Alumni Update: Conner Hunt

Congratulations to CS Alumnus Conner Hunt on his submission to the Mill Mountain Theater’s Sixth Annual Write Stuff Festival! Connor’s original work was performed on the Waldron Stage in February. It is his second submission to be selected for this festival in as many years. Conner graduated from Community School middle school in 2020 and […]

Read More…


Updated Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Cohen

By nature I am somebody who tends to color inside the lines, but Community School taught me to go beyond my comfort zone and become comfortable with thinking outside the box. In a more concrete sense, the focus at Community School on critical thinking and the humanities has made me both a better scientist and a better writer. Community School also helped me to be a more well-rounded person, which is important both on a personal level and in my interactions with patients. […]

Read More…


Alumni Update

Houston Johnson, (Seminar ’96; ESP ’00) is on the history faculty at Virginia Military Institute and has recently been promoted to full professor. In addition, beginning July 1, 2020 he will become the Head of the History department at VMI. He also authored the book, Taking Flight – The Foundations of American Commercial Aviation, 1919-1938. He and […]

Read More…


Alumna’s Love of Learning Shines in Multi-Disciplinary Career

Alumni in Focus — February/March 2019 Hannah Mulford   What are you up to these days?  Tell us about your accomplishments since leaving Community School. After graduating high school, I went to Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. I graduated Cum Laude with a BS in Media Arts and Technology with minors in Advertising & […]

Read More…


Alumna Reflects on Bolivian Exchange Experiences

Rain Yancey Hupman (Seminar class of 2003) holds the distinction of being the only CS student to participate in our Bolivian Exchange Program for 4 years. Her CS Spanish classes and exchange experiences led to a passion for the Spanish language that has influenced her perspectives and guided many of her life choices. “I went […]

Read More…


Alumna Dr. Fatimah King Excels in Leadership Role at Police Academy

Alumni in Focus – December 2018 Dr. Fatimah King   What are you up to these days?  Tell us about your accomplishments since leaving Community School. I started my journey after high school at Virginia Western, where I studied Accounting and Business. I earned an Associate’s degree and then went on to Bluefield College where […]

Read More…


Working to Create a Community School Experience in Abingdon, VA

Alumni in Focus – September 2018 Dr. Mark Finney Mark Finney (Seminar class of 1991) is an associate professor of Mass Communications at Emory & Henry College. His research focuses on understanding international conflict and the relationship between conflict and media. His teaching philosophy reflects his experience at Community School. He describes his approach as […]

Read More…


Pursuing Creativity in Language and Painting

Alumni in Focus – August 2018 Beth Field Beth Field (Seminar Class of 2001) is living in Austria and attending the Universität Wien /University of Vienna. She earned her B.A. in translation (English-German-Spanish) in 2016 and anticipates completing her M.A. in the same field in 2019. She also holds a B.F.A. with a concentration in screenwriting […]

Read More…