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Emily Spikes ’17 attended ACDS from Begindergarten through 8th grade. Upon graduation from Leland High School she enrolled at Portland State University where she obtained a BFA Art Practice degree. She also earned a Certificate in Graphic Design from UC Berkeley.

Emily is hoping to build a career in publishing and book illustration — combining her love of storytelling, drawing, and design. At present she is continuing her Marketing and Design internship at ACDS with Cathy Shin. Emily states, “Being able to contribute to the ACDS community in a creative way has been a full-circle moment, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to give back.”

Emily shares that she is honored to have her work included in the 2025 BFA Exhibition: Beyond the Periphery at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University. Emily spent her entire senior year developing her project; a children’s poetry anthology, which she fully illustrated. Each poem is paired with a full-scale oil painting. The exhibit was open from May 15th through June 6th of this year.

When asked in what ways ACDS has had an impact on her, Emily shared that the school’s commitment to the arts as a core part of childhood education has always meant so much to her. She stated that she has fond memories of participating in theater productions. She also enjoyed creating art under the incredible guidance of Mrs. Wilkus. Additionally, Emily’s membership on the school yearbook team helped her grow as both an artist and a collaborator.

The place that truly sparked Emily’s imagination was the ACDS Library. Emily shared, “Mrs. Egli was the best librarian anyone could ask for — her passion for stories and creativity was infectious. Through author visits, book fairs, and magical themed events, she helped bring books to life in a way that inspired me deeply. Meeting real authors and illustrators throughout my childhood made the idea of a creative career feel real and possible. Those moments stayed with me and ultimately led me to pursue a path in illustration."

Some favorite ACDS traditions for Emily include community events like Pumpkin Carving, the Thanksgiving Feast, and the end of the year Carnival. Emily shared that these gatherings were not only fun, but they created a sense of connection among students, teachers, and families. She added that they were a joyful part of her time at ACDS and a big reason why the school felt like home.

A favorite memory for Emily was the brief but special period when she and her older brother, Jacob, were at the school together. She was in pre-kindergarten while Jake was in middle school, but it was a meaningful time because his class and hers were “buddies.” She states that she was so proud and excited to have her big brother and his best friend, Jeff, assigned as her “Big Buddies”.

Emily added that she’s always felt a strong connection to her teachers at ACDS because they were genuinely kind and cared deeply about their students. She especially connected with Mrs. Egli and Mrs. Wilkus, who helped spark her love for art. The school library was her favorite place on campus because it was a welcoming space where she could be herself, dive into good books, and talk about her interests with her beloved librarian. Emily also shared that she loved the art in the library created by Mrs. Hatch as well as the art made by students for the author visits.

Advice that Emily would like to share would be to follow your passions — whether it’s art, science, theater, math, or something else. Whatever sparks your interest and makes you feel excited to learn is worth pursuing. She also advises to try new things, learn new skills, and meet new people. Every experience is a chance to learn. Don’t be afraid to go after what excites you — you’ll grow the most by doing what you care about.

When asked what Emily would say to a prospective family she stated, “I highly recommend ACDS to any family seeking a well-rounded, comprehensive education for their child. ACDS provides not only a strong foundation in core subjects but also emphasizes social skills, creativity, and building meaningful connections. From the moment you step onto campus, it’s clear that every teacher and faculty member is deeply invested in their students and in the school community. It’s rare to find a school that nurtures such a positive and supportive environment for both.”

Catie Weston ’06 attended ACDS from kindergarten through 8th grade and is a member of the class of 2006. Upon graduation from Notre Dame High School, she next enrolled at the University of Puget Sound where she obtained a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Teaching.

According to Catie, the moments that have meant the most to her professionally “are the ones in which a student who has always struggled in math tells me that I have helped shift their perception of math to be more positive.”

ACDS has had an impact on Catie’s career in a marvelous way! She shares, “I loved my experience at ACDS. My memories of my childhood there are filled with feelings of safety, joy, big learning, and support from adults. In my current work at ACDS (Assistant Head of Middle School), my motivation comes from trying to provide a similar experience for today’s students. I have high expectations of what an ACDS education looks like, and I am always striving to create that for our current students.”

A favorite ACDS tradition for Catie was the school play. She stated that she didn’t think she would have participated in theater had it not been part of the curriculum. Because everyone participated, so did she, and she loved it! She added, “One year, the teachers did a play for us, and it was so cool!”

A favorite memory for Catie was pulling up to campus with her class as they returned from a week-long field trip. She also loved Star Lab and expressed gratitude that Mrs. Johnson and Mr. DeMoss brought it back to the school.

Catie shares that the most meaningful relationships to her at ACDS were with her teachers. “Mrs. Hubbard shared her love of math with me, and I eventually taught math in the same classroom in which I learned from her. I still remember the day that she told us how embarrassing her ‘Dear Aunt Sally’ was and asked us to ‘Please Excuse’ her (referring to PEMDAS–an acronym for the order of operations). I’ll admit that I believed she actually did have an aunt named Sally for a minute there.” 

Mrs. Edmunson taught us how to diagram sentences, and I now understand what she meant when she explained how diagramming a sentence would help you be successful in life. When I failed a test for the first time, Mrs. Gulati patiently taught me that I actually do need to study for Science. Ms. Hurt once tried to teach us two weeks worth of content in one lesson, and it worked!” Catie concluded with this powerful statement, “My ACDS teachers taught me how to be a teacher more than any Masters degree or teaching credential.”

When asked what advice she would give to future alumni or current students, Catie responded, “You have so many wonderful opportunities at ACDS. Take them! You never know what you might find interesting. It’s a special place!”

Catie is a much beloved teacher and administrator who greatly enriches the ACDS community with her dedication and leadership.

After graduating from Leland High School in 2012, Jake Heindel '08 completed a bachelor's degree in Film Production at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. As a Video Producer for the San Jose Sharks, Jakes says that one of his most significant accomplishments is "making the opening hype videos that play on the big screen before the players take the ice." They are an impactful way to energize the crowd before the game starts. If you're a Sharks fan, you've probably enjoyed one of his four opening hype videos. His favorite is the Stealth Jersey open video from the 2021-2022 season. 

Jake attended ACDS from Junior K to 8th grade, so he has a lot of favorite traditions, but he shared that he really enjoyed and looked forward to the annual class trips. The trips to Yosemite in 6th grade and Catalina in 7th grade were his favorites because they were fantastic learning experiences and opportunities to bond with classmates.

A favorite story was one from his 5th-grade French class when he had difficulty paying attention, which, he says, "wasn't uncommon for me at that age." He got the whole class laughing, including Mme. Furniss, by parading around the classroom with his legs through the arm holes of his school sweatshirt. "Needless to say," he continued, "my antics derailed the rest of the class."

The ACDS teachers have had a profound impact on Jake's development. Some of the standouts have been. Mrs. Soohoo, Mrs. Edmunson, Mrs. Curtis, Mrs. Wilkus, Coach D (Demetrus), and Coach Wardner. Jake says they taught him "how a teacher can be more than an instructor or mentor. They could also be a friend. And that's definitely stuck with me throughout my life."  

ACDS has influenced who Jake is today. He acknowledges that he learned how to treat others with respect, the importance of learning, how learning can be fun, and how to be proud of his accomplishments while proud of others for their successes. "[ACDS] taught me teamwork. It taught me to be creative and to explore new passions."

When asked what advice he would give future alums, Jake suggests trying as many different subjects as possible. Take advantage of the variety of classes offered, especially the middle school electives. He adds that the teaching structure gave him the "creative freedom to pursue a topic I was interested in and present it in a way that fit my creative interests. Because of this, I feel like I became a really well-rounded student in a lot of different areas," which helps with life skills in the adult world.

Maxwell Love’19 is a vibrant, well-rounded learner whose resume-to-date belies his youth. As a junior at Oakwood School, he recently completed a research summer internship at UCLA into the analysis and remediation of cytotoxicity of cigarette smoke in the lungs. He will submit his resulting research report to the nationally renowned Davidson Fellow Scholarship and the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Maxwell also testified to the San Jose City Council on a high schooler’s perspective of the vaping epidemic, assisting in the successful effort to pass legislation banning flavored e-cigarettes.

During the height of the pandemic, building on the 3-D courses he first took at ACDS then at ID Tech, Maxwell designed and printed child-friendly face mask extenders. He also designed and 3-D printed a novel GoPro cradle device in 2021 to assist a local Real Estate company in making time-lapse videos of ongoing construction projects.

Away from the classroom, Maxwell is a successful snowboarder and is currently ranked 19th in the nation in his age group in the boardercross and slalom events, and 23rd in giant slalom. During the last six years, he has won 12 gold medals, multiple other medals, qualified for the Nationals every year, and earned sponsorships from four companies: Academy Snowboards, Khuno Optics, Demon United, and Humanity Apparel.

Having played piano for eleven years, Maxwell took part in the San Francisco International Innovative Music Competition last October. He received a 3rd place award in the Advanced Piano category for ages 15 – 24. In addition, Maxwell has played guitar for seven years, and recently formed a rock band with friends, The Elementals, performing at local public events.

Being fluent in English and Mandarin, Maxwell gave back to his community in 2021, helping to teach classical piano to children aged 4-11 at a local Chinese school. He also assisted them with Chinese reading and writing activities and tutored them in Math and English assignments.

Maxwell says that his time at ACDS taught him to enjoy learning and credits Mrs. Johnson, his middle school science teacher, for instilling a passion for science. Field trips were memorable, and he especially enjoyed the 7^th grade trip to Catalina. His advice to current ACDS students is that “success looks different for everybody. Don’t compare yourself to other people.” To prospective families Maxwell shares that “ACDS provides a friendly environment with a strong sense of community that gave me a quality foundation to pursue academics.”

His latest endeavor? Maxwell has just joined San Jose Council Member Matt Mahan’s campaign for mayor team, where he will help with statistical analysis.