Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Distinguished Commitment to Her Vocation and to Education Earn Recognition

Sister Michelle Germanson OP ’62 has been president of Trinity High School in River Forest, Illinois, since 1992. When she arrived there the all-girls school was facing closure, but the Board agreed to try some new initiatives to increase enrollment, including implementing the International Baccalaureate academic program, providing transportation for students who were coming from all parts of Chicago and dozens of suburbs, and building up Trinity’s co-curricular programs. Now, the school that was on the verge of closing has an enrollment of more than 500 students and improvements continue to be made.

Edgewood High School recognized Sr. Michelle with a Mazzuchelli Award for Service to Christian Education in 1998 and Trinity High School presented her the Trinitarian Award in 2012. In 2003, a new athletic facility bearing her name was built next to the school and in 2011 a new health center opened at the school.

Sr. Michell has been featured in a number of articles, most recently in a Chicago Tribune profile piece earlier this February, that both recognized her service to Trinity and her Golden Jubilee as a Sinsinawa Dominican this year. Congratulations, Sr. Michelle, on living out the Sinsinawa Dominican mission to preach and teach!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Working for national and international policy changes

Katherine “Kate” Edelen ’06 has been working with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) since October 2013, first as a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow, working on foreign and domestic policy in the areas of climate resilience and adaptation with a focus on water and food security.

Beginning in July 2014, Kate became a legislative associate on climate and conflict with FCNL. She works to integrate issues of climate-affected resources and related conflicts into U.S. foreign policy. Her work is at the interface of natural resource governance, economic development, and environmental diplomacy and peacebuilding.

In March 2014, Kate and FCNL colleages Kate Gould and Maiya Zwerling lobbied Senator Tammy Baldwin on Iran diplomacy and water security. Then, in July 2014, Kate co-authored a commentary with Michael Shank, PhD, for U.S. New and World Report entitled “Cleaning Up Big Oil in Nigeria” that appeared on the World Report blog site. She has also published letters to the editor in The New York Times in August and October.

Prior to FCNL, Kate was a Fulbright research Fellow at the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO) and a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar at Oxford University, where she earned her master’s degree. Her undergraduate degrees were in biology (BSc), chemistry (BA), and environmental studies (BA) from Augsburg College.

Congratulations to Kate as she continues to work for sharing truth, advocating justice, demonstrating compassion, building partnership, and increasing a sense of world community!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Could His Company's Reputation for Service Have EHS Roots?

Jeffrey “JB” Straubel ’94 is Chief Technical Officer of Tesla Motors, a company that markets electric cars. At Tesla, he oversees the vehicle engineering team and also has responsibility for research, development and evaluation of technology innovations.


No doubt the academic foundation JB got at Edgewood helped him go on to achieve success as an inventor and innovator, but is it possible the recent Consumer Reports rating of car repair service satisfaction also reflects Straubel’s Edgewood experience—in providing service to others? According to the Consumer Reports article, “The one automaker that outscored the independent shops was the electric carmaker Tesla, which earned high praise for its on-time repairs, courtesy, price, quality, and overall satisfaction.”

The Tesla has been getting favorable press lately, and The Telegraph of London included it on a list of “The top 10 cars that changed the world.” For an interview with JB on the philosophy behind the development of the Tesla S, see this article by The Economist.

Named by MIT on its list of “Innovators Under 35” in 2008, Straubel also teaches the popular Energy Storage Integration class at his alma mater, Stanford University, and holds a private pilot’s license.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Don't Let Your Reunion Celebration Pass You By!

Edgewood High School is more than just a four-year timespan in your life. Your days at Edgewood were spent forming strong and lasting friendships, bonding through experiences joyous and sad, getting to know one another in ways that can continue to flourish long past the time you slide your mortarboard tassel from one side to the other.

The Class of 1994 held a casual gathering for their 20th Anniversary Reunion
The Edgewood High School Alumni Office tries to foster lifelong contacts and a shared sense of community among all who walked those green-tiled hallways, whether as a student, a parent or a member of the faculty or staff. Visiting with former classmates can be a truly fun occasion. You discover the paths taken by others and share your own achievements (yes, moving to a new city or buying a house or getting married or landing that first job are all true achievements!) Inevitably a surprise or two is revealed. Memories bring laughter and relationships can be rekindled between friends who have fallen out of touch .

The Crusader Connection newsletter always includes news about upcoming reunions as received by the Alumni Office. The newsletter only comes out twice a year though, and plans can change. Sometimes a date hasn't be chosen before publication, or needs to be changed; or maybe no one has stepped up to begin planning (volunteer to organize yours!).

To be sure you have the most up-to-date information the Alumni Office has received—and to keep your classmates informed about an upcoming reunion—visit the Alumni section of Edgewood High School’s website, edgewoodhs.org.

And if you have news or photos you want to post to this blog site, feel free to do so! We look forward to seeing the Edgewood alumni community expand online and encourage you to join in.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Vince Sweeney ’69 to Address E Club


E Club donors contribute to a special fund that helps improve the athletic program by providing long-term endowed support for maintenance and projects separate from the money raised annually by the Athletic Department. Each year members of the E Club gather to re-commit their support and hear from a guest speaker. This year the gathering will be on Monday, February 23 at Mansion Hill Inn, 6:00–8:00 p.m., with alumnus Vince Sweeney.

Vince Sweeney ’69 was a three-sport high school athlete at Edgewood. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication from UW-Madison and began his career as an award-winning sports reporter for a string of papers, including the Milwaukee Sentinel, The Capital Times and the Los Angeles Times, among others. Vince then joined the UW Athletic Department as a senior-ranking administrator and in August 2009 became the University's first Vice Chancellor for University Relations.

During his tenure with Badger athletics, Vince played a key role in the UW Athletic Department resurgence from 1990 to 2009. In 1990-91, he served as the university’s first Director of Trademark Licensing, advancing the following year to Director of Marketing and Promotions. Then, from 1994 to 2002, he was UW-Madison’s Associate Athletic Director for External Relations. Vince is a past board member for the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators. He has published two books about the history of UW-Madison athletics: Always a Badger: The Pat Richter Story and University of Wisconsin Football Vault: The History of the Badgers (co-authored with Pat Richter).

Among his current duties as Vice Chancellor for University Relations, Vince manages strategic university communications; relationships with government, community and social sectors; and corporate relations and economic development initiatives, along with constituent relations, including parents, visitors, alumni and friends of the university community.

Vince was inducted into the Madison Sports Hall of Fame (formerly the Madison Pen and Mike Club) in June 2010. His brother, Dennis, was a 1994 inductee.

Through the E Club, Edgewood is able to better meet the demands of training Crusader athletes and providing them the resources to be champions—on the court, the field, and in life. For more information on the E Club or attending the event, please contact Athletic Director Chris Zwettler at 608.257.1023 x144.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Make ’em Laugh, Make ’em Cry…

Sing a lullaby, read a poem, tell a joke, play your ukelele. It’s up to you! Tonight is “Open Mic” Night at Crescendo and Edgewood is taking to the floor. Alumni in Madison are invited to close out this year’s Fine Arts Festival at this casual gathering—and share a talent if you like!

Holy Film Critic, Batman!


Brendan Anderson ’13 gave students the opportunity to watch the evolution and morphing of Batman from a DC Comics character through his many on-screen interpretations. Brendan’s Film Festival presentation entitled Dark Knight or Caped Crusader: Who is the Real Batman? explored adaptions in which a vigilante Batman lives in a gritty, realistic  full of “supervillains” who resemble real life menaces. It also included looks at campy versions, with a law-abiding Batman battling more colorful, over-the-top “supervillains” who have equally incredible criminal schemes.

Brendan currently attends Marquette University where he is majoring in economics and minoring in film. He has a passion for the subject of film and has been giving presentations for the EHS Fine Arts week film festival since his sophomore year at Edgewood. He continues to write a blog, Here’s Looking @ You, Kid, where he posts reviews of both current and classic films.  

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Alumna Charlotte Martin ’10 delivered a pair of fantastic, engaging and entertaining sessions with students today on the complexity of shooting even a mere 30 seconds worth of screen time for a film. Catch a FREE pre-screening of her movie tonight!

See What Current Students Are Thinking and Writing About


Interested in what has changed and what is the same at your alma mater? For a student’s-eye view of Edgewood High School today, you can read The Envoy newspaper or the newest publication, The Times of Edgewood, both written by students advised by Mr. Don Regina. The Envoy covers general events, student profiles, sports, restaurant and movie reviews and other everyday news by journalism students. The Times has content that varies, but usually contains longer articles, opinion pieces and essays by creative/advanced writing students. You can also get to either publication through the Edgewood High School website, linked at the right.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Thanks, John Jensen ’10

Behind the scenes of the Fine Arts Festival, alumnus John Jensen ’10 has been helping to keep things running smoothly. Looking professionally dapper in his black suit, he has worked tirelessly to make sure that the necessary technical and audiovisual support has been available in locations throughout the school as different guest artists perform. Your effort has not gone unnoticed! Thank you for your dedicated service.

Jordan Lentz ’10 Shares Her Artistry at EHS

Many thanks go to Jordan Lentz ’10 (pictured with her mom, Teresa West-Lentz), who returned to Edgewood today to do two sessions during the Fine Arts Festival Guest Artist Day. Jordan earned a BFA with an emphasis in illustration from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

She says, “I have a wide range of interests from scientific illustration, to tattooing, to horror movie make-up and special effects, and I have acquired a strong background in drawing and painting.  Previously, I have worked at the Shedd Aquarium, doing freelance illustrations for the Fish Identification System; Anthropologie, as a creative display intern; and at the Monroe Street Fine Arts Center in Madison as an art intern and instructor. I am a practicing artist and am excited to continue to teach and work with students to improve their skills at Lillstreet art center in Chicago, while working as a tattoo apprentice.”

Jordan presented a demonstration of creating marker art (Edgewood has a beautiful framed set of five works done by Jordan in that medium depicting the Sinsinawa Dominican Values) and discussed her artwork and her career with students.




Monday, February 2, 2015

Alumni Visits Are Appreciated



A visit from an EHS graduate is always exciting!  Today Elizabeth Ehrmann '09 was a guest lecturer for Mrs. Husom's Law class.  Elizabeth is currently a second year student at Marquette University Law School studying Sports Law.  Her lecture included a brief law school simulation, including an introduction to the Socratic method of teaching.  Students were surprised to learn that professors will call on law students randomly, have them stand and answer a series of questions from assigned readings.  Elizabeth had current EHS students read a case about a baseball team mascot injuring a fan at a game while throwing out free hot dogs - interesting AND amusing!

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Flash from the Past on YouTube



Watching home movies may not be the way you want to spend the evening with friends, but if you were a member of the football squad at Edgewood in the mid-1960s or even just a student who attended some of the games, maybe you remember some of the plays and match-ups posted by Casey Poole in the YouTube video linked here:

The Legend Geoff Poole #10 Quarterback Madison Edgewood High School