Proverbs 3:3
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Catch up with Mrs. Conrod on pg. 2
This year, Katie Estep ’09 was named the 2012 recipient of the Gray-
Carrington Memorial Scholarship. This award was established in 1971 in memory of Arthur P. "Pete" Gray IV, and in 1987 was expanded to honor
Spencer Burton sitting with Katie in front of
U.Va’s Rotunda.
Edward C. Carrington Jr. It honors students who excel in personal integrity, achievement, leadership and humility. It is also considered one of the most prestigious awards an undergraduate can receive at The University of Virginia. Katie was nominated for the award by fellow TCS alumnus Andy Colberg, ’09 and Edward Carrington is the father of
Edward “Bo” Carrington ’04, making the award even more meaningful for Katie and the Covenant community.
Katie has accomplished a great deal during her U.Va. career. While majoring in biomedical engineering, she serves as captain of the Women’s Rugby Team, social chair of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and she was selected to the IMP Society, one of
U.Va.’s secret societies that recognizes students and professors who display a high degree of commitment to service and leadership.
Katie’s thesis project dealt with the design of a fully bio-absorbable vena cava filter which will prevent pulmonary embolism and mitigate the complications associated with the current standard of care. Katie will graduate from U.Va. in
May and head to Washington, D.C. to begin her career as a business technology analyst for the Federal Practice Division of Deloitte.
st
Classes 1988-91, 1998, 2003, & 2008 at The Lower School
1000 Birdwood Rd
4:00 – 7:00 pm
Join fellow alumni, teachers, & special guests for fun & food.
Live music from Vaden Cox.
Registration Fee: $20
Children 12 and under are free.
Send us your Contact Info:
Alumni Contact Information
Several alumni are helping us connect with class members to plan the event and coordinate class-specific gatherings for later that evening.
Those alumni are: Chris Dorrier ’88
& Cathy Garrison ’88, Jane Murphy
’98, Hannah Stell Fortier ’03, Allie
MacDonald ’08 and Alex Merrill ’08.
Please spread the word to your classmates!

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The Jensens: Lisa ’99, Katie ’03, Valerie ’08, and Mark ’01
Whether navigating the rigors of advanced math or rehearsing lines for Cheaper by the Dozen , students who graduated from
Covenant between 1997 and 2002 were touched significantly by Maryanne Conrod. Since moving back to her hometown of
Suffolk, Virginia, Maryanne stays busy directing her own
“cast” of four as a full-time mom to Jacob, Katherine, and twins Abby and Emma. Maryanne not only supports their pursuits – which range from competitive forensics, to lacrosse, to Lego League robotics – she also finds time to direct musical productions for her church in Suffolk.
If you are an alumnus of The Covenant School, it is likely that you had at least one class with a Jensen along the way.
Those of you who did will not be surprised to learn that Lisa
’99, Mark ’01, Katie ’03, and Valerie ’08 are flourishing professionally and using their gifts to serve mankind through the medical field. It’s a calling they’ve labeled “the family business,” yet it has even caught some of them by surprise.
As they reflect on their up-bringing, they find evidence of this path well before they began their first nursing or medical school course. Having a registered nurse for a mother and an anesthesiologist for a father put medical service in the soil of their early years. “Growing up, I never had ‘pink eye,’ recalls Valerie. “It was always
‘conjunctivitis.’”
Her parents Doug and Carol Jensen never pushed their children toward the medical field and rarely talked about their work at home. However, both parents cultivated a love of learning and a commitment to service that shaped their children in powerful ways. “Our parents did not settle for mediocrity in us; they expected us to work hard,” recalls
Lisa. Katie remembers her parents being great Christian examples who demonstrated sacrifice and a solid work ethic, “the boring, but important stuff,” she says. For Mark, traveling to Honduras for a medical mission trip and seeing his father use his skills to help people was very impactful.
Mark was able to employ “all the Spanish learned from Mr.
Sawyer” as a translator for the team, and he credits this experience for his eventual decision to study pre-med during his undergraduate years.
Maryanne has also returned to the classroom, teaching parttime at Suffolk Christian Academy. Of course, this brings back many fond recollections of her time with Covenant students and her trademark sense of humor shines through as she reminisces. “I remember a skit the teachers pulled off at a pep rally. I got to play Sarah Conroy ’01 dressed up as Mary
Katherine Gallagher.” She’s also quick to recall the April
Fools’ Day prank that John Pietrck ’97 and others pulled off: when she turned around from demonstrating a math problem on the board, all of her students were facing the back wall.
In addition to these light-hearted memories, Maryanne recalls with great affinity the qualities she observed in her students: the dedication of Katie Thacker ’01 as a stage manager; the kind manner and warm smile of Brad Arms ’02. “I always think of Brad,” she reflects. “I got to work with so many great kids who were all so brilliant and polite, like Joy Ainsworth
’00, Robert ’00 and Steven Luck ’02, Jake McPadden ’02, with his uncombed hair and goldfish crackers! They were all such neat kids and the list could go on and on. Covenant was a great experience for me as a teacher. My Covenant students are the bar against which I measure my students now.”
All four Jensens look back with gratitude on their time at
Covenant. “It made a huge difference that my teachers really seemed to care about me,” said Lisa. “They treated us like adults, set the bar high, and expected us to learn.”
Valerie says, “Nursing school was very difficult; less than Mrs. Conrod with Abby, Emma, Katherine, Johan (her husband), and Jacob.
CONT. ON PAGE 3
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CONT. from pg. 2
half of us made it in. I had to achieve certain goals to succeed and Covenant instilled in me the habits and work ethic that I needed to attain these things.”
Additionally, her AP credits gave her flexibility at the University of South
Carolina to be involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and to serve as the chair of her sorority, Delta Zeta. Mark believes that the Christian education he received at Covenant has helped him throughout his journey and he credits Bible teacher, Mr. Wilsey, with fostering his growth as a Christian. “He would stretch us and ask us tough questions. We learned that we can’t just put our heads in one part of the world.”
The Jensens circa 2001.
The ability to think critically prepared Mark well for the college application process: he entered the University of Virginia as
Covenant’s first Jefferson Scholarship recipient. Mark completed medical school at the University of Rochester and is now a year into his residency in anesthesiology. Before going to medical school, he taught math and science at an inner-city Pittsburgh charter high school. “It was very broadening. I had to learn to communicate effectively and I was able to deal with a lot of people whose lives were very difficult, helping me to be more understanding of my current patients in Brooklyn.” Mark makes the trek to Rochester to visit his fiancee Sarah who, not surprisingly, is a registered nurse there.
Lisa graduated from UVA with a degree in American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Following her graduation from the
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine this May, she will move to Tacoma, Washington with her husband Kevin
Mitchell and their daughter, fourteen-month-old daughter, Molly. There, she will begin her residency in pediatrics at Madigan
Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Having received a scholarship from the army to attend medical school,
Lisa will be re-commissioned as a captain after graduation and says, “I would send Molly to Covenant if I ever have the chance.”
Katie studied to be a nurse practitioner at Virginia Commonwealth University where she wrapped up her degree in 2012. She now works at the Medical College of Virginia in internal medicine. “It is very rewarding to help people on a daily basis, whether educating them or helping them with a diagnosis. I love helping people. It sounds trite, but it is very fulfilling.” Katie also plays the piano at her church, is teaching herself the mandolin and recently completed the Monument Avenue 10k in
Richmond.
Valerie says that during her time at USC, her faith became her own. The grace and strength of Christ has been instrumental during her recent transition to Vero Beach, Florida where she serves as an emergency room nurse at a 24-hour trauma facility.
Valerie’s workdays can be extremely taxing, but she credits her faith and her parents’ example with helping her keep a proper perspective. “It is so easy in this job to be jaded and a lot of my work is unpleasant. But it is not about me; I learned this from my parents. I am reminded every day that I am here to serve.” Valerie’s ability to speak Spanish is a huge asset to her employers and allows her to expand her service when called upon to interpret “every five minutes.”
Her skills not only save the center money, it allows patients to be served more quickly.
Valerie joined a Bible study at her church and plays a lot of tennis. Perhaps this is due to the fact that her boyfriend Brad Tulenko ’08 recently purchased a tennis club nearby.
In a few months, Lisa and her family will be off to the Pacific Northwest and no sibling will be within a six-hour drive from the others. It’s clear, however, that the common path the Jensens have chosen, the service-minded lives their parents modeled, and their deep respect and love for one another will keep them close over the miles and the years.
When they are together these days “it’s a flurry of laughs and activity, a loud a chaotic scene,” according to Lisa. These moments must certainly bring a great deal of satisfaction and joy to their parents. The only question that remains is which field of medicine Molly will pursue to carry on this beautiful, and perhaps inevitable, legacy of service.
Katie & Val visit Mark in Times Square, Fall 2012.
175 Hickory Street Charlottesville, VA 22902
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Catching up over dinner in the
East Village (NYC) with L to
R – Gillian Bradshaw ’11, Eric
Prum ’04, Tim Reynolds ’04,
Lisa Tullo ’04, Hannah
Stell ’06
During the pre-Antigone reception for Alumni on
Feb 23 rd
.
L to R: Tyler Martin
Robinette ’05 with Husband
Matthew, Matthew Martin
’07 with wife Katie, Alex
Howerton, and Mirela
Biredes-Ruiz Reynolds ’04
Easter Alumni Open House at the home of Ned &
Heidi Gumble March 30 th
Front Row: Holly Gumble ’06, Katie Geib ’08, Allie
MacDonald ’08, Kristen Keesee ’08
Back Row: Peter Gumble ’08, Jake Gumble ’11, Sam
Gumble ’05, Ryan Mancuso ’08, Alex Merrill ’08, Will
Luck ’08
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Joe ’08 enjoys the auction with his parents Tim and Liz.
Hagan Rushton ’12 helped with bidder spotting and then caught up with
Mr. Sanker.
Hannah Klein ’12
& Gage Jenkins ’12 sold beads for a chance to win a flat screen television!
Christian Binder ’09 &
Brendan Lynch ’09 were a huge help with guest registration and check-out.
Kari Taylor ’07 & Drew Joyner ’07 catch up and sell drink tickets and
Covenant Apparel.
175 Hickory Street Charlottesville, VA 22902
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Chris Dorrier ’88 i s the Director of Tech Services with Approach Alex Merrill ’08 is wrapping up
Office Solutions here in Charlottesville. He remains an avid supporter of UVA Athletics and is working with Cathy Garrison ’88 to help with the June 1 st
reunion event for the Classes of 1988-1991.
Lynda Brockington Lutz ’91 is currently a PE teacher at
Woodbrooke Elementary, her 15 th
year with the Albemarle County schools. Lynda was a member of the Women’s Basketball team during her four years at Eastern Mennonite University and has shared her love of the sport with her alma mater, serving as an assistant coach for Covenant girls basketball for the past nine seasons. She and her husband, Bobby, are the proud parents of
Ben, 14 years old. his year working on staff with Chi
Alpha, a year full of great fellowship and opportunities like his recent spring break missions trip to Granada Spain, where Alex was partnering with a missionary to do outreach at local universities.
Margaret Montague ’08 recently got engaged to Jacob
Feldman and are looking forward to a Fall 2013 wedding. Jacob and Margaret
Rachel Vander Meulen O’Banion ’98 is taking a sabbatical from her work at Bethany Christian Services so she and her husband Patrick can spend the spring semester in Scotland while
Patrick completes a fellowship in Reformation Studies Institute at
The University of St. Andrews. Rachel is enjoying the free time to met during their undergraduate years at UVA.
Margaret is currently working as a Research Associate for read and write while exploring Scotland and other parts of
Europe. Her favorite aspect of life in Scotland so far has been travelling through the Highlands and walking the 70 miles of the
Fife Coastal Path! You can keep up with her European adventures, including a recent trip to Amsterdam at http://lifebetweenthefirths.wordpress.com
the Advisory Board Company, a heath care consulting firm in
Washington, DC and living in Arlington, VA with her roommate
Lauren Bleam.
Andy Colberg ’09 is preparing to wrap up his studies at the McIntire School of
Commerce at U.Va. and head off to Europe for a month long backpacking trip before
I had the chance to join Lisa Tullo ’04 and several other alumni in
New York city a few weeks ago. 2013 is shaping up to be quite a year for Lisa. In addition to her rewarding work with autistic students as a behaviorist for the Parsippany Troy Hills School
District (NJ), she just successfully defended her dissertation at
Columbia University and is now Dr. Tullo! All this and an upcoming marriage to her fiancée Michael Woolslayer!
Melanie Binder Bunn ’06 married her reporting to work in Richmond, VA as a financial analyst at
Harris Williams. Andy recently returned from his third straight spring break missions trip with
Seeds of Hope to work in the favelas and orphanages of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Andy has led the team of 55 undergrads the past two years, and got to count Emily Huddleston ’11 sweetheart Christopher Bunn this past fall at the Paramount Theatre on the
Downtown Mall. (How fitting that this multi-talented alumna was married on stage!)
Bridesmaids included Jamie Crowell ’06 as one of his teammates this year.
Alina Murphy ’10 was accepted this spring to the James Madison and Lauren Walker ’06 . Melanie is currently a Customer Support
Representative with Blue Ridge
Internetworks. She will keep this position even as she and Christopher prepare to relocate to the Raleigh, NC area in the near future.
Jamie Crowell ’06 is busy as a Training Administrator at the
National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) here in
Charlottesville. She edits training materials for the analysts at
NGIC and those who are deployed. She is working on gaining her
Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance, which is the third tier in national security clearances.
Jamie is the proud “mother” of her dog Ivy and three cats and is writing a cookbook including recipes from family and friends.
University School of Nursing. She also completed her training and
Virginia certification as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
Clark Crutchfield ’12 , who was a crucial member of the 2011 state championship team has wasted no time making his presence known on the diamond at Roanoke College. Starting 25 games at catcher, Clark has helped lead the Roanoke Maroon to their first playoffs for the first time since 2004. His
.299 batting average as a true freshman was third on the team.
175 Hickory Street Charlottesville, VA 22902
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