Alumni Weekend 2022 Photos & Videos
Alumni Weekend Photo Gallery
State of Columbus Academy with Head of School Melissa Soderberg
Young Alumni Awards Presentation
*All videos listed above were pre-recorded as a part of Alumni Weekend 2022 and edited for relevance.
Nearly 150 alumni, and close to 200 total people, turned out for Alumni Weekend 2022 during a two-day celebration on campus September 23-24! Six different decades were present on campus spanning the Class of 1955 to a significant group of more recent graduates from 2012 and 2017. This year we celebrated classes ending in two and seven, along with a pair of 50th Reunions.
Special recognition belonged to the 50th Reunion Classes of 1971 and 1972, as members of both arrived early to campus Friday evening and made their way to separate areas for a welcome reception. Quite a time was had by both groups as they caught up with classmates they had not seen in several years and reminisced about their time at Columbus Academy.
Prior to kickoff of the varsity football game against Buckeye Valley, members of the Class of 1972 headed down to Hondros Field to serve as honorary captains for the coin toss. Meanwhile, the Class of 1971 continued to enjoy its Covid-delayed reunion back on the main part of campus. Alumni and their guests in attendance from other classes also gathered around the tent in the Senior Quad to enjoy food and drinks while viewing a livestream of the game for the Viking Football Watch Party. Halftime of the football game also welcomed members of the 1995 State Championship Boys Soccer team to midfield as the group was honored for its 25th anniversary victory over Kings Mills Kings in the Division II state finals.
Saturday was filled with events starting with breakfast in the dining hall for both 50th Reunions, followed by a campus tour for 1971 and a special roundtable discussion and State of Academy for 1972 with Head of School Melissa Soderberg and History Department Chair Tim Morford ’79.
Simultaneously happening that morning was our Viking Rampage Run – an annual event held outdoors across our 231-acre campus – where Academy families, including some alumni, trek through the muddy forest and creeks on a course designed by alumnus Ryan Yeoman ’90 and this year headed up by fellow alumnus and Assistant Head of Middle School, Ed Rhee ’93.
One of the most attended events of the weekend was the Coffee with Columbus Academy Legends which took place in the Susan Neal Theatre Lobby as nearly 90 alumni and 22 longtime faculty reconnected over gourmet cups of coffee brewed by Cappucino Crew. The conversation and laughter were plentiful as alumni recalled stories from past years with their former teachers and even checked out their old classrooms and the many new spaces on campus.
A new event was also added to the schedule this year as the Inaugural MOSAIC & Black Alumni Luncheon was hosted by parents Patricia Abbey-Mensah P’29, Theresa Ankamah P’26’31, Natasha Davis P’25 and Alicia Donaldson P’24, and alumni Vanessa Butler ’07, Kevin Dubenion ’78, Khloe Dubenion ’18, Alicia Henson ’02, Vic Thorne ’92, Katie Walker ’02 and Lindsey Williams ’01. This special luncheon helped connect Black alumni with families in our MOSAIC parent affinity group and provided an update from Dr. Pascal Losambe, our Director of Diversity & Community Life, on Academy’s ongoing work to foster a sense of belonging in our community.
An All-Alumni Picnic served as a nice intermission before the afternoon slate of events began including the Young Alumni Award Presentation, which this year featured Michael Corey ’01, the 2020 recipient, and Ryan Williams ’08, the 2022 award winner. Michael and Ryan were introduced by Alumni Board Vice President Mandy Mallot ’03, gave brief speeches, and then participated in a discussion, moderated by Alumni Board Member Patti Zettler ’98, about the future of work and community building in a post-Covid world.
Academy Afternoon Adventures, which this year featured the option to take a campus tour, hear from Dr. Losambe about Student Flourishing or enjoy a guided walk in the campus woods with lower school science teachers Grace Gordon and Lindy Newman. We thank all alumni, faculty and staff who participated in this year’s event and look forward to hosting Alumni Weekend again next fall on September 22-23, 2023!