G-Connect
Alumni Newsletter
April 24, 2020
 
At Gulliver, we are grateful for our strong ties to alumni, friends, and supporters across the globe. At times like these, when faced with uncertainty, we know we can rely on one another. Our Alumni Council would like to extend a special thank you to all essential workers. We are all in this together!  

We are focused on working closely with all of our partners to navigate how we can best serve and celebrate our alumni community. Please visit GulliverConnect.com as we will be sharing alumni-owned businesses, highlighting alumni making a difference in the community, providing various resources for you and your family, and posting alumni and school updates.
 
 
ALUMNI NEWS
 
 
Updates About Alumni Reunion Weekend
After careful consideration and in light of ongoing developments, we have decided to postpone the 2020 Gulliver Alumni Reunion Weekend at The Betsy Hotel. Together with the reunion committee, we are working to find ways to celebrate your reunion with you. We are also looking at opportunities to expand our Fall 2020 Alumni Homecoming Weekend to include reunion elements. Further information will be sent to our reunion classes as soon as the details have been finalized.

Be sure to mark your calendars for Homecoming on October 16, 2020, and stay tuned for further updates!

Supporting Alumni Local Businesses
Do you own a local business? Let us know so we can include your business on GulliverConnect.com and inform our Alumni community. Click the button to email us. Be sure to include your name, graduation year, and business information. 

School Updates
To stay up to date on Gulliver's response to the ongoing COVID-19 developments, be sure to visit gulliver.life/remote or click the button. This page includes Office of the President communications, communications from principals, frequently asked questions, and more. 
 
 
A PLACE FOR POSITIVITY
 
 
Matt Sullivan '88 P '26, '23, '21, Owner of Coastal Building Maintenance, Ensuring the Health and Safety of Employees on the Front Lines

 

 
Coastal Building Maintenance (CBM) has shifted its focus during these challenging times to provide healthy, disinfecting solutions for businesses throughout South Florida as they begin to re-open. These services include disinfecting through their electrostatic sprayers which is the most effective and efficient way to disinfect high use areas. Their Electrostatic Sprayer (E-Spray) Disinfection Service helps spread disinfectant chemicals around all objects, creating a bond that remains on surfaces, sufficient for killing viruses and pathogens without the need to wipe the surface. To learn more about the efforts of Matt Sullivan '88 P '26, '23, '21 and CBM, as well as the services they provide, click the button.
 
 


Alex Mijares '03 Creates Face Shields for Essential Workers

 

 
Alex Mijares ’03 and his MJM Manufacturing team have switched gears and decided to produce PPE face shields to aid the community during the COVID-19 crisis. So far, they have donated thousands of face shields to hospitals, police officers, and essential workers, and continue to do so! The shields are made from durable Lexan material and are designed to cover the face and ears. They are currently one sale through NetCom, a division of MJM Manufacturing. To learn more, click the button.
 
Power Pizzeria Owner Donates Over 1,500 Pizzas to the Community

 

 
Led by Owner EJ Martinez ’00, Power Pizzeria has donated close to 2,000 pizzas to the community, sharing the power of love with families in need, essential workers, and local organizations. Recently, Lourdes Leon Vega '92 P '28 and Monica Pardo '97 P '29 joined in helping to donate pizzas to local maternity wards as Power Players. If you are interested in becoming a Power Player by making a donation, click the button. Power Pizzeria has partnered with Rockin' for Charity who will match every donation! Be sure to include “Rockin' for Charity” in the notes section.
 
 
The Call for Masks: How You Can Help
 
Prep faculty members Monica Avalos and Emilia Odife are part of a Miami group of volunteers who have been working to provide homemade masks to those in need. Doctors and nurses are using these masks, not as their main mask, but to preserve and cover their N95 masks. Upon seeing a call for help on Facebook and drawing inspiration from Masks4Medicine, a grassroots campaign started by New York City doctors, these local volunteers have donated and collected materials to sew and provide more than 1,000 masks to local pediatric groups, Larkin Community Hospital, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Mercy Hospital, South Miami Hospital, and more. To donate supplies or inquire about volunteering, please contact Mariel Wenger at mwenger@gmail.com.
 
 
GULLIVER NEWS
 
 
Visual Art Award Winners
 
A pair of Upper School students were recently recognized for their work in the visual arts, as Brett Gelnovatch '20 received a National Medal Award and Karela Palazio '21 placed first in the Glad International Online Art Competition. In February, Brett received a Gold Key in the 2020 Scholastic Art Awards regional competition. Her portfolio was then entered into the national competition where she received a Silver Medal with Distinction, earning her an invitation to the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall. Karela, who serves as Gulliver's Health Information Project (HIP) President, combined her interests in art and health with the purpose of spreading awareness about COVID-19. Her work visually showcases the pandemic, emphasizing the message “We Are All In This Together” and the effects it has had on people all over the world. Click here to view her winning piece. Photos provided by Upper School Visual Arts Faculty.
 
 
Middle, Upper School Students Recognized for Creative Writing

 

 
Seven Gulliver students have won Judges' Awards for their entries in the Creative Writing Department of The Fair 2020. Each year students submit original poetry and short stories into the competition, regularly placing in the top-three. However, it is a special honor to receive a Judges' Award. Congratulations to Julia Bueno '23, Sofia Cancio '20, Lucia Gutierrez-Rosety '24, Rania Ishoof '24, Julianna Portillo '20, Clair Roades '25, and Julia Witherspoon '25 on receiving this impressive accolade! Photo provided by Tiffany Medina, Middle School English Faculty.
 
Spirit Week Success!

 

 
Even though we are all at home, that didn’t stop our community from showing its Gulliver Pride last week! We put a digital twist on school spirit, hosting our first Virtual Spirit Week and it was as huge success. We loved seeing all of the photos, messages, and videos, especially all the alumni senior portraits we received in solidarity with the Class of 2020! If you haven't seen them, be sure to check out the Gulliver Alumni Facebook and Instagram pages. Click on the button to view photos from our Virtual Spirit Week!
 
 
 
 
FAMILY RESOURCES
 
 
Mental Health and Coping
Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger. Click on the button to learn more from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Remote Making
Looking for a fun, creative activity to supplement remote learning and stay busy? Rick Funes, Montgomery Drive Campus Makerspace Faculty, put together a Remote Making guide which shows children how to make something with things they already have around their house. Page five even features a fun mini scavenger hunt that can be used as a "brain break" activity. As Jesenia Suarez, Montgomery Drive Campus English Faculty, pointed out, it is important to get students up and moving especially if they have been sitting down for several classes at a time. Click on the button learn more.

Find Your Calm
Without a doubt, many of us are feeling anxious as we navigate uncertainty. Click on the button to enjoy the Calm App's curation of meditations, sleep stories, music and more, all hand-picked to support your mental and emotional wellness through this time.

Staying Busy While Staying Home - For Adults!
Spark creativity with this list of at-home resources for adults, built by Osprey. Here, you’ll find a comprehensive list of books, podcasts, at-home workouts, TV shows, recipes, and more. We're all in this together! Click on the button to learn more. Provided by Zabrina Grillo-Pineiro, IT Project Management Office, Manager.
 
 
Thank you for reading
G-Connect!
 
 
   


Gulliver Alumni Association
9350 South Dixie Highway, 11th Floor
Miami, Florida 33156

786.709.4073
gulliverschools.org
Email: alumni@gulliverschools.org

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Gulliver Schools is a 501 (c) (3) private, non-profit, independent co-educational non-sectarian day school with a mission to create an academic community dedicated to educational excellence, with a personal touch, that fulfills each student's potential.
 

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