The Annual Fund Letter Writing Day that we had scheduled for tomorrow (1/21) is being postponed due to snow. It will now be on Saturday, January 28th. We hope to see you there!

If you like networking, a post-work drink, or exploring new venues, then consider coming to this month’s Seattle Happy Hour at The Publican. Here are the details:

• When: January 26th from 6-7:30pm
• Where: The Publican (map)
• Why? Your 1st drink is on us!

Want to read up on The Publican? Check out any of the following: Seattle Beer News’ Blurb, Seattle Magazine’s article “A Chat with Mario Campos, Chef of The Publican, or Yelp Reviews.

Looking to shoot some hoops or work out over the holidays? We’ve scheduled two Open Gyms for alums. Feel free to stop by on:

• Thursday, December 22nd from 7-9pm
• Friday, December 30th from 1-3pm

If these times don’t work for you, feel free to get in touch.

Winter has arrived in Seattle, which means the basketball season is now underway at Overlake. Last year, the Alumni Association and OAC (Overlake Athletics Club) hosted its first ever “Alumni Night” at the Varsity Boys Basketball game. We designed “Overlake Athletics” t-shirts specifically for the night, had a raffle with various great prizes, and half-time festivities to keep the energy up. This year, we’re doing it again on December 20^th at 6:30pm.

Like last year, there will be:

• Free t-shirts for the first 30 alums
• A raffle during half time with prizes – gift cards of up to $50
• Pizza for anyone who comes
• And half-time festivities

Whether you’re returning home for the holidays or living locally, we would love to have you join us in a night dedicated to you. Come stop by for a t-shirt, a chance to see current students and faculty, and to support our stellar athletes in their match against Crosspoint Academy.

Hope to see some of you soon!

Picture from last year’s event:

Attention: East Coast Alums!

For those on the East Coast, attending events is difficult to make happen, be it a Friday Night Happy Hour or your 5, 10, or 15 Year Reunion. We know we can’t always bring you to Overlake, which is exactly why we are going to bring Overlake to you.

We’re eager to announce that the next Overlake Regional Reunion will be in New York City on March 9th, 2012. Anyone interested in helping us secure a venue? I trust Yelp, but I trust you more.

Frank Grijalva and I look forward to seeing you in 2012. We’ll post more information as we get closer to the date, but if you’re interested in attending, email me at brawson@overlake.org, and mark March 9th in your calendars!

Why do I know this Regional Reunion will be hootenanny? Because Frank is fun and fun is Frank. See the Head Owl as Hootie below, showing off his dance moves on the first day of classes last year.

As you might’ve read in the “A Glance at Reunion Weekend” post in September, the Alumni Association + Athletics Historical Committee inducted the ’93 Varsity Boys Soccer Team into the Overlake Athletics Hall of Fame. The ’93 Team joined Michael Ko ’76 and Christi Clark ’86, who were inducted during Overlake’s 40th Year Anniversary in 2007. With the 2nd Induction Ceremony now in the past, AHC fastens its eyes forward.

The Athletics Historical Committee is excited to announce that they are now accepting nominations for the next Athletics Hall of Fame Induction. To see the Criteria Policy, which was formalized in the Spring of 2011, see the link below. That will provide you with information on the nomination process.

Criteria Policy + Nomination Form

Overlake Athletics Website

We look forward to inducting the next set of outstanding athletes into the Overlake Athletics Hall of Fame. Please send all nominations and/or questions to AHC at ahc@overlake.org.

Two weeks ago, we sent an email to our Alumni Community with the announcement that the Search Committee had narrowed down the head search to two finalists. At that time, the two finalists visited the campus and met with the many parts of our community – faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni, and parents. Through this process and with the collective input from our community, the Board of Trustees was proud to announce on Tuesday, November 8th, the new Head of School for Overlake: Matthew P. Horvat.

To read more about this announcement and to read a letter from Matt to the Overlake Community, please visit the Head Search website: http://overlake.org/headsearch.

We look forward to introducing Matt to you in the fall of 2012.

Are you free on Saturday, November 19? If so, join us at The Westin Bellevue for the 2011 Overlake Auction. The theme this year is Casablanca. Tickets are $125, but there is a special discount for our young alums – $85 for alums from 2000-2011. To reserve seats, either do so here, or simply email Brett Rawson at brawson@overlake.org. This year, we have over 45 faculty members attending – it’s an auction you won’t want to miss!

We hope to see you there!

Reunion Weekend 2011 came and went on September 16 and 17. With four main events (Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Flight of the Owls 5K Race, Alumni Soccer Game + Family BBQ, and Evening Reunion Cocktail Parties + Parliament of the Owls Dinner), there was lots going on and many familiar faces on campus. Thanks to those who came out and participated in this year’s events. For those who couldn’t make it, here are a few words and photos about the events:

Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony: the 1993 Varsity Boys soccer team, coached by Bob Bristol, were inducted into the Overlake Athletics Hall of Fame on September 16, 2011. They are the third inductees, joining Michael Ko ’76 and Christi Clark ’86. Of the original 15 members of the team, 9 were able to make the trip back to Overlake. Prior to the ceremony, there was a slideshow of the 1993 players and games, and even the 1993 Finals Shoot-Out on VHS playing on a flat-screen television. With words of welcome from Frank Grijalva, John Wiley (Athletic Director) spoke next on the Athletics Hall of Fame and current state of the Athletics Department. Bob Bristol followed with a touching speech on the historical relevance and importance of his team’s victory. Speaking to each player’s contribution on that team, Bristol brought to light how the team combined individual strength to overcome expectations and succeeded in setting a precedence for Overlake Athletics. As Wiley had mentioned, there were no team championships before the ’93 Soccer team. Since that team state victory, Overlake has won 11 additional team state titles. The 1993 team paved a path that Overlake has continued to travel, expand, and improve upon.

Flight of the Owls: Over 115+ people participated in this year’s Flight of the Owls. With the Overlake Cross Country team participating in the 5K Run, there was surely some stiff competition. Finishing one second apart in first and second place were two cross-country runners, Erik Risa (junior) and Cole Tsang (freshman). They kept an incredily fast pace for the entire race, averaging 6:51 per mile. The top three male finishers were Erik Risa (21:19), Cole Tsang (21:20), and Charles Petitpas (21:42). This 5K course has been considered one of the toughest 5K courses around. In the women’s division, sophomore cross country runner, Sonja Johnson-Yu (24:38) placed first, followed by 8th grade student, Woodward Hooper (24:42), and 6th grade teacher, Heather Okubo (24:46). We hope everyone enjoyed the race and new pair of Overlake Fun Run sunglasses!

Alumni Soccer Game + BBQ: The soccer game was a bit thinly attended, but was nevertheless fun and exhausting. With Bob Bristol commentating on the sidelines, 8 alums squared off in a 4×4 small sided game. We hope this continues to build back up to what it used to be in upcoming years. The BBQ provided a nice place for alums to relax and enjoy some food and drinks. We were joined by several members of the Classes of 1991 and 2003, and then a couple others from the 1980s and mid-1990s.

Evening Reunion Events: The Classes of 1976, 1981, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006 came back for evening cocktail parties, while the Class of 1986 celebrated their 25th Year Reunion with the Parliament of Owls Dinner. Over 30 people were at the Parliament of Owls dinner, including Bill & Anna Armstrong, Janet Rothfels, and other former faculty. For the other reunion years, there were campus tours led by Ellen Zarter and Bob Bristol. We were very happy to see so many familiar faces coming back to campus, especially those who travelled far for this event! We look forward to seeing you at your next 5 year reunion.

Below are some pictures of the different events.

September Greetings, Alums!

Reunion Weekend is around the proverbial corner. For a run-down of events or to RSVP, either click the Reunion Weekend tab to the right, or simply click here.

We have a good list of great events – Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Flight of the Owls 5K Run, Alumni BBQ, Alumni Soccer Game, and then cocktail parties and Parliament of Owls Dinner for the Reunion Years.

There is a separate RSVP for the Flight of the Owls 5K Race – come one, come all!

We hope to see you in September.

Overlake Alumni Association