Highlights & Annual Report 2017-2018
Focus on Alumni: Dr. Andrea Sodano ‘65
Each year we give the Ruth Gorham Alumni Award to a member of the alumni community whose dedication and service to Graland exemplify Mrs. Gorham’s lifelong commitment to the school. The 2015 recipient of this prestigious award is Dr. Andrea Sodano ’65.
In 1999, Dr. Sodano approached Graland’s director of development, Ben Duke ’68, to establish a fund in honor of her mother: the Virginia Addison Sodano Scholarship Fund. She designed the fund to support a Graland student like herself, a financial aid recipient who is the child of a single parent.
“I was struck by her generosity and Andrea's desire to give back in support of future students, allowing them to receiving a Graland education,” said Ben. “Her action so clearly demonstrates the values that were instilled in all of us. Her gift was the highlight of my time as director of development. I am so grateful that she reached out to the school in this way.”
To this day, Dr. Sodano values the strong educational foundation she received at Graland. From Graland she went on to attend George Washington High School, University of Colorado, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she earned her Ph.D. in Clinical and Organizational Psychology, and Fellowships at Yale University Medical School and Harvard Medical School. Her long career includes executive positions at IBM, Symmetrix, the Hay Group and Wal-Mart. She is now semi-retired; she and her husband enjoy traveling and year-round sports from their vacation home in New Hampshire.
Dr. Sodano’s gift signals her commitment to families facing similar financial challenges that she and her mother faced. She has also arranged with her estate to fund the scholarship in perpetuity upon her passing. In so doing, her gift allows future students to pursue their own joy of learning.
“Graland and my mother created a community of caring, giving, educational stimulation and challenge that provided me with lifelong learning and dedication to offering the same thing to the child of a single parent,” says Dr. Sodano. “Everything I am today is a result of that partnership. Graland has always been one of the best experiences I have had.”
“Mrs. Gorham had the ability to open the eyes of hundreds of youngsters to new cultures, languages and history. Always, everywhere, she ignited a spark in all of her students, continually nurturing a joy for learning.” ~ Master Teacher Phil Hickey, 1998
In 1999, Dr. Sodano approached Graland’s director of development, Ben Duke ’68, to establish a fund in honor of her mother: the Virginia Addison Sodano Scholarship Fund. She designed the fund to support a Graland student like herself, a financial aid recipient who is the child of a single parent.
“I was struck by her generosity and Andrea's desire to give back in support of future students, allowing them to receiving a Graland education,” said Ben. “Her action so clearly demonstrates the values that were instilled in all of us. Her gift was the highlight of my time as director of development. I am so grateful that she reached out to the school in this way.”
To this day, Dr. Sodano values the strong educational foundation she received at Graland. From Graland she went on to attend George Washington High School, University of Colorado, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she earned her Ph.D. in Clinical and Organizational Psychology, and Fellowships at Yale University Medical School and Harvard Medical School. Her long career includes executive positions at IBM, Symmetrix, the Hay Group and Wal-Mart. She is now semi-retired; she and her husband enjoy traveling and year-round sports from their vacation home in New Hampshire.
Dr. Sodano’s gift signals her commitment to families facing similar financial challenges that she and her mother faced. She has also arranged with her estate to fund the scholarship in perpetuity upon her passing. In so doing, her gift allows future students to pursue their own joy of learning.
“Graland and my mother created a community of caring, giving, educational stimulation and challenge that provided me with lifelong learning and dedication to offering the same thing to the child of a single parent,” says Dr. Sodano. “Everything I am today is a result of that partnership. Graland has always been one of the best experiences I have had.”
“Mrs. Gorham had the ability to open the eyes of hundreds of youngsters to new cultures, languages and history. Always, everywhere, she ignited a spark in all of her students, continually nurturing a joy for learning.” ~ Master Teacher Phil Hickey, 1998
Graland Country Day School
55 CLERMONT STREET DENVER, CO 80220 303.399.0390
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1924, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.