The Path February 2026

The Chargers Who Said “I Do” — Celebrating Married Alumni

Some of the most important people in our lives we meet during adolescence. From best friends to classmates, even a first love, these years offer some of our most meaningful and life-changing relationships. And sometimes we don’t even realize it.  For many, the transitional period from adolescence to adulthood comes with the drama of changing, or even loss of, those central relationships, but for a few, these relationships remain vital and central for the rest of our lives. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we asked Academy alumni to share their stories that have stood the test of time. 

Matt Ellis ’94 and Sheila Lee ’94: An Unrequited Crush

Sheila had a crush on me from the start, but it took me a bit longer to catch up with her enthusiasm.” ~Matt Ellis ’94

Sheila and Matt’s relationship goes all the way back to when they were new Academy sixth graders. They attended the eighth-grade dance as a couple and liked to hang out on the steps outside the gym after school. Matt says he remembers Sheila’s mother bringing a litter of Yorkshire terrier puppies to school. “I ‘stole’ one and ran around campus with Sheila trailing behind!” Their relationship got more serious in their early years of high school, making great memories with friends like Jane (Hamilton) Pilger, Heath Driver, Jack Hinrichs, and Christine Archibeck.  Matt says some of their favorite memories include attending each other's volleyball, tennis, soccer, and basketball games; time in the Senior Commons between classes and leaving notes in each other’s lockers; spring afternoons in the Quad; and competing to see who had the best physics lab notebook.  “While we never dreamed that we would end up marrying each other,” Matt says, “we kept our relationship going long-distance” while attending different undergraduate and medical schools, finally marrying in June 2002.  Matt and Sheila will celebrate their 24th wedding anniversary this year. They live in Durham, NC, and have a son who is about to graduate from high school and a daughter in 10th grade. “We frequently reflect on our time at the Academy,” Matt says. “Of course, we feel blessed to have met each other. However, our relationship was one of many that had a deep impact on our lives. The Academy was a truly special place, full of potential and endless possibilities! Go, Chargers!” Submitted by Matt Ellis ’94

Diane Alongi Berger ’02 and Joel Berger ’99: Romeo & Juliet? No, a Midsummer Night’s Dream!

Diane and Joel met in March 1999, two months before he graduated. They were both cast in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, and somehow, Joel discovered the gumption to approach Diane. Although a freshman dating a senior was quite scandalous at the time, they clearly had a special connection that eventually led to a marriage proposal in the backstage makeup room (where they had shared their first kiss), and two delightful daughters, Laini ’30 and April ’32, both currently Academy students. Submitted by Diane Alongi Berger ’02

Kimberly Weeth ’04 and Daniel Anaya ’03: Invisible String Theory

Who knew you could meet your true love at 12 and 13 and not know it for two decades….” ~Kimberly Weeth ’04

Kimberly and Dan met in middle school at Albuquerque Academy. Dan was a grade ahead, a classmate of Kim’s brother, Alan ’03. While they knew of each other, they did not spend any real time together. Fast forward nearly 15 years to March 2018: Both Dan and Kim lived in Los Angeles — unbeknownst to them, less than a mile apart. Kim was working in medical sales and training for her first half-Ironman, which required ocean-swim practice every weekend. A training friend worked with Dan, stationed at the Air Force base in LA, and nudged them to meet up. The rest is history.  Kimberly and Dan’s first date lasted hours; they talked all night, catching up on their world travels, careers, books, and life philosophies. They count this first date as their official anniversary because, from the moment they started talking, they both knew this was it.  They are thrilled to be back in Albuquerque, stationed at Kirtland AFB, with their two children, Evelyn, 4, and Logan, 1. Submitted by Kimberly Weeth ’04 

Charger Love Stories

It is incredible to see so many of our Chargers have gone the distance. Their love inspires us to remember all of the amazing connections made here at the Academy. Read more Charger love stories on the website. If you would like to share your love story, or even a platonic “pal-entine” about a best Academy friend, we always love to hear from you. Please submit photos and a short description about your connection to alumni@aa.edu.

Once a Charger, Always a Charger: Alumni Coaches and the Legacy of Charger Athletics

As Albuquerque Academy celebrates its 70th anniversary and the many alumni who are leading in the field of education, we pause to honor graduates who have come full circle — returning to campus to serve the next generation of Chargers. This month, we feature alumni coaches who now guide student-athletes on the golf course, basketball court, and soccer pitch. For many Academy students, Charger athletics is where they find belonging, identity, and pride. High school student-athletes often devote 10-20 hours each week to their sport — the equivalent of a part-time job. Coaches do far more than teach skills and strategy; they lead, mentor, and shape young people during some of the most formative years of their lives. For Gary Gordon ’79, a former Academy tennis player, the best moments of his athletic career weren’t about a championship trophy, a dramatic win, or a perfectly executed shot. Instead, Gary pointed to a much quieter moment — one he shared with Darell Gage, the legendary math teacher who also served as the Academy’s tennis coach for nearly 50 years. Gary recalls being in eighth grade when Coach Gage watched him serve twice before offering a simple diagnosis: he wasn’t throwing the ball high enough. What followed was repetition and patience — serve after serve, as the Sandias turned pink and dusk slipped toward dark. That afternoon became one of the most meaningful moments of Gary’s time at the Academy. “That was the lesson,” he recalls. “Always give yourself a target that is higher than you think you can possibly reach. Throw the tennis ball higher.” Over seven decades, Albuquerque Academy has built one of the nation’s premier athletic programs and is currently ranked 13th in the country by MaxPreps. We got there through countless experiences like Gary’s. And many of those young players have come back to coach today’s Chargers. “Our alumni coaches love kids, they love their sport, and they love this school,” says Head of School Julianne Puente. “They use the playing field to instill the values that matter to us.”

Zachary Haas ’96, Girls Varsity Golf

On His Mentors: I had some incredible mentors at the Academy. I remember it was a Friday night football game, 30° weather. I played every offensive play, and we lost 49-0. This was my first-ever game as the varsity starting quarterback. Coach Carroll taught history, and he said to me, “Any great historical figure you learn about is going to get beaten down. This journey is not going to be easy. And you have a choice about whether you're going to be that victim. Choose to complain, or truly be a competitor by leaning into these setbacks and doubling down on what you know and your protocols.”  Coach Scott Neal was an incredible mentor of mine as well. He was a head track coach, and he coached football for many years. He taught me what it meant to be courageous, to embrace being uncomfortable, and to trust that process. He taught me that details matter — a slight change in body position or mechanics can have an enormous effect. One of my favorite memories with him was playing freshman football. In our last game of the season, we're down by seven with four seconds left. We're at the 40-yard line. Really not much hope, right? I was five-foot-three, maybe 140 pounds. How was I supposed to keep the ball 45 yards in the air for a Hail Mary? He called the timeout, and he came into the huddle and looked all of us in the eye and said, “All it takes is one play, all it takes is one moment. Have confidence in your training that you are here for a reason. You are here to successfully complete this play.” Not only did we score the touchdown, but Coach Neil showed he had the faith in us and the courage to go for two. We could have tied it up and gone to overtime, but he went for two points, and we won the game.  On What Makes the Academy Special: I love the Academy. There are still many faculty members I keep in touch with who are here today, and that makes this place special. As an alum, I take great pride in knowing that this is the best program and school in this region. I see it firsthand, being on campus as a coach and having my daughters go here as well. The students are extremely special, and they make coaching easier. I feel they have a zest and a joy for learning not only in the classroom but also on the field. On Coaching His Daughters: I was apprehensive coming into it. I had to clear it with them before I put my name in the hat for golf. And the first thing my oldest daughter said was, “Dad, if you coach us, we'll be so much better.” Once I got that reassurance, I was all in. I've loved it.  It's definitely a challenge at times. There are times that I find myself holding them more accountable than the rest of the team. And so I hear it. My eighth-grader says, “Dad, you were harder on me than everybody else today,” and I appreciate her telling me. I try to be better every day. It is such a blessing to be out there with them every single day for two hours to preach and teach what I have been taught by my incredible mentors. I think it will really make a difference in their journey.

Josh Skarsgard ’96,

Girls Varsity Basketball

On Returning as a Coach: The transformative and uplifting relationships that I developed with Mike Brown (basketball), Pete Clinch (soccer), and Darell Gage (tennis) inspired me to return to the Academy as a coach. I hope to provide the student-athletes who play for me the same inspiration, teaching, and love that I received as a student at the Academy. I remember sitting in the bleachers, cheering passionately for every Academy soccer and basketball team my brothers, Adam and Monte, played on. Frankly, I don’t remember ever not bleeding red and black. Academy athletics have been such a part of my family that it is simply a part of me. On Favorite Memories: My favorite memory as a player was winning the 6-Peat Boys State Basketball Championship in 1994. I was able to climb the stairs of the Pit and hug my grandfather, A.T. Skarsgard, who died three months later. Embracing him after such a special season was so meaningful to me as a young man. My favorite memory as a coach is our incredible victory against St. Pius X High School last season. We were losing 31-13, and the girls never quit — they showed unbelievable resiliency by clawing back for an emotional come-from-behind victory that I’ll never forget. On What It Means to Be a Team: “Teammates are forever” is the value that I hope my student-athletes take from their time with me at the Academy. The element of coaching that gives me the greatest satisfaction is watching lifelong teammate relationships grow before my eyes. I was the best man in James Borrego’s wedding (my basketball teammate from the ’90s), and I am close to many others, like Zac Haas, Shawn McConkey, Suraj Reddy, and Carlos Garcia. Those relationships are the real legacy of the Academy in my life. 

Andrew Wiese ’87, Girls Varsity Soccer

On the Academy’s Approach to Athletics: Ashby Harper was the head of school when I was a student. He swam the English Channel, so back in the day, athletics were really, really important to him. He really valued what you could learn in that environment as part of the Academy's total experience. Fortunately, Julianne Puente feels the same. As a former high school and collegiate athlete and coach herself, she sees the role of the coach as fundamental to our students — the responsibility, the importance of the lessons that can be learned. It's terrific to have somebody in charge of the school who really understands the kind of lessons that you can impart in athletics. On His Coaching Philosophy: My philosophy is very different from many coaches. I ask the kids to self-organize. Each year, we write a mission statement so they understand that it's not up to me to decide what the team is about — it's for them to decide what's important and how to achieve their objectives. I let them know that, yes, there's a legacy, and yes, there are expectations, and we either rise to those or we don’t, but we get to define this experience in our own way. It’s about who they are as individuals and how they function as a team. And then we use the mission statement as a reference during the season to ask, “Are we being true to this or are we not? Do we need to redefine who we are, or are we happy with what we want to do?” If you just give them space to have an opinion, they are right most of the time. You just have to listen to them. On Being a Team: There are things that are worth working for that are hard, and sometimes you will work hard and fall short of your goal, but it's really about the experience of trying to get there. It's important for people to recognize that it takes hard work, dedication, concerted effort, and focus, and that you may still not get exactly what you want out of it. That’s why high school sports are so great. On a high school team, you are playing for something other than yourself — for your school, for your teammates. It’s important to frame why you want to put in the hard work — I'm learning how to work in a group, learning how to compromise, learning how to lift each other up and create support where it's needed, learning how to push each other in a way that works for the team. When it happens, it is pretty remarkable. 

Share Your Charger Story

If you would like to share memories of your Academy coaches, we would love to hear them. Please email them to alumni@aa.edu. We plan to continue celebrating these incredible mentors and people because the title of “coach” is a badge of honor.

Anya Lipkowitz ’19 Returns to Lead Alumni Engagement

We are delighted to welcome Anya Lipkowitz as the Academy’s new alumni and community engagement officer — a role that feels like a natural fit for someone whose ties to the school span decades. A member of the Class of 2019, she began her Academy journey in sixth grade and is the daughter of two longtime faculty members, Stephanie and Stuart Lipkowitz. Her family’s connection continues today, with her brother, Isaac ’17, teaching in the math department. As she put it, “Our family’s ethos is that education is so important.”  Like many alumni, her strongest memories come from her earliest years on campus. She recalls arriving as a nervous sixth grader and being met with unexpected kindness. “I remember my senior buddy being just unbelievably nice to me, and very warm and asking me questions,” she said about her walk up the Path on the first day of school. She also remembers hands-on learning — from Harvest Day in seventh grade to a Dust Bowl simulation that sent students running across the quad as they learned how wind and dust affect crops.

Academically, she gravitated toward English, art, and music, playing upright bass in the jazz band and participating in the Roots Music Club and pit orchestra. She also credits teachers who helped her build confidence in challenging subjects. Though math did not come easily at first, AP Calculus in her senior year proved to be a turning point. Paul Demers, she said, “was the first math teacher that I felt explained the concepts to me, that I just got. I just understood it.”

Athletics also played a formative role. After missing the day her PE class ran the mile, she asked for another chance. “I asked if I could run the mile to prove that I could do it,” she said. The moment helped place her in the right PE class and sparked a lasting interest in track and field. She later set a standing long jump record in seventh-grade PE and competed in long jump and high jump until her junior year, when an ACL tear ended her track season.

After graduating from the Academy, she attended the University of Puget Sound, where she majored in communication studies with a minor in English. During the COVID pandemic, she took a gap year and returned to campus to work at Kids’ Academy, the school’s temporary daycare for faculty children, before completing her degree and spending a year and a half working in alumni relations at Puget Sound. That experience helped shape her approach to her current role — and clarified what drew her back home. “I felt this sort of nagging call to come back to Albuquerque,” she said. Now, she’s especially excited to listen and learn. “I’m excited to ask alumni, ‘what was your favorite part of the Academy?’ and hearing all the wide variety of things,” she said — conversations she hopes will help alumni feel connected to one another and to the life of the school today.

First Graders Explore the Caldecott Collection at Simms Library

This month, we welcomed about 80 first graders from Manzano Day School for a special visit centered on the Academy’s Caldecott Collection, filling Simms Library with curiosity, energy, and a shared love of books. Guided by Director of Library Services Megan Glidden, students explored and interacted with the Academy’s Caldecott Collection — a treasured compilation of Caldecott Medal–winning books recognized for their distinguished illustrations and timeless stories.   The collection was generously donated by collector Joseph D’Alessio, who spent decades assembling Caldecott-winning titles with the vision that they would be actively shared with students. Hosting young readers in the library recently was a wonderful reflection of that gift in action.

Upcoming Events

GrandDays Return to Campus April 6 and April 7

We are delighted to welcome grandparents and grandfriends to campus for GrandDays, a cherished Academy tradition centered on connection and celebration. Guests will enjoy a glimpse into a day in their Chargers’ life through classroom visits, student performances, art exhibitions, and share a meal together.  Monday, April 6

• GrandDays for Grades 6-7: 8:15 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Abbreviated day for Grades 8-12: 8:15-11:50 a.m.

Tuesday, April 7

• GrandDays for Grades 8-12: 8:15 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Abbreviated day for Grades 6-7: 8:15-11:50 a.m.

Register for GrandDays. Only Academy parents or guardians may register a child’s grandparent or grandfriend. Registration closes on March 19. To ensure guests receive important event communications, please be sure to update the grandparents section of your household profile. Completing both steps is essential for a smooth and successful event. Questions? Please contact the advancement office at advancement@aa.edu or (505) 828-3281.

Spring Day of Giving on April 8: Celebrating Decades of Scientific Discovery

Spring Day of Giving is scheduled for April 8, and this year, we invite you to be part of something elemental! For 70 years, Albuquerque Academy’s has been a place of curiosity and discovery — and 35 years ago we opened our science building, a space where students learn to ask questions, test ideas, and better understand the world around them. We'll share stories from across campus — past and present — that highlight the impact of scientific learning, inspired teaching, and the philanthropic support that makes it all possible. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating 70 years of discovery while investing in what comes next.

Register Now for Think Summer

Registration is open for Albuquerque Academy’s Think Summer program, offering engaging, hands-on courses designed to spark curiosity and creativity all summer long. Learn more about what makes Think Summer so special — and hear directly from our community — by watching the recent KRQE morning show feature, then reserve your spot by Friday, April 17.

Save the Date: Homecoming & Reunion Weekend September 25-26

Mark your calendars! Homecoming & Reunion Weekend will be September 25-26, and we can’t wait to welcome Chargers — alumni, current families, faculty, and staff — to campus for a weekend full of fun, connection, and celebration. Highlights include the Alumni Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, a balloon glow, Bear Canyon hikes, milestone class reunions, and much more. Check out the full schedule of events. This year, we are especially excited to celebrate milestone reunions for the classes ending in 1 and 6. We are still looking for volunteers to lead outreach efforts for the classes of 1961, 1966, and 2021. If you are a member of one of these classes — or know someone who might enjoy being involved, we’d love your help! Your voice and perspective are essential to creating a celebration that reflects your time at the Academy! If you’re interested in helping plan your reunion or know classmates who might enjoy being involved, we’d love to hear from you. Please email alumni@aa.edu if you would like to help, and we will send you an invitation to our Virtual Reunion Planning Kick-Off Session on Wednesday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m., where we’ll share tips and resources to make your reunion unforgettable. Whether it’s your reunion year or not, we hope to see as many Chargers as possible back on campus. Registration opens this summer, so stay tuned and get ready to reconnect with your fellow alumni for a joyful and memorable weekend!