Heritage Hall News

HERITAGE HALL FACULTY CELEBRATE MILESTONES, ENDOWMENTS

Lauren Roth, Director of Communications
Heritage Hall celebrated milestone service anniversaries of 25 members of its faculty and staff at its recent Faculty Recognition Luncheon, sponsored by the School’s Board of Trustees. 
 
The event also honored 11 endowed chair recipients and 3 Excellence in Teaching faculty recipients.
 
Heritage Hall’s milestone honorees are:
 
  • 25 Years – Chris Gfeller, Mary Lukaszek
  • 20 Years – Jay Ferguson ’96, Leslie Hamlin
  • 15 Years – Jamie Bramble ’05, David Ferguson ’88, Jennifer Huff, Cristi Miller, Ted Perry ’01, Judy Turner
  • 10 Years – Dr. Karen Thurston
  • 5 Years – Andrea Brousseau, Katie Matlock Brown ’07, Lauren Brownrigg, Parker Cassell ’11, John Champney, Morgen Champney, Jessica Adams Crowder ’09, Jen Kuzmic, Eric Lyons, Emily Nickel, Tiffany Porter, Lexi Tallman, Rickey Tinney, Narcisa Zehr
 
The School also recognized the following endowed chairs:
 
Dylan Sullivan received the The Bogert Family Endowed Chair for Athletics. Established in 2019 by Brian Bogert ’95 in honor of his family, this fund supports a position in the Athletic Department. The Bogerts have devoted more than 55 years to character coaching and excellence in soccer, tennis, golf, football, volleyball, and teaching in their commitment to whole-child education.
 
Priscilla Bordeaux received The Harrison Family Endowed Chair for ESS. Established by Russ Harrison in 2020, this endowment honors educators who acknowledge learning differences and provide a variety of programs, intervention strategies, and teaching methods to meet the learning needs and challenges of exceptional children.
 
Abby Byford Foshee ’06 received The Judith Ann Knott Chair for Distinguished Achievement in Elementary Education. Established by friends and family members of Judith Ann Knott, this endowment honors a teacher for grades PS-4 who demonstrates the professionalism and positive attitude that distinguished Judy as a teacher and person.
 
Jennifer Huff received the Heritage Hall Alumni Association’s Upper School Faculty Chair. Established by the board of the Heritage Hall Alumni Association (HHAA), this endowment, augmented annually through profit from the Charger Open Golf Tournament, was created to honor a member of the Upper School faculty.
 
Katsumi Hagiwara and Ellen Berney are co-recipients of the Kirkpatrick Arts and Humanities Chair. Established in 2021 by the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, this endowment honors a teacher or teachers whose courses focus on philosophy, music, art, theater, film, language, or humanities, that help students seek a broad and interconnected understanding of the human experience.

Nina McPherson received the Miller Family Endowed Chair for Counseling. Recognizing the importance of mental health for all students, this endowment was established in 2022 by Kevin ’95 and Andrea Miller through the Miller Family Foundation. It honors a counselor or teacher on campus who demonstrates empathy, provides encouragement and comfort, and who shows initiative in seeking out those students who may need additional emotional support during their academic journey.

Barbara Nykol received the Naifeh Endowed Chair for Math. Established by Heritage Hall alumnus and past patron Greg Naifeh ’77 in 2023, this endowment honors a teacher in the math department who demonstrates passion, clear communication, patience, adaptability, and the ability to foster collaborative learning—collectively creating an environment where students can thrive in their mathematical journey.
 
Also recognized were chairs embarking on the second year of their two-year term:
 
Becky Drozd -The Julie O. Bramble Chair in Elementary Education endowment chair.
Established by the Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation in 2018, this endowment honors a teacher for grades PS-4 who demonstrates a nurturing approach, a deep passion for learning, and an unwavering devotion to students.
 
Harrison Jackson - The Guy A. Bramble Chair in English and Language Arts endowment chair. Established by the Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation in 2018, this endowment is dedicated to the longtime Headmaster and member of the English department, Guy A. Bramble. The chair honors teaching excellence in the English or Language Arts Department for grades 5-12.
 
Jamie Ashburn - The William Carson Harris ’19 Middle School Faculty Chair. This fund was established by Glenn Harris ’77 in memory of his son, Will, who most appreciated the middle school teachers who were devoted to his personal growth, happiness, and success, both in and out of the classroom. This endowment honors a teacher who demonstrates compassion and emphasizes the teacher-student relationship.

Additionally, three faculty members were honored with the Boghetich Prize for Excellence in Teaching:  Mackenzie Foerster, Lower School; Ashley Adams, Middle School; Bryan Gaston, Upper School. This award, endowed by the Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation, recognizes one teacher in each division of the School who has completed at least five years of service at Heritage Hall and who demonstrates qualities that promote excellence in teaching: creativity, playfulness, humility, a firm command of one’s subject matter, and unwavering commitment to student success.

Early Childhood teacher Sarah Stringer Butler ’91 was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award, presented by the Heritage Hall Alumni Association. 
 
"I am deeply honored to receive the HHAA Distinguished Faculty Award. This recognition means the world to me, as it reflects not just my work, but also my passion and dedication to our youngest Chargers. My hope is that my students feel kindness and love in the classroom and that school is a place where they can thrive and explore their curiosity," Butler stated.
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