Alumni

Carter Fretts ‘21,  a self-proclaimed “foodie,” is well-known at Valley School for his love to travel.  He recently returned from an awe-inspiring trip in Sitges, Spain—a quaint coastal town in Spain’s Catalonia region.  Many of Carter’s strengths and confidence to travel independently can be tied back to his time at Valley School.  He has a strong foundation in the Spanish language, cherishes new friendships, and is passionate about nature.

During the 2022-2023 school year, Hannah Habershaw ’21, participated in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science--an elective at Ellis School.  She proposed a chemistry project in September that determined UVA and UVB absorption in three drugstore sunscreens.  Her personal sensitivity to a variety of sunscreens is what sparked her interest in this topic.

Two Valley School alumni, Ian Fox and Noah Lawson, class of 2020, have been appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Valley School was honored to host the ceremony last week at Ian and Noah’s request. Pennsylvania USMA Admissions Field Force Co-coordinator, Brigadier General Robert Sembower (R-PA), presented a brief video and spoke to the candidates, their families, friends, and the school community about the rigor of West Point’s selection process and the intensity of the institution’s academic, professional, and physical programs.

Nea Mentor began her senior year at Western Reserve Academy this fall. Since graduating from Valley School, she’s been busy taking many interesting classes, attending conferences through Model United Nations, and founding a German club that hosts an annual Oktoberfest. Currently, Nea is attending weekend German school in Cleveland in preparation for the language qualifying exams required for acceptance to German universities. She hopes to major in early childhood development and minor in history.

Prosser Cathey graduated early from MIT, having studied mathematical economics, political science, and management. His time at Valley School instilled in him the importance of serving his community. Combining these interests, Prosser is in Munich on a Fulbright grant studying whether working a green job affects one’s support for public policies to combat climate change. Prosser is also the co-founder of Resource Hub, a non-profit recognized by Schmidt Futures and the founder of Sylva, a startup backed by YCombinator.

Noah W. Sprock was recently named Executive Vice President of Creative Goods, an NYC-based marketing and merchandising agency specializing in live theatre and entertainment. In his new role, he oversees global merchandise operations for a variety of Broadway shows and live entertainment clients including Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Mean Girls, The Friends™ Experience, The Office™ Experience, and many more. Noah currently resides in New York City.

Madeleine (Fisher) Rolla married Mike Rolla on October 2, 2021. Their wedding was held at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Mike and Maddy live in Greensburg, and Maddy is working at The Frick Pittsburgh as Manager of Individual Support.

Kathleen (Orr) Lehmer married Kurt Lehmer in July of 2021 in Stahlstown, PA. She was thrilled to have several of her Valley School classmates in attendance. Depicted in the photo, left to right, are Katherine Robertshaw, Charlotte Robertshaw, Sara Orr, Kathleen Orr, and Kate Thornburg.

James Marafino wrote to us from Washington, DC, where he is currently working with Catholic Charities, DC as a school-based mental health therapist. He completed his graduate program for social work in 2017. He passed his clinical licensure exam, and now holds the credentials LICSW. James is currently writing about his experiences as a social worker during the COVID-19 Pandemic.