Bishop Seabury Academy

4120 Clinton Parkway Lawrence, KS 66047 Address Service Requested Bishop Seabury A C A D E M Y A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI, PARENTS, AND FRIENDS OF BISHOP SEABURY ACADEMY Bonnie Bribiesca Financial Administrator Bonnie came to Seabury in January, relocating from Southwest Kansas. Bonnie received her bachelor's degree in business administration from Kansas State University. She was previously an independent bookkeeper, specializing in financial management of nonprofit companies. She moved to Lawrence to be close to her daughter, Jescie, her granddog, Glizzy, and her siblings. She is excited to be a part of the Seabury community and is looking forward to working with families and students. In her spare time, Bonnie enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and traveling. Jen Fernandez Spanish Jen completed her B.A. in Spanish in May 2021 with departmental honors and then received her M.A. in Spanish Literature in 2023. During her second year of the master's program, she was vice president of her graduate association. Jen has been teaching for a total of three years: two years at KU during her program and last year at Ottawa High School. Outside of teaching, Jen is passionate about the Middle Ages—in particular, Medieval Iberia and how people in modern times interpret the period of that region. She is also a member of the Modern Language Association, where she is set to present her work for their upcoming conference, "Visualizing Medieval Iberia." Her hobbies include reading, hanging out with friends and family, and partaking once a week in Bavarder, a French conversational group with members of the Lawrence community. Michael Hamm Instrumental Music Michael has a B.A. from KU, where he majored in sociology but also studied music theory and history. A Lawrence native from a musical family, Michael has been a private guitar, bass, and music instructor for 30 years. He has taught guitar/music workshops and classes at the Lawrence Public Library and the Lawrence Arts Center and is a coach for River City Rock Camp (a kids' summer music camp that has become a Lawrence treasure). Throughout his years as a private instructor and music coach, he has taught many kids, including current Seabury students and alumni. When he's not teaching, he enjoys being a perpetual student of music and guitar, reading, writing music, and performing in any of the four bands he is a member of. Above all, Michael enjoys spending quality time with his lovely partner, Paula, his son, Quinton, and their awesome dog, Cole. Melissa Johnson English and Journalism Melissa comes to Seabury with 18 years of high school teaching experience—the first 12 at her alma mater in Pittsburg, Kansas, and then six at Lawrence High School. Everything she's heard about Seabury makes her feel like this is where she belongs. She's especially excited about the small class sizes; over the course of her career, the smaller classes were the ones most likely to develop that elusive, almost magical chemistry where everyone feels comfortable being totally themselves. Melissa loves teaching high school. It's such an important and meaningful time of life when people are actively figuring out who they are. She also loves English. Her master's is in literature and poetry; her poems have appeared in journals such as Ploughshares and Pleiades; and she's the author of three poetry books. Melissa and her husband, Marc (also a teacher, elementary special education with a focus on behavior), live with their three terribly behaved (yet somehow perfect) dogs. She loves walking through the Haskell-Baker Wetlands with her family, trying to catch every movie at Liberty Hall with Marc, and going to La Prima Tazza alone to write. Joe Simpson Director of Facilities Before joining Seabury, Joe worked mainly in construction and golf course management in the Kansas City area. Having graduated from Seabury in 2014, he is very familiar with the culture and is proud to continue to be a part of it. Outside of his role, Joe loves to spend time outdoors biking, hiking, fishing or playing golf. More than anything, he values spending quality time with his family, his fiancé, Taylor, and their dogs, Benny and Hank. Elizabeth Sullivan Director of Theatrical Arts Elizabeth has a master's of fine arts in theatre for youth and a K-12 teaching certification from Arizona State University. She is a community-based artist, teaching artists, directors, and performers. Elizabeth acted with The Seem-To-Be Players, a nationally touring children's theatre troupe. She served as lead facilitator and actor for MADE Garden, an interactive art and play installation for young children at Mesa Art Center's SPARK! Festival for Creativity. She worked as Asphalt Art's Resident Artist at Phoenix's Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, where she led homeless youth in poetry, spoken word, drama, performance, and digital storytelling. Elizabeth served as the director of performing arts at The Lawrence Arts Center, where she produced, directed, taught, and led numerous productions and community projects. She is married to Adrian Rees and has a daughter named Evan and a dapple dachshund named Nigel. She loves adventures, hiking, live music, and prefers to eat dessert first. Meet the New Staff! SAVE THE DATE Seabury Auction February 21, 2025

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