster Classic Golf Tournament @ Memphis National Golf Club

Volunteer Opportunities

There are lots of ways you can get involved here at Westminster. We need your help with:

• Substitute teaching in Grammar School and Upper School. Contact Karla Scott at kscott@wamemphis.com

• Subbing in the main office. Lend a hand with the busy happenings of the school and love on our students. If interested contact Kathryn at kwalker@wamemphis.com.



• Volunteering in the library once a month on Wednesdays, morning or afternoon. Please contact Vicki Halford at (901) 484-0462.

• Teaching an instrument in our Music Conservatory program. Please reach out to Ginger Smith to learn more.

• We want to see what our graduates are up to! Email any photos or updates to aturner@wamemphis.com. Also, If you would like to suggest yourself or someone else for a future alumni spotlight, click here to let us know.

• If you are a WA graduate and haven't updated your contact info lately, click here to let us know where you are.



• If you are a parent or grandparent of a WA graduate, click here to update your contact info.

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