Alumni Profile: Jim Arneill

50 Years and Counting
When it comes to staying engaged with Graland, there are few alumni who can top Jim Arneill ‘66. This delightful man not only stays in contact with the majority of his classmates from 50 years ago, he serves on the Alumni Association board and gets to know current students as a substitute teacher at Graland. But these descriptions do little to capture the immense pride Jim feels for the school he called “home” from “preprimary” through ninth grade.

Little Jamie

James Arneill IV came to Graland on the heels of his older sister, Dianne. Their great-grandparents are listed in the school history book as some of the original patrons of Graland, and the siblings’ father and uncle are also alumni. There is a picture in the history book of “Jamie,” age 3, and Dianne at the groundbreaking for the Genevieve Jones Building in 1954, and Jim notes that he has lived long enough to see that building constructed and then demolished to make way for groundbreaking on another new building, the Corkins Center.

A self-described “hoarder,” Jim still has a 1956 report card from his insightful kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Courtney Kline: “Jamie is a leader among the boys in kindergarten. He makes an excellent leader because he prefers to do the right thing, and he is such a ‘square shooter.’”

Her early assessment was spot on, and Jim continued through the grade levels at Graland excelling in the classroom and in tennis, basketball, math, spelling and Latin.

“My favorite tradition at Graland is Field Day,” says Jim, who was a star athlete and captain of the boys basketball team in ninth grade. “Graland offered a well-rounded education; part of the experience was the privilege of being on a sports team and learning from great coaches like Dave Rice and Chet Preisser.”

Life Beyond Graland

Jim spent a year at boarding school in Connecticut before deciding “the grass is greener” in Colorado. He returned for his junior and senior years at Denver Country Day School, now known as Kent Denver School. There, he played lacrosse, began tutoring younger students and continued his study of Latin. By his senior year, he was the only Latin student in the school. He also met his future wife, Tudi, at Denver Country Day.

Following graduation, Jim enrolled at Lake Forest College in Illinois to study psychology.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a career for a long time,” he admits. “I went ahead and got the certification for teaching but I was open to getting a job in banking or another business field because I also had an economics minor.” As he became more immersed in education courses and in tutoring elementary students, Jim found his calling.

Rather than taking a teaching job right away, however, he decided to continue with college courses and earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Northwestern University. At this time, he and Tudi got married on one of America’s most unforgettable days.

“It was August 9, 1974, the day Gerald Ford was inaugurated after Nixon resigned the presidency,” he remembers. The couple now has two children and one grandchild, and recently celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary.

Full Circle

Jim spent the next 30 years in the classroom and in school administration. He retired in 2004 as the assistant principal of Bear Canyon Elementary in Douglas County, but didn’t stray far -- he began coaching tennis at Kent Denver and substitute teaching at Graland. Twelve years later, he is still one of Graland’s most sought-after subs.

“I really enjoy teaching all the subjects, but especially English,” Jim shares. “I’m inspired by Ruth Gorham, my seventh grade English teacher, who helped me understand diagramming and the structure and beauty of the English language. Her enthusiasm for learning also influenced me in that I see myself as a lifelong learner. I also like bringing my Latin studies into the modern classroom.”

Jim is adept at connecting with students by building a rapport with them and getting to know them individually. “I like to provide a classroom structure that keeps students on task and reminds them of their Graland principles,” he says. “I have high expectations and I try to find out their individual learning styles so I can make the day just as productive as if their regular teacher was there.”

Some of his most rewarding substitute jobs were the long term gigs for Andy Dodge (fifth grade science), Mitch Masters (fifth grade history) and Camille James (seventh grade math). Although he didn’t enjoy knighting as much as other alumni, teaching it to Mr. Master’s class was a whole different story.

“Knighting was stressful for me,” he shares. “I didn’t like public speaking and I was not good at art. I chose a shield design that was very complicated and the whole thing was a mess.”

In spite of his personal experience, Jim was excited to teach the knighting tradition to a new generation -- and he still has the shirt he wore when students were painting their shields, complete with paint on the cuffs, to prove it.

“I have lots of admiration and respect for the way that Mitch and his teammates continue this part of our school's history and legacy started by Mrs. Gorham and Mrs. Priest by making it so special for each knight,” he says.

Jim also admits he is somewhat of a strict teacher as modeled to him by educators like Mrs. Gorham and John Comfort.

“I had Mr. Comfort during his first year as headmaster,” Jim remembers. “He didn’t want to be behind a desk all day so he taught seventh grade math. He set a high bar; we always had to be prepared to participate in class.

“Mr. Comfort was a big influence on me. Besides learning math from him, I also was able to observe and learn many important personal qualities, such as trying to be earnest and kind, and going out of your way for others. I remember one day walking down a sidewalk near the junior high building, Mr. Comfort saw a piece of trash and went over to pick it up. I thought if he could do that, everyone else should too.”

Award Winning Alumnus

In 2016, Jim received the Ruth Gorham Alumni Award for his years of dedication and service to Graland. When he accepted his award at the alumni reunion, he brought some special memorabilia from his time at Graland: a set of 1,000 vocabulary cards that Mrs. Gorham used with his seventh grade English class in 1963, a wooden bowl made in shop with Chester Preisser in 1965, Field Day ribbons from 1966, and a 1987 letter from Mrs. Gorham in which she indicated that she looked forward to sharing news with him at the annual holiday program.

“It was an extreme honor to be recognized with this award,” he says, “and I was thrilled and humbled. What matters most to me is being in the trenches with the kids and supporting teachers by being an outstanding substitute for them.”

Besides his connection to current students and faculty, Jim also values his role in the alumni association. “My main focus has been to represent the older alumni on the board,” he explains. “I try to evaluate topics in terms of what others in my era, and even previous ones, might feel is important.”

It’s a niche role that he embraces. In fact, Jim was instrumental in planning the 2015 Graland in the Making event that brought alumni from the first 50 years back to campus to share memories and to hear about Graland’s future plans.

Jim also received another award this year, this time from his classmates. At their reunion on June 3, 2016, 50 years to the day after their Graland graduation, he was given a crystal award engraved with the words, “Thanks for keeping our class together.” It sits on his mantle with the Ruth Gorham award, and speaks volumes for the respect others have for this quiet but strong man.

In the next 50 years, Jim knows Graland is in good hands thanks to the strong leadership and commitment to excellence that has always been a hallmark of the school. At Graland, it’s cool to be smart and to do the right thing, he says.

“I see Graland continuing to operate on the cutting edge of educational practices and philosophies,” he predicts. “Teachers will continue integrating the use of technology and future tools that we can’t even imagine.

“Graland is in a good place because nothing has been neglected in terms of best practices, developing character, and maintaining a faculty with the passion, knowledge and commitment to continue making Graland the best school in Denver and maybe in the United States.”

Highlights & Annual Report 2017-2018

Alumni Profile: Jim Arneill

Graland Country Day School