Featured Alumni Awards

Each year at the Saturday luncheon during Alumni Weekend, the Alumni Council recognizes the Teacher of the Year and Staffperson of the Year. 

In addition to these awards, Christ School recognizes five outstanding persons for their accomplishments and contributions to the school each year.  The awards also are presented on Alumni Weekend.

We encourage and welcome nominations from within the Christ School community for these prestigious honors.  Click here for an online nomination form.

2010 Awards

For 2009-2010, the students have chosen W. Vance Brown II as the Alumni Council Teacher of the Year, and two staff members are being recognized for their excellence: athletic trainer Heather Bower and Associate Director of Student Life Drew Hyche '94. 

The recipients of the five featured alumni awards are:

Robert B. Moore III Young Alumnus Award
The Young Alumnus Award began in 2006 and is given in memory of Robert B. Moore III ’90. It recognizes an alumnus who has graduated from the school within the last ten years and who demonstrates the potential for future leadership at the school. The recipient should embody the attributes of honor, integrity, citizenship, potential for leadership, and even humor that distinguished Robert as one of Christ School’s finest students.

Trey Newsome ’06

          Trey Newsome ’06 of Greensboro, NC, is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Chemistry and Biological Psychology with plans for medical school in 2011. While at Christ School, Trey was a high-honor roll student, recipient of the Carlton Davies Walker Scholarship, a member of the National Honor Society, a campus tour guide, captain of the soccer team, and a Prefect in Harris House. In the spring of 2009, Trey came back to campus to work with the College Guidance office as part of a young alumni panel.

          In February, 2008 Trey founded Climb To Cure Cancer, Inc.  (www.climbtocurecancer.com) a non-profit foundation dedicated to helping low-income families deal with the financial burdens of cancer. Trey recruited two friends, fellow UNC-Chapel Hill student Patrick Fleming and Jake Lyerly, a member of the Christ School Class of 2007, to participate in an inaugural climb. Each summer, the Climb to Cure Cancer team chooses an expedition and raises money to support families going through chemotherapy at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.  Since the foundation’s first year, it has raised more than $33,000. Last summer Trey and his team chose the Caring House of North Carolina as their charity of choice and raised $15,000, earning them status as the single largest donor to Caring House for the year. Trey has received major support from corporations like GlaxoSmithKline, BB&T, The National Outdoor Leadership School, and Black Diamond. He plans to operate the foundation for the next 5-7 years.

          Trey began his climbing career in early 2004 when he graduated with special honors from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Lander, Wyoming. In 2007, he earned the Exum Summit Pin for his completion of the high points along the Exum Ridge, a route that ascends each pinnacle along the Grand Teton.

          At UNC, Trey is a Senior Research Assistant in the Department of Behavioral  Neuroscience, where he investigates the neuropharmacological mechanisms underlying drug addiction. He hopes to publish his findings within the next year.

          As part of a collegiate study abroad program, Trey and his sister Cabell traveled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua providing free medical care. Their team set up triage clinics in rural villages and offered medical services to more than 300 patients. Trey has been a Dean’s List student each year at UNC-Chapel Hill and has been inducted into several of the University’s elite honor societies, including Phi Eta Sigma (Freshman Academic Honor Society), Gamma Sigma Alpha (Greek Honor Society), Psi Chi (Psychology Honor Society), and Gamma Sigma Epsilon (Chemistry Honor Society). He is an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and UNC Hospitals.

Headmaster’s Award

The Headmaster’s Award is a means of expressing appreciation and honoring significant one-time contributions or accumulative support for Christ School by individuals who did not attend the school.

W. Vance Brown II

          Vance Brown, a native of Asheville, NC, is a graduate of the Asheville School and Washington and Lee University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in French.  He is a 1973 graduate of the law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

          After completing his undergraduate work at Washington and Lee, Mr. Brown completed his military service with the United States Marine Corps and lived abroad in France for a number of years. Of his many passions, one is the work of the Polish School of Paris impressionist artist, Wlodzimierz Terlikowski, his step-grandfather. Mr. Brown is an international expert on the work of Terlikowski, and in 1998 he published a biography of the impressionist, with a copy of this book on display in the Christ School Media Center. Mr. Brown’s family lineage also includes Mr. Georges Leygues, who served as the Prime Minister of France immediately following World War I as well as Kiffin Rockwell of the Lafayette Escadrille fame.

          Mr. Brown joined the Christ School faculty in the fall of 1979, taking a break from the classroom in 1982 for three years to study psychology and also to earn his teaching certification. During his nearly 29 years of service to Christ School, Mr. Brown has served the school in a number of areas. In addition to directing the French department during his time here, he has also taught classes in the fields of English and Art History. His extracurricular class on the art of bullfighting during the school’s enrichment learning days was always a hit. Mr. Brown has coached the swim team, junior varsity tennis, and cross country and has also worked with the drama department.

          In an article about Mr. Brown featured in the October, 2008 edition of the Galax Leaf, the Christ School student newspaper, journalist and current student Jackson Dent ’11 finished his article with the following quote, “After jumping out of airplanes, fighting bulls, meeting famous celebrities such as Orson Welles and Sydney Poitier, researching the work of Terlikowski, or teaching French, Mr. Brown is just an old-fashioned gentleman, with a very thoughtful, generous prowess that makes him one of the greatest additions to the Christ School community.”  

          Mr. Brown and his wife of 37 years, Catherine, live in Asheville, NC. They have three children, two daughters and a son Evans, who graduated from Christ School in 1995.

Bill Sewell Service And Loyalty Award
The Bill Sewell Service & Loyalty Award is named after one of Christ School’s most beloved alumni who served the school faithfully as a teacher, coach, trustee, and supporter throughout his life.  Recipients are alumni who exemplify Bill Sewell’s dedicated commitment through significant accumulative service and contributions to the school.

Mark Whitney '80

         Mark Whitney ’80 served as a Prefect in Boyd Dorm and was awarded both the Senior Athletic Cup and the Headmaster’s Cup during his time as a student at Christ School. Over the years, Mark has been a very active and loyal alumnus of Christ School. He is an annual Angelus Giving Society member, is an annual supporter of the athletic Booster Club, has served on the Alumni Council, and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees. In addition to his financial support of the school, he also donated the cabinetry that was installed in the three new faculty homes constructed on campus in 2006 and is an avid supporter of Christ School athletics, attending almost every home football and basketball game, as well as several away contests every year.

         Mark has had two sons attend Christ School. Hayes, his oldest son, attended Christ School for three years and is currently serving as a field medic in Afghanistan. Josh attended Christ School for five years, graduated in 2009, and is currently a freshman at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. In addition to having his sons attend CS, Mark has also recommended the Christ School experience to several current students who have enrolled.

         Mark earned his undergraduate degree from East Tennessee State University and attended graduate school at George Washington University. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in hospital administration, medical equipment sales, and business ownership. He is a graduate of Leadership Asheville 25 and currently lives in Asheville, where he works as the National Sales Manager for sgblue, a startup company. Mark is engaged to the lovely Janet Whitworth.

Alumni Achievement Award
The Alumni Achievement Award is given in recognition of attainment of noteworthy accomplishments in professional and personal activities.  Recipients are alumni who have achieved prominence in their work, avocation, or service to society.

Dr. Richard S. Wells '50

        Dr. Richard S. Wells ’50 graduated from Christ School in 1950 and after a few years at both Davidson College and The University of the South at Sewanee, served four years in the United States Air Force. Following his military service, he went on to earn both his undergraduate degree in English and his Masters Degree in Government and English from Texas Tech University. He then completed his PhD in Political Science from Iowa University in 1963. After a year of teaching at Arizona State University, Dr. Wells moved on to the University of Oklahoma where he taught for the next 26 years until his retirement in 1990. During his time at Oklahoma, Dr. Wells was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award (1973), named the “Outstanding Professor of the University of Oklahoma” (1979) and was also awarded the David Ross Boyd Professorship (1979), which recognizes outstanding teaching, guidance, and leadership for students in an academic discipline or interdisciplinary program at OU and is considered an emeritus position for which he is still recognized today.

        Also during his time as a professor at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Wells had several works published in political science journals and also co-authored a textbook. Following his retirement as a professor at Oklahoma, Dr. Wells developed a Master’s level course which examined the social and political importance of the American military. He taught this course to classes that were primarily military in composition. In 1982, Dr. Wells was elected to Honorary Membership in Phi Beta Kappa, which is widely considered the most prestigious collegiate liberal-arts and sciences honor society in the United States.

        During the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, he was co-chair of the Commission that the Oklahoma Legislature named as the official organization for the commemoration.

        Active in his community, Dr. Wells was program director for a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant in Civic Literacy, which resulted in a $199,000 award, and he was a member of the Oklahoma Governor’s Constitution Revision Study Commission (1988- 1990) which studied the need for revisions to the Oklahoma Constitution. He has also been involved with book reviews for several groups in the Oklahoma City area focused primarily on works of biography and public affairs.

        Dr. Wells and his wife of 50 years, Maurine, reside in Norman, Oklahoma.

Distinguished Alumnus Award
The Distinguished Alumnus Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a Christ School alumnus.  It recognizes significant professional and personal accomplishments and contributions to society in general and Christ School in particular.

Dexter C. Rumsey, III ’60

       Dexter C. Rumsey, III ’60 graduated from Christ School in 1960 and went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1964. Following his graduation from UNC, Mr. Rumsey entered the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Rumsey served four years of active duty in the Marine Corps, including two years in Vietnam, attaining the rank of Captain. After completing his military service, Mr. Rumsey attended the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating in 1971.

       Professionally, Mr. Rumsey is a lecturer, an author and a recognized leader in the practice of trust and estate law. He holds many awards and accolades in his field including being named Virginia’s Legal Elite and Virginia Super Lawyer in the field of Trusts and Estates by Virginia Business Magazine as well as receiving the Walker Award for exemplary service to the Virginia Bar Association (2002). Mr. Rumsey has served the Virginia Bar Association in many roles, including serving on the Executive Committee and as Secretary. He is also a member of the Northern Neck, Virginia and American Bar Associations and a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation and American Bar Foundation. He has served both the state and local law community in many ways over the years and also served as the town attorney for White Stone, Virginia from 1974-2004.

       Mr. Rumsey has remained very involved in his community. He is currently serving as the President of the William F. and Catherine K. Owens Foundation as well as the North Neck (VA) Free Health Clinic Foundation, both local charitable foundations. Over the years he has served on the Boards of several area banks, churches and schools and is also a founder and served as chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of Virginia Ducks Unlimited, an international wetlands and waterfowl conservation non-profit organization.

       Over the years, Mr. Rumsey has been a very involved and dedicated alumnus of Christ School. He has been a volunteer for the Annual Loyalty Fund, has served as a class agent and reunion chair for his class of 1960, served on the Board of Advisors, and also served as a member of the Board of Trustees from 1998-2004. Mr. Rumsey has also generously supported Christ School financially as a member of both the Angelus Society and the Galax Leaf Society for many years as well as supporting the Campaign for Christ School and other various school projects and needs.

       Mr. Rumsey and his wife, Bonnie, live in White Stone, Virginia and have two grown children and five grandchildren.