The Stevenson Podcast: Recent Episodes
Stevenson School
The Stevenson Podcast provides an opportunity for those with connections to Stevenson or an emerging interest in it to learn more about the students, alumni, and employees who help make the School what it is, as well as the programs and other initiatives that are moving us forward, and our values-driven commitment to working every day to call forth a brighter tomorrow.
Kathryn Haggquist has taught Spanish on our Carmel Campus for more than twenty years. A graduate of Georgetown, where she studied government, Kathryn is one of our longest-serving PK-8 teachers. She has a unique perspective on the history and recent evolution of the Carmel Campus and is a dedicated, creative, thoughtful, enthusiastic champion of language learning in general and Spanish in particular.
Phillip Koshi—currently the head of our World Languages department, a Spanish teacher, and girls’ varsity soccer coach—will begin a new professional chapter next year as our upper division dean of students. Beloved by our students and respected by his colleagues, Phillip earned his new position following a highly competitive national search. You’ll understand why when you listen to this episode: Phillip is a master teacher and coach with a deep commitment to critical humility and learner-centered teaching, and his perspective on what schools can be when we all work together, guided by our core values, will lift your spirits.
Sarah Cabral teaches history and our ethics course. A first generation college student, she earned her BA from Gordon College in Massachusetts, her MA from University of Chicago, her PhD from Loyola University in Chicago, and an MBA from Boston College. We talk about her intellectual journey as a student and a teacher, what she learned from her best teachers, and the lasting influence of the subjects she's studied, from the writings of the 19th century Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard to the tragedies of Seneca, a first century Roman stoic philosopher.
Whitney Aguiniga, who teaches visual art in Stevenson’s upper division, is a practicing artist, as well as a teacher. In both areas, she is a fierce but relentlessly joyful warrior against—as she puts it—complacency, negligence, and hypocrisy. We talk about her first forays into making art, the embedded politics of paying attention and bearing witness, and the special role she plays in helping students discover who they are and their place in the world.
Rebecca Upjohn and Johanna Kroenlein teach science in the upper division. Rebecca, a California native and a virtually lifelong softball fanatic, earned a BS and an MS in biology at TCU before receiving a PhD in ecology from the University of Wyoming. Johanna grew up in New York, and studied ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University, where she also played varsity lacrosse, and earned a MA in education from San Francisco State University. We talk about the nature of science, the craft of teaching, the work of meeting students where they are in all their complexity, and also the curriculum of athletics, especially but not exclusively for girls.
Germano Diniz '88 returned to Pebble Beach in 2000 to teach and coach. In coming to Stevenson as a student, he followed in the footsteps of his cousin, Dr. Michael Jackson ‘68, the School’s first Black graduate, and was inspired and mentored by John Senuta, who he ultimately succeeded as chair of the mathematics department. Germano is as true a Pirate as they come, and you’ll appreciate his origin story and perspective on the work he’s undertaken to help move our School forward to fulfill its destiny.
Clea Cadell and Rhea Cosand's Stevenson journeys have been different from one another in some ways, but are equally instructive and inspiring. Clea—a truly world class equestrian who specializes in show jumping at the Gran Prix level—is her class’ Ricklefs Scholar, the School’s highest academic honor for juniors. Rhea, who was voted the School’s best female athlete when she was in Grade 9, is an equally stellar student—and a diehard surfer—who received the Nathan Krissoff ’99 Prize in November. We talk about how they came to RLS, what they’ve learned about themselves while here, and what they’ve come to value.
On this episode of the Stevenson Podcast, the School’s president, Dr. Kevin Hicks ‘85, talks with three seniors - Romi, Fliss, and Darnell - about their experiences at Stevenson. In this conversation, the students explore the commonalities and differences in their journeys to RLS and what they have gained from their time here.
On this episode of the Stevenson Podcast, the School’s president Dr. Kevin Hicks ‘85 sits down with athletics director Justin Clymo ‘93, as well as two members of the athletics department, Shanae Vaifanua-Pace and Tyler Brown. In this conversation, we take a deeper look at what athletics means to Stevenson and how athletics brings a sense of community to the Stevenson Campus.
In this episode of the Stevenson Podcast, the School’s president Dr. Kevin Hicks ‘85 sits down with Ms. Molly Bozzo, head of the lower and middle divisions, for part two of their conversation. Hear more about Molly’s passion for teaching and learning, her commitment to social-emotional learning, and her vision for the future.
On this episode of the Stevenson Podcast, the School’s president Dr. Kevin Hicks sits down with Ms. Molly Bozzo, head of the lower and middle divisions. In this conversation–part one of this conversation–we learn about Molly’s early influences and how she came into her role at Stevenson.
In this episode of the Stevenson Podcast, the School’s president Dr. Kevin Hicks ‘85 sits down with Dr. Dan Griffiths, the head of the upper division, for part two of their conversation. Hear more about Dan’s passion for teaching, his role at Stevenson, and his vision for the future.
In this episode of the Stevenson Podcast, the School’s president Dr. Kevin Hicks ‘85 sits down with Dr. Dan Griffiths. Dan has been the head of the upper division since 2017. In this episode–part one of this conversation–we dive into Dan’s path to Stevenson.