Page 6 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 93, No. 2 Winter 2013

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ACTION
It takes an hour or less for some St. Paul’s
School student artists to create a portrait
from a favorite photograph.
Recognizing artistic talent as a way
to give back, Pearly Kim ’13 recently
enlisted the help of five fellow artists
for a project to raise money for Ron-
ald McDonald House, a charity that
offers a “home-away-from-home”
for families so they can stay close
to their hospitalized child at little
or no cost.
“I chose Ronald McDonald House
because I wanted to help kids,” says
Kim, of Seoul, South Korea, who serves
as the graphics editor for the Pelican.
After noticing the way many other
SPS students have been able to use
athletics or music to contribute to their
communities, Kim asked some of her
artistic friends if they would join a fund-
raiser that involves drawing 8 x 10
portraits from photographs.
Youngeun Ahn ’14, Joon
Park ’13, Nicole Kim ’15,
Christina Kim ’15, and Lilly
Schoeller ’15 responded in
the affirmative.
“I had been thinking for a
while that art students don’t
have many opportunities to
give back,” she says. “Music
students play [at the local
Alzheimer’s center], athletes
have [tournament fundraisers]
Hoops 4 Hope and Grassroots Soccer.
This is a good way for art students
to contribute.”
In a Chapel announcement to the
SPS community, Pearly Kim presented
her offer: portraits for a base fee of $5,
plus $2 for an additional face and $3
for a color portrait. All money raised
will go to Ronald McDonald House.
More than 50 portrait requests came
in by the February 4 deadline. And Kim
was surprised by the nature of some
of the requests.
“This project has more emotional
value than I thought it would,” she
says, noting requests for portraits
as Valentine’s Day or graduation
gifts, birthday presents, or thank-
you offerings. “It’s a really nice,
sentimental gift.”
The Best St. Paul’s School
In an effort to open its doors to more
middle-income families, the School
recently announced that admitted U.S.
students whose families earn $200,000
or less annually will be expected to con-
tribute no more than 10 percent of the
family’s household income toward their
child’s St. Paul’s education.
“The School has had a longstanding
commitment to maintaining and contin-
ually enhancing a robust financial aid
program in order to remain as accessible
as we possibly can be to qualified stu-
dents,” said Rector Mike Hirschfeld ’85.
“I am hopeful this initiative will highlight
our historic commitment to bringing
talented youth to the School regardless
of their economic backgrounds.”
The policy makes official the financial
aid practices of the SPS Admission Office
over the last several years.
Building on a policy announced in 2006
that awarded full tuition to families of
admitted students whose household in-
come was $65,000 or less, the policy was
expanded to those with household incomes
of $80,000 or less. Now, families who make
between $80,000 and $200,000 per year
will be asked to contribute between zero
and 10 percent of their yearly income, as
determined by a needs analysis. Families
in all income ranges who have significant
non-residential and non-qualified retire-
ment assets will be asked to pay more than
families without those resources.
According to Financial Aid Director Tim
Caryl-Klika, the new policy also means
that there is no income cut-off for finan-
cial aid eligibility, so families with incomes
higher than $200,000 per year may still
qualify for aid.
“This policy clarifies our financial aid
philosophy to prospective families,” said
Director of Admission Scott Bohan ’94. “It
recognizes that [the SPS tuition of] $50,000
is a lot of money, and it outlines what your
actual contribution might be if your child
considers applying to St. Paul’s. It is a very
logical next step.”
The policy is intended to increase the
range of families who can take advan-
tage of a boarding school education,
added Bohan.
“We want a St. Paul’s education to be
accessible to all,” said Bohan. “The best
St. Paul’s School is one that is full of
students of diverse backgrounds and
experiences.”
Drawing Attention
PEARLY KIM ’13