Onyx Anneau Spring 2021

high school in May and will be attending Miami University next fall. Rory Gillingham is still in Erie, Pennsylvania, working as associate registrar at Mercyhurst University. She is in the process of buying a house, so once she is settled, everyone will be welcome to visit. Her mother passed away last summer from COVID. All the love and support that she has received from the SPs and her Woods sisters has helped her get through this difficult time. C L A S S N O T E S We’ve made it to 2021! This year we celebrate our 20th year since graduation! I do hope we are able to have a Reunion on campus. We have a Facebook page! Join us on Facebook at “SMWC Class of 2001.” Jane Corbett reports that she celebrated her eight-year anniversary as an electronic services librarian at the Indianapolis, Indiana, law firm of Ice Miller, LLP. She was very excited that she provided photography for a book of poems that was released from Lulu Press in March of 2020. Sarah Pounds runs a vendor booth selling chalk paint and accessories at Glendy’s Uptown Mall in Terre Haute. Her oldest nephew is a freshman at Rose-Hulman this year and her four nieces and nephews are in different middle schools in rural Illinois. Jennifer Ousley Nord and husband Brad live in Bunker Hill, Indiana with their five children. Jennifer is teaching preschool for the Maconaquah School Corporation. Her family stays busy bouncing between high school and middle school sports, dance classes, and they are all involved in the Peru Circus City Festival each summer. In their spare time, they enjoy church activities and spending time with family and friends. Jessica Dankert Stevens reports that her boys Evan (9) and Landon (7) keep them busy with hockey, art classes, and soccer! Jessica teaches third grade at Mishawaka Catholic School in Mishawaka, Indiana. I still reside in North Aurora, Illinois, 40 miles straight west of Chicago. My children, Patrick (10) and Abigail (7) keep us busy with soccer, baseball, and Cub Scouts. They both attend Holy Cross Catholic School in Batavia, Illinois. Bob continues to work as a physicist at Fermilab. I’ve returned to teaching preschool at our local park district. I hope and pray that everyone is doing well as we all get through this pandemic. Jenifer Shetley Slabaugh 811 Chestnut St Columbus, IN 47201-5874 jenifer.slabaugh@gmail.com ’10 Theresa Snoderly writes that she’s currently in her sixth semester at Liberty University working on a PhD in History. She earned an MA in English and American Literature from Indiana State University Gail Baker Zwaska 282 Abbeywood Ln North Aurora, IL 60542 (630) 730-7967 Gail.addison@gmail.com ’01

in 2016. Alaina Niece Burton writes that after years of secondary infertility, they welcomed Isla Eloise on April 26, 2020. Olivia was thrilled to finally get the baby sister she’d been asking for since she was two. She says 2020 was a blur between having a newborn and a six-year-old, stay-at-home, e-learning, and remote work! Mary Bungum Bloodworth moved from Chicago to Indianapolis with her family in 2020. Mary, Jeffrey and daughter Annie have been renovating their 1923 home with an Art Deco flair. She will be starting a new remote role as a senior ux researcher this February. Jenifer “Jen” Shetley Slabaugh and Nick celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in October. Less traveling for her job as an engineer for VMware in 2020 meant Jen was able to spend a lot more time in the saddle, including a ride from May 2020 on Welsh Cob stallion Castleberrys Cadence. Danielle O’Connor Veach 2610 E State Road 61 Vincennes, IN 47591-9054 danielle.oconnor117@gmail.com ’11 Jeanna Clark and her partner Tyler Irven celebrate nine years together. Over the past year they have found new ways to entertain themselves during the stay-at-home orders, which has been especially important since they are both essential workers. Jeanna works for the government and Tyler is a healthcare worker at their local hospital. Danielle O’Connor-Veach and Tiffany O’Connor-Veach celebrated their first year of marriage this past November. They welcomed a new family member Theodora Roosevelt “Dora” which is a black goldendoodle. Dora is being trained as a psychiatric service dog for Danielle. They were able to find plenty of opportunities to get out and go hiking and exploring while social distancing. Additionally, they were able to start a handmade greeting card business, “The Minted Pumpkin.” Jennifer Cassidy works as a child advocate attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. Zach Bierhaus (RHIT ‘10) proposed recently after recreating their first date together by hiking to the top of Kennesaw Mountain. Zach is currently a Major in the Air Force. Their dog, Lou, continues to live her best life. Erin Pugh Lucas and her husband Tyler celebrated their five-year wedding anniversary in July 2020 and then their daughter Norah’s first birthday in October 2020. This year, Erin will celebrate her nine-year work anniversary with the office of Congressman Larry Bucshon, MD. Tyler, a physician, matched with Notre Dame for a sports medicine fellowship, taking them to South Bend this summer (Go Irish!). In the past year, they’ve been on several family vacations. Ashley Vicars Kimbrell and husband Tyler, a Rose-Hulman graduate, have been married since 2015 and have two little boys, Harrison and Hayes. Ashley is interviewing for a PhD program to become a doctoral student in guidance and psychological

services. They will be traveling to Colorado this spring to visit family that have been overseas serving in the military. As a elementary school counselor, Ashley spends a lot of time online in an e-learning environment counseling and teaching students. Briauna Davis Himes and husband Brandon Himes welcomed a new baby in last May. They now have a daughter, Ryan Elizabeth (2), and a son, Loren Michael (9 months). In September they were able to buy their first home and moved to Brownsburg, Indiana. Bri and Brandon have enjoyed taking long walks in the neighborhood and getting to know their very friendly neighbors. Bri is currently mapping out and impatiently anticipating planting the family’s first garden this spring! Brittany “Britt” Simmerman Lauritsen and wife Emily will celebrate their four-year wedding anniversary in July. They reside in Topeka, Kansas where Britt is the assistant athletic director for Washburn University Athletics and Emily is a law student. Emily is recovering from a stroke, and prayers are appreciated! Abby McKee Brown and her husband Wylie will celebrate seven years of marriage in September 2021. Together, they have two children, Clara and Luke. Abby has been practicing law for six years at her firm in Washington, Indiana. Abby and her family are looking forward to a trip to Charleston, South Carolina this summer. Elizabeth Wright Saldanha 1802 Payne St Georgetown, IN 47122-8998 lwright@holyfamilyeagles.com ’12 Elizabeth “Libby” Wright and husband, Mervyn, enjoyed a joyous homecoming trip to India to celebrate two years of marriage surrounded by family just before quarantine began. She is now completing her ninth year teaching grades 6-8 at Holy Family School in New Albany, Indiana. Her new puppy, Chai, also keeps her busy. Jordan Pirsch ’17G and her boyfriend Brad welcomed daughter Violet Louise Wilcox to the world on Dec. 14, 2020. Violet is perfect, and continues to make mommy and daddy smile every day! Jessica Jonas Russell continues to work for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. She has been working a light duty detail for the last seven months because she is pregnant and expecting a little one on April 6. Amy Kozol Sanderson has been named Executive Director Emeritus of the nonprofit she co-founded in 2012, Ballet 5:8 (ballet58.org). After an incredible journey of God’s faithfulness, Amy is looking forward to spending more time with her two preschool aged daughters. Kayla Leuthold Payton married Amanda Payton ‘15 on Oct. 20, 2018. They recently moved to Dana, Indiana, as Kayla accepted a teaching job at Ernie Pyle Elementary. She also completed her first year of coaching high school girl’s soccer at South Vermillion.

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