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Message from the Alumni Board
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Don't Miss our Fall Alumni Event, November 29
We have many exciting Alumni events planned for the 2014-15 year. We hope to see everyone November 29 at the Alumni/Varsity Soccer Game and the Alumni Oyster Roast!
This year we have planned the annual Alumni/Varsity Soccer Game and Alumni Party during the weekend following Thanksgiving. Our plan for moving the party and soccer game from Homecoming weekend to November 29th will hopefully allow more out-of-town alumni to attend.
We hope you can join us Saturday, November 29, 2014 at Thomas Field from 1–3 p.m. for the co-ed Alumni/Varsity Soccer Game. For those who have never attended, this truly is a fun sporting event to watch and a great place to catch up with old friends!
This year, Richard Cook will coach the alumni team. As many of you may know, Mr. Cook will be retiring this year after teaching and coaching at North Cross for more than 40 years. I know everyone has such fond memories of him, and he will be greatly missed! We hope you will come cheer on the alumni and say farewell to Mr. Cook!
We also hope you will join us immediately after the soccer game for the Alumni Oyster Roast featuring the bluegrass band Cotton Hill! The event will be from 3–6 p.m. on Hooper Field in front of the Proctor’s house (Coach Muscaro’s old house). We would love for all alumni to attend this fun get-together and enjoy great food, drinks, fellowship, and live bluegrass music!
If you haven’t already, you will receive an official initiation to these events in the mail, so keep an eye out for it. In the meantime, if you wish to RSVP for the Alumni Oyster Roast and/or to sign up to play in the Alumni/Varsity soccer game, please email Whitney Aldridge at waldridge@northcross.org.
We hope to see you on November 29 and be sure to stay connected to hear more about the fun events we have planned for 2014-15!
Thank you,
Laura Beard ’01
(formerly Laura Black)
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 Legacy Picnic
North Cross School alums and their children gathered for the annual Legacy Picnic in the New Slack courtyard in early October. This spring Max Revercomb ’15 will be the eleventh member of the extended Revercomb family to graduate from North Cross. He spoke briefly about what his North Cross experience has meant to him. “North Cross has offered many opportunities to all of us, but the relationships I have made with my teachers, coaches, and my peers will last forever. All of us have made lifelong friends here. My oldest brother James met his wife here. North Cross has been a huge part of my life, and I am lucky to have had this experience.â€
Click here, or the image above, to view a slideshow from the event.
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Remembering Barbara Lemon
Barbara Lemon, wife of former Board of Trustees member Bill Lemon, passed away on Tuesday, October 7 at the age of 78. She is survived by her children Sara Ludwig ’78, Tucker Lemon ’79, and Stephen Lemon ’80. Barbara was the grandmother of Catherine Ludwig ’06, Allison Lemon ’07, Caroline Ludwig ’08, Laura Lemon ’12, Tyler Lemon ’12, Ashley Lemon, and Nathalie Lemon ’20.
Barbara was a tutor at North Cross School in the 1970s and an early advocate and resource for children with learning differences. She helped establish the Shedd School in Roanoke to help children with learning difficulties. Barbara was also a supporter of the newly expanded CrossWalk Program at North Cross School and was on campus (in photo above) for the dedication of the renovated space in September.
Click here for the full obituary at roanoke.com.
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 Remembering Dottie Stevens
Dottie Stevens was a dear friend of North Cross School and worked at the school for over 30 years. She started as a receptionist at the Salem location and taught kindergarten once North Cross moved to Roanoke. During her time here, she collected milk money, mixed gallons of paint for the art classes, put Band-Aids on knees, and was a friend to everyone who came through the door. In the photo above, from the 1967 yearbook, she helps Clare Little with her art project. Her daughter, Anne Lee Stevens, is a Salem alum and her grandson, Peter Ostaseski, Jr., was in the class of 1999.
Dorothy “Dottie†Stevens passed away on Tuesday, October 14.
Click here to read her obituary and read about her many fond memories of North Cross.
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 Homecoming Powderpuff Classic
In the 2014 Powderpuff game, the team of juniors and senior girls defeated the team of combined freshmen and sophomores by a score of 14-7. Forty-two girls practiced and participated in the annual spirit week event. Avery Sturm ’15 (in photo returning an interception) was stout on defense for the upperclassmen and came up with two interceptions that afternoon.
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 Powderpuff Halftime Extravaganza
At halftime, Jack Fishwick ’16, Michael Fleming ’16, and Vincient Arnold ’16 battled underclassmen Everett Ward ’18, Bruce Farrell ’17, and Eli Swain ’18 in a dance off. Judge the winner for yourself by watching the video clip here. Fortunately, there were no wardrobe malfunctions during the spirited performance.
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Founders’ Scholars
Last June, Akaela Feng ’19, Heba Imam ’18, Everett Ward ’18, Tanner Smith ’16, Jane Ward ’16, and Sarah Shaff ’15 were named Founders’ Scholars for 2014-15.
Four additional recipients for the 2014-15 academic year were announced in October. The common bond among each recipient is their passion and determination to achieve academic success and become future leaders in their communities.
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 Makayla Bibby ’20 is entering seventh grade at North Cross School after attending Stonewall Jackson Middle School. Last year she was Vice President of the Student Council, earned second place in the city-wide Science Fair, and was on First Honor Roll. Makayla plays viola and was on the tennis and basketball teams at Stonewall Jackson.
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 Timothy McLaughlin ’20 came to North Cross School from James Madison Middle School. He has been an Honor Roll student since second grade and earned several art awards during his time at Wasena Elementary School and at James Madison. Timothy enjoys soccer and currently plays for the Raiders. Last summer he played on a local soccer club in Morelia, Mexico. Timothy also volunteers at HoneyTree Early Learning Center, helps with neighborhood cleanup in the Old Southwest neighborhood each spring and fall, and earned a citizenship award at Wasena Elementary School.
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 Jared LaTreill ’19 came to North Cross School after attending Cave Spring Middle School last year. Jared is an Honor Roll student who has studied trumpet, clarinet, piano, and saxophone. He is also an apprentice learning how to work with stained glass. Jared was a member of the basketball team at Cave Spring last year and is currently captain of his AAU basketball team.
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 Nolan Wages ’16 joined North Cross School this fall after attending Floyd County Schools through ninth grade and Blue Mountain High School his sophomore year. As a middle school student, Nolan earned the Student Council Leadership Award. While a student at Floyd County High School, Nolan was a member of the cross country and soccer teams and maintained a place on First Honor Roll. Nolan is an accomplished musician and has participated in numerous marching, concert, and honor bands. He is active in Boy Scouts, having achieved the rank of Life Scout, and is currently working on the requirements to earn the Eagle Scout rank.
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Merit Scholarships for Alumni
The North Cross School Alumni Association has approved the establishment of an Alumni Merit Scholarship. The criteria is the same as our Founders’ Scholarship, recognizing outstanding academic accomplishment of a rising ninth grade student, but is awarded to a child or grandchild of an alumnus of North Cross School. We are in the process of raising funds for this award. Click here to learn more about the program. If you’d like more information or want to make a gift to this Scholarship, contact Chris Moore ’71 at cmoore@northcross.org .
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Singapore Math and Word Study in Lower School
Kate Clark, third grade teacher and our Lower School Singapore Math Liaison, made a presentation to lower school parents about the Singapore Math program a few weeks ago. Her presentation slides have been posted to the school website for parents who were not able to attend or want more information about the program. Click here, or the image above, to download the PowerPoint file.
At the next Ellis Hall Director’s Coffee with Deborah Jessee on November 11, second grade teacher Audrey Osborne will make a presentation about the recently expanded Word Study program.
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Teacher Features and Staff Stories
 Sandy Patterson
How did you end up at North Cross?
I followed my daughters here. When I first moved to Roanoke with my family, I worked as a teacher in public schools but recognized North Cross as the best opportunity for a good education in the area and enrolled my daughters here when each of them were in Kindergarten.
Click here to read the full feature.
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Eric Lawrence
How did you end up in Roanoke from Muskegon, Michigan?
I went to a Christian school in Muskegon and was very involved in athletics. I played soccer, basketball, and baseball in high school and was also on the track team. I wanted to go to college somewhere faith-based where I could continue playing sports.
Click here to read the full feature.
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Ed Dickenson
What was North Cross like in 1989?
I came at a very exciting time in the life of North Cross School. David Dougherty was about to begin his first year as Headmaster, and I was joining an Upper School faculty that consisted of North Cross legends like Hugh Meager, Jerry Maycock, Margaret Grayson, Rick France, Gates Dehart, and Richard Cook. These were master teachers who were extremely experienced, were passionate about teaching, and possessed a great sense of collegiality.
Click here to read the full feature.
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Deborah Jessee
When did you become a member of the North Cross community?
My oldest daughter, Sarah Jessee ‘01, was three years-old when we moved to Roanoke. In 1988 she started kindergarten at North Cross. So my first relationship with North Cross was as a lower school parent for two years before I actually worked here.
Click here to read the full feature.
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Sharon Daly
What is your favorite North Cross tradition?
I love the Senior Buddy Program at North Cross. The seniors are like superheroes to the ECP children. Both of my children participated in the program and still talk about their buddies, Eliza Grove ’03 and J.R. Lystash ’07. Now that Kerin is participating in the program as a senior, it’s easy to see that the seniors are just as excited as the little ones!
Click here to read the full feature.
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 Meade Martin
How did your relationship with North Cross begin?
I first came to North Cross as a student teacher my senior year at Virginia Tech. I student taught PE under Donna Satterwhite and Jim Muscaro. At the time they were looking for another full-time PE teacher and that spring John Tucker offered me the job. I went on to teach PE at North Cross for seven years before I moved to New York to teach first grade at The Town School.
Click here to read the full feature.
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Students Perform with Cayambis Sinfonietta
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Coach Brown Reaches Milestone
The Boy’s Varsity Soccer team defeated Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg on October 9. The win by the Raiders marked the 100th victory at North Cross School for Coach James Brown. Christian Entleitner ’15 said the team had a little extra motivation on that Thursday afternoon. “He’s an awesome coach, and we really wanted to get that win for him.†he said.
Athletic Director Eric Lawrence acknowledged the historical significance of the milestone. “For North Cross soccer it says that we have a coach who is willing to invest his life with our kids over a long period of time to develop a lasting, quality program we all can take pride in. James has achieved this goal because not only is he committed to coaching, but he is committed to our kids, our school, and doing things right.â€
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Conference Competition
 Varsity Cross Country
The girls’ team finished second overall in the BRC Conference Championship meet. Akaela Feng ’19 (left in photo) finished second overall. Adrienne Spring ’16 finished sixth overall, and both runners earned All-Conference distinction.
The boys’ team finished third overall in the VIC Conference Championship, and Walter Mann ’16 (right in photo) put in one of his best performances and finished fourth in the race. He earned All-Conference distinction this season.
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s Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey
The team earned a BRC Conference Championship by defeating Carlisle School 1-0 in the finals last Saturday at Roanoke College.
Yesterday the team defeated Highland School 4-0. They play on Friday in the semifinal round of the VISAA state tournament in Virginia Beach against Foxcroft.
Boys’ Varsity Soccer
The team earned a VIC Conference Championship by defeating Liberty Christian Academy 1-0 in the finals last Saturday at Roanoke College.
On Monday, the Raiders defeated Christchurch School 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the VISAA state tournament. They travel to Richmond on Thursday for the semifinal round. This is the fourth straight year the team has advanced to the semifinal round in state competition.
 Varsity Football
Last Saturday the Raiders earned a spot in the VIS Division III playoffs this weekend with a 53-0 win over Hargrave Military Academy. The team honored seniors (left to right in photo) Ryan Dent ’15, Sterling Moskal ’15, Max Revercomb ’15, and Isaiah Harris ’15. The team will play next at Fredericksburg Christian on Saturday, November 8. Quarterback Max Revercomb ’15 currently has 2,471 yards passing and 32 touchdowns on the season.
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 “Gimme an ‘N’...â€
Soon after the school expanded the athletic offerings, cheerleading became part of the spirit on campus. The 1969 Cheerleading Squad, pictured from the 1969 yearbook, featured members (left to right in photo) Claiborne Gooch, Tricia Larson, Margaret Robinson, Janie Hopkins, Karen Waldron, Mary Watts, and Cindy Crockett.
 While the school stopped offering a formal cheerleading squad in 2003, the lower school students spent time earlier this month practicing their cheers to bring a little more school spirit to the pep rally in the CAC.
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The First Steps of our Cross Country Program
The cross country program at North Cross School was started by Hugh Meagher around the time the competitive running boom hit the United States in the early 1970s. Hugh’s influence can be seen, and felt, by the countless runners who have trained and competed on our 5K campus course with the challenging “Middle School Hill.†“We stayed late after many a practice to work on our course,†he said, “which we hacked out of the side of the hill behind our campus and cut through the pastures around Doc Maycock’s house.†The first team in the fall of 1974 had one senior and ten eighth graders. Running the hilly campus course and along the Blue Ridge Parkway soon paid off, and North Cross started fielding stronger teams. The 1981 and 1986 teams, led by Gene Wood ’80, Bob Glenn ’82, Will McGee ’85, and Grayson Prillaman ’88, went on to win Virginia Independent Conference titles. “Some of them made all state teams and had the ability to run 5,000 meters in 15 to 16 minutes.â€
The above photo, from the 1975 yearbook, shows coach Hugh Meagher with runners Hampie Wall ’79, John Spessard ’79, Tucker Lemon ’79, Glenn Summers, Lee Battle ’79, Ethan Engleby ’79, Charlie Hill ’79, and Robert Bennett ’79.
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Book Fair Beginnings
The tradition of hosting a Book Fair on campus was established in the 1960s. The early success of the program is largely credited to Dottie Hammond (far left in photo). Dottie worked endless days and evenings to create an attractive display of books that covered a wide range of topics. Just like today, students created their “wish lists†by writing down their favorites on a sheet of paper. Dottie’s son, Barney Hammond ’82 recalls why his mom put so much effort into the book fair. “My mom really believed the fair should be about generating a love of reading. That is why she was so passionate about starting the tradition and making the book fair a memorable experience for the students.â€
To engage the young readers on campus, Dottie and her volunteers also arranged for authors like Jean Showalter, Paxton Davis, George Garret, Louis Rubin, James Dickey and “Watership Down†author Richard Adams to visit the fair. “I recall some of the authors even stayed at our home while they were in town for our book fair,†Barney said.
Current Library Director Amy Holley recalls visiting the fair with her daughter, Sarah Kate Holley ’12 when it took place in the gym. “It was unlike anything I had ever seen,†she said. “It was like the entire Rams Head Book Shop had been moved into the gym. Dottie was definitely the Book Fair Queen, and she provided so much inspiration for all of the amazing parent volunteers who went on to chair book fair for many years."
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Soccer Comes to the Roanoke Valley
In the early 1970s, Richard Cook helped start the soccer program at North Cross School and introduced the game to the Roanoke Valley. At the time, soccer was considered a “northern†sport, and the first seasons were played during the winter. “ Rick Magee ’75 was the first captain, and our first win was over Carlisle School. Our first big win was over V.E.S., and Johnny Lester ’78 scored the winning goals,†he recalled. By the time the year 2000 rolled around, Mr. Cook was consistently fielding one of the best teams in the state, and the school sported an overall record of 322-77.
The photo above from the 1973 yearbook shows the first team. Click here or the image above to view a larger version. |
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Please send your updates for Class Notes to Whitney Aldridge at waldridge@northcross.org. If you wish to include a photo, please attach it to your email.
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Damon D. Goddard ’94 is an attorney living in Alexandria, Virginia. He is working for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C.
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 Leah Greenberg Katz ’01 and her husband, Phil, welcomed their first child, James Aaron Katz, on August 26, 2014. James’ aunts are also North Cross alums, Bekah Greenberg ’04 and Hannah Greenberg ’08.
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 Bobby Mountcastle ’02 and his wife, Emily, welcomed twins on August 4, 2014. The twins, Robert George Mountcastle (left) and James Vernon Mountcastle (right), are the first children for the couple.
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Tyler Teass ’04 is Sous Chef at Rose's Luxury, a restaurant on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. It was named Best New Restaurant in 2014 by Bon Appetit magazine.
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Maria Curran ’05 married R J Williams. Back row from left to right: Johnny Curran ’12, Joey Curran ’08, Preston Lemon ’05, Alex Duckworth ’05, Maria Curran Williams ’05, and Kate Beedie ’05. Front row from left to right: Thomas Wright ’05, Calie Traver ’05, Martha Osborne ’05, and Molly Steele ’05.
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 Joe Curran ’08 married Alexa Curran on July 5, 2014. The ceremony was at St. Andrews Catholic Church with the reception at Roanoke Country Club. Mark Meyer ’08, Adam Dyer ’08, and Johnny Curran ’12 were groomsmen while Maria Curran ’05 was a bridesmaid.
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 Nani Moskal ’08 is living in Salt Lake City, UT, and working with troubled youth as a Wilderness Therapist for a company called Second Nature. In the photo to the right she is at Bryce Canyon National Park.
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