“May you have the courage to begin; the patience to persist; and the strength to finish.”
― Michael Bassey Johnson, “These Words Pour Like Rain”
As we approach the end of the year, we are filled with gratitude for the Keystone community. Our faculty/staff and students excelled throughout the year. They inspired us in the classroom, extracurriculars, athletics, the arts, and in their efforts to help others. They exemplified the Cobra Code values of curiosity, integrity, empathy, creativity, and service.
The Class of 2026 continues Keystone’s outstanding track record of placing students at top-tier colleges. The 32 seniors were accepted to 71 institutions and will attend 23 different institutions. They received more than $7.5 million in merit and need-based aid, an average of approximately $234,000 per student. Some 94% of the class are going to Top 100 US News schools, with three-quarters matriculating to Top 50 schools and 13% of the class attending Ivy Plus schools.
In academics:
Nearly two-thirds of the Class of 2026 received School Recognition from the College Board, while four were named National Merit Finalists and three named Commended Scholars.
The reigning champion of the Keystone Spelling Bee, Siyona, won her fourth consecutive school and regional spelling bees and qualified for the national competition.
Keystone’s Upper School students captured the Texas High School Vocabulary Bowl State Championship.
A team of juniors repeated as regional champions of Academic WorldQuest, continuing a Keystone streak that goes back to 2012. Also at the regional competition, Keystone teams won second and third places for a clean sweep.
Keystone continued another long-running streak, with a junior advancing to the International Science and Engineering Fair, a path that goes back decades.
Two juniors won national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Seven Middle School and Upper School students won regional awards at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Three juniors also took first place in the Annual Speak Up: Speak Out Competition for their project on students spending time in nature and journaling as a means for improving mental health.
A senior made the Top 200 in the Regeneron Science Talent Search while a fourth-grader won his age division at an International Geography Bee regional competition.
National History Day students took the district competition and advanced to state, where three Keystone students — a seventh-grader and a duo of ninth-graders — placed well at the Texas History Day competition.
A senior won the Joci Awards, a regional competition produced by the Majestic Empire Foundation that qualifies students to compete in the Jimmy Awards in New York next month.
Nineteen Keystone students in Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools were published in the Young Pegasus poetry anthology.
In extracurricular activities:
Keystone’s Model UN team won the most awards it has ever earned at a single competition, during the Austin Model UN conference in September. Keystone also won Best Large Delegation at the San Antonio Model UN conference at Trinity University.
Four Keystone students — one Lower School, three Middle School — were published in the San Antonio Public Library’s Big Read Zine.
Television station KSAT featured a story about a reading project organized by two juniors.
Another junior won two blue ribbons at different rodeos for a drone project he built.
A group of 9th grade varsity volleyball players created a skills clinic for younger students.
In athletics:
The varsity soccer team advanced to the state quarterfinals. Ten soccer players made All-District, and six of them made Academic All-State.
One varsity volleyball player made Academic All-State.
Our cross country team sent eight runners — two girls and six boys — to the state meet.
Seven track athletes advanced to the regional meet and six moved on to the state meet. A sprinter placed second in the 100 meter dash and third in the 200 meters; a hurdler placed fifth in the 100 meter hurdles; two senior girls placed sixth and seventh respectively in the 1600 meters and a junior placed seventh in the 400 meter dash.
One golfer, a freshman, advanced to the state tournament.
Middle school seventh- and eighth-grade soccer repeated as league champions.
Both middle school volleyball teams finished second at their district tournaments.
Ten varsity tennis players advanced to the state tournament, with four advancing to the quarterfinals
In varsity basketball, one boy was named All-State and Academic All-State, while three boys and three girls were named All-District.
And the fifth grade girls basketball won their postseason tournament – and as a prize, they bedazzled Coach P’s head.
On campus:
English teacher Ms. Ramirez opened the Writers’ Hub, which has proven to be a huge success.
Under the guidance of art teacher Mr. Welker, faculty and staff members created an art project expressing appreciation for our students and is now installed outside the gym.
Keystone and the American School Foundation in Mexico City exchanged students for a second year.
The Medical Interest Club raised $1,000 for charity by selling paletas on a hot summer day.
The Junior Class raised almost $10,000 on Valentine’s Day, and decided to donate the money to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Keystone matched the amount the juniors raised to fund this year’s Prom.
In a very sweet (pun intended) service project, Middle School students sold flavored sodas to raise money for a school in Uganda. The $800 they raised was matched by a Keystone family and went to help the clinic and school provide malaria medication and treatment, mosquito nets, and hire people to make uniforms for the school children who can’t afford them.
On a community level:
We held alumni events in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Austin.
This year’s Annual Fund recorded a parent participation rate of 97% — far eclipsing the independent school average of around 65%.
Keystone joined other independent schools in a virtual lecture series featuring authors Lisa Damour, Jonathan Haidt, and Prof. Laurie Santos of the Yale Happiness Course.
With tickets, concessions, and a matching gift, the second edition of Pink Out volleyball games raised $1,200 for breast cancer research.
In other school news:
Keystone ranked #1 in five categories on Niche.com:
- #1 K-12 Private School
- #1 Best College Preparatory Private School
- #1 Best Private STEM School
- #1 Most Diverse Private K-12 School
- #1 Most Diverse Private High School
Keystone received a publicity boost in the business community when I moderated a panel discussion on education at the Invest SA conference at the Tobin Center.
Keystone announced a $10 million capital campaign and quickly secured a $1 million gift from Brandon and Traci Neiman.
In February, we announced the largest gift in Keystone’s history: $3 million from Lori and David Brown. In their honor, the building at the corner of McCullough and Woodlawn avenues will be named Brown Hall. That same month, we broke ground on the construction project.
Angie Shotzberger went on leave for the semester to work on a Netflix film. Longtime Northside ISD administrator Faustino Ortega came in to serve as assistant head of Lower/Middle School.
Marking the end of an era at Keystone, Upper School Head Bill Spedding is leaving at the end of the school year. He will join his wife, Dr. Jill Fleuriet, in North Carolina when she begins serving as president of Salem College. Dottie Hall, English teacher and a former principal at Health Careers High School, will serve as interim Upper School head.
It makes sense to end this roundup with an important beginning. This year, the first students who began in the Little School — Superlifers — are graduating.
Our students and faculty/staff accomplished a lot this year and made us proud in many ways. Their success comes from your support, and we are deeply grateful to you.
Have a wonderful summer, and we’ll see you in August!
