Dear Alumni and Friends,
What an exciting time to be a Hornet! If you’re local to Winchester, I hope you saw The Winchester Star this past week. I was thrilled to see Shenandoah on the cover not once, but twice! The first day featured a story on the ribbon cutting for The James R. Wilkins, Jr. Athletics and Events Center as well as the dedication of the Dave and Kathy Dutton basketball court. I had the pleasure of attending both ceremonies. I cannot tell you what a spectacular day and celebration it was.
Starting off with the ribbon cutting, there was such a buzz in the air from the athletes, students, faculty and community. In between the men’s and women’s basketball games, President Fitzsimmons led the dedication of the basketball court in memory of Dave and Kathy Dutton. Dave was the men’s basketball coach and athletic director at Shenandoah from 1988-2000, and his wife, Kathy was the coach for the Sensations. They both passed away in 2001 leaving behind four children. Those four children, Ryan, Adam, Aimee and David attended the dedication and shared their fond childhood memories of SU. What a truly special moment and dedication.
The second cover page was a story on the group of twenty-eight Shenandoah students, five faculty and staff that are currently in PyeongChang, South Korea, working at the 2018 Winter Olympics. This is part of Shenandoah’s Global Experiential Learning (GEL) program that allows for a short term learning experience abroad for school credit. The students are working in various roles at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre. If you aren’t already doing so, please be sure to follow their adventures on social media platforms at #SUolympicsGEL. You will be amazed by the experience they are having.
Finally, we have some reunions coming up, which I hope you will be able to attend. The 5th Annual Conservatory Alumni Reunion, April 13-15 and Dayton Alumni Weekend, April 12-14. Both websites are up and ready for registration. I hope to see you there so we can all catch up!
Ashley Smith Warren ’07
President, SU Alumni Association