The Late Start Show

In Episode 2 of Season Three of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Thomas Lodowski, our first student guest of the year, varsity track and cross-country captain, Ohio state record holder in the 600 meter, and two-time state runner-up in the 800. Thomas traces his path from a six-person class at Cleveland Montessori to earning a Jarvis Scholarship at University School, and reflects on the upperclassmen who shaped his early years on the team. He takes listeners inside the 800 meter, one of the most punishing events in track, and recounts toeing the line at New Balance...

In Episode 1 of Season Three of The Late Start Show, we open the new year with Mrs. Betsy Coy, Upper School Dean of Students, Freshman Class Dean, business law teacher, and a lawyer turned educator who has been on the US faculty since 2009. Mrs. Coy takes us back to a suburban street in South Euclid, where five people shared three bedrooms and one bathroom and where she stayed outside with her friends until dark. She talks about the younger brother with Down syndrome who made her want to teach long before she knew what teaching was, the senior project...

In Episode 38 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Stephen Murray, the seventh headmaster of University School, namesake of the Murray House, and current Head of School at The Lawrenceville School. Mr. Murray reflects on his journey from growing up as the fourth of six kids in northern New Jersey to becoming a lifelong educator, shaped by the public-school teachers who inspired him and by parents who modeled humility, kindness, and integrity. He shares the moment a teaching internship at Williams convinced him to dedicate his life to the classroom, his transformative year teaching immigrant students...

In Episode 37 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mrs. Lori Baris, the beloved longtime third-grade teacher at University School who spent eighteen years on the lower-school campus and still returns regularly as a substitute. Mrs. Baris takes us back to growing up in a freer, unscheduled Cleveland of the 1950s and '60s, riding the Rapid downtown to Indians games and playing outside until the porch light came on. She shares the quiet, profound influence of the fourth-grade teacher who took her under her wing the year she lost her mother, a kindness that shaped her...

In Episode 36 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Peter Sweeney, University School upper school math and computer science teacher, founder of the US Robotics Team, and longtime veteran of both the tech industry and education. Mr. Sweeney reflects on his journey from a 12-year-old teaching himself to code on an Apple IIe in Belgium to a decade in corporate tech, sharing how an early love of making things and solving puzzles shaped a career he never originally planned. He opens up about the meaningful pivot that led him away from a successful consulting career toward...

In Episode 35 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Deacon Nelson, University School McKinley House prefect, baseball captain, and Auburn commit. Deacon reflects on his journey from a young athlete shaped by family and a deep love for the game to becoming a leader of a rising baseball program at US. He shares what drew him to the school, from the meaningful relationships between students and teachers to the strong sense of brotherhood he experienced on his shadow day, and how those early moments helped him feel at home and build lasting connections within the community.

In this Special Annual Fund Live Episode of The Late Start Show, we bring something a little different to the table, three conversations, three perspectives, and one shared purpose. In front of a live audience of students, parents, faculty, and alumni, we sit down with Ms. Kimberly Konrad, kindergarten lead teacher and longtime elementary educator, Mr. Keith Kneisel, middle school math teacher and soccer coach, and Dr. Sarah Laux, science department chairperson and outdoor projects advisor at University School. Each guest represents a different stage of the student experience, but all are united by a deep commitment to teaching...

In Episode 33 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mrs. Melissa Hamburg, eighth-grade English teacher, middle school English department chair, and varsity soccer coach at University School. She takes us back to her childhood in Georgia, where she grew up as a curious kid who questioned everything, and traces her remarkable journey to becoming one of the school's most influential educators. Mrs. Hamburg reflects on the transformative mentors who shaped her: a soccer coach who taught her work ethic and discipline, a college professor who demanded authenticity over perfection, and a youth pastor who taught her to...

In Episode 32 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Dr. Doug Smith, University School alumnus (Class of ’79), longtime leader of the Yellowstone Wolf Project, and former senior wildlife biologist at Yellowstone National Park. He takes us back to a childhood shaped by the outdoors at his family’s Red Raider Camp and his early years at University School, where small classes, close mentorship, and outdoor education helped define his path. From there, we follow the pivotal moment of his senior project working with captive wolves, an opportunity that sparked a chain reaction leading to years of fieldwork, adva...

In Episode 31 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Tommy Nook, US Class of 2017 alum, former two-time Boston University lacrosse captain, Project 25 marathoner, and founder of Half Hitch Pretzels. Tommy takes us back to a childhood spent just outside Cleveland, growing up in a competitive yet deeply formative household alongside his siblings, including a brother with special needs who shaped his perspective on patience, teamwork, and empathy. From early days in athletics, we follow the evolution of a kid who simply loved to compete into a high-level athlete navigating the pressures of performance, identity, and growth at...

In Episode 30 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mrs. Ashley Worthington, University School English teacher, Head of McCarraher House, and Anderson Scholars and Humanities advisor. She takes us back to a childhood spent between Virginia, Boston, and Ohio, growing up with her twin brother in a close-knit family led by a remarkable single mother, and to the books that first shaped her imagination, from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Goosebumps and The Babysitters Club. From there, we follow the path of a student who loved language, literature, and learning, was deeply influenced by a ninth grade...

In Episode 29 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Coach Michael Perrino, University School’s new head varsity lacrosse coach and assistant to the athletic department. He takes us back to growing up in Solon, Ohio, in a deeply supportive family with his twin brother, and to the humbling first lacrosse practice where the ball flew straight up and hit him in the head. From there, we trace the rise of a multi-sport competitor whose love for the game was shaped by Northeast Ohio’s fierce lacrosse culture, early battles against US, and a trip with his dad...

In Episode 28 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Danny Sullivan, senior diver on University School’s five-time straight state champion swimming and diving team, Anderson House prefect, golfer, skier, and musician. Danny reflects on growing up as a quiet kid who slowly grew into himself, arriving at US in seventh grade unsure of whether he belonged, and how that uncertainty quickly gave way to deep friendships, lasting traditions, and a genuine love for the school community. He looks back on some of the people and moments that shaped him most, from the handshake line and the fr...

In Episode 27 of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Adonis Wazni, senior, captain of the Public Forum debate team, president of the Student Investment Committee, and science researcher. Adonis reflects on growing up at University School as a lifer, what it’s been like finally sharing campus with his younger brother, and how joining debate in eighth grade helped him grow from an introvert into a confident speaker and leader. He also shares how he got involved in school spirit work behind the scenes and dives into his award-winning science research, including a biomimicry project inspired by pe...

In Episode 26 of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with David “Russ” Nobles, University School rapper, track athlete, and winner of the Sherman Prize Speaking Contest, for a funny, honest, and surprisingly deep conversation about identity, confidence, and chasing what you actually love. Starting with Russ shadowing Charlie back in 5th grade (and famously being most impressed by the buffet lunch), the episode traces how Russ found community at US, started rapping young, and learned to trust his voice, especially once classmates supported his first songs and beats instead of boxing him into stereotypes. Russ...

In Episode 25 of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Mr. Robert Sherman, University School alumnus (Class of 2014), NewsNation international correspondent, and bestselling author of Lessons from the Front, for a wide-ranging conversation that starts in Northeast Ohio and spans the world. Calling in from Abu Dhabi amid major Ukraine–Russia–U.S. negotiations, Sherman reflects on the values that shaped him early, being a “go-getter,” building opportunities when no one hands them to you, and believing there’s “no weakness in kindness.” From his “lifer” years at US to launching USPN and learning by doing, he expla...

In Episode 24 of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Mr. Jeff Pierce, University School’s Jr. K - 8 enrichment specialist, middle school speech & debate coach, and history specialist, to trace the winding path that shaped his life in education. From growing up in Columbus and thriving as a student, to studying history at Harvard, to a formative stint volunteering abroad, Mr. Pierce shares how curiosity (and a willingness to take big leaps) eventually carried him to teaching overseas, where a “one-year” plan in Hong Kong turned into a 14-year chapter in international education.

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In Episode 23 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with two University School seniors who took different paths to US, and found their place in the same community: Colin Milbourn, a two-sport athlete in football and basketball who transferred in looking for a bigger challenge, and Kingston Oliver, a varsity basketball player and cellist whose move to US brought an early culture shock and a fast transition through sports. Together, they reflect on what it really feels like to “find your footing” at a new school, meeting people through teams, leaning on teachers and mentors, and...

In Episode 22 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Terry Lipford ’98, University School alum, middle school teacher, basketball coach, and Director of the REACH Program. Growing up on Cleveland’s east side in a family of educators, Mr. Lipford reflects on the early influences that shaped his values, community, discipline, and pride in identity. He shares what it was like arriving at US in seventh grade, finding his footing through football and basketball, and forming lasting connections through teams, mentors, and the school’s Black student community. From high-stakes basketball moments to the teache...

In Episode 21 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Russell Breuer ’98, University School alum and the founder and CEO of Spot & Tango, the fresh pet food company shaking up how we think about pet health. Growing up in Shaker Heights, and later commuting from Aurora after his family moved, Mr. Breuer reflects on his path through US and the teachers, trips, and community that stuck with him. He shares why the “do everything” spirit of US mattered: playing soccer and tennis, becoming editor-in-chief of The Mabian, and learning the kind of structured, first-principles problem solvin...

In Episode 20 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Tony Peebles ’81, veteran banker and finance leader, longtime civic fundraiser, Baldwin Wallace University’s Alumni Engagement Director, and a current University School board member. Growing up in Cleveland’s Lee-Harvard neighborhood with two educator parents (a PE teacher mom and a shop-teacher dad), Tony reflects on being an introverted kid who found his voice through music (he started guitar at age seven) and the mentors who pushed him to work hard. He shares how CCIS-era recruiting and a “Major Works” cohort from Gracemont brought him to US in s...

In Episode 19 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, the second half of their fireside conversation, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down once again with Mr. Harmon: legendary science teacher, storyteller, and the driving force behind University School’s Outdoor Projects. Mr. Harmon pulls back the curtain on how the “outdoors” at US is really a living science lab, connecting classroom concepts to real-world systems. He breaks down everything from calorimetry and the energy content of different woods to the trout hatchery’s year-round water system and the live plankton it provides for biology labs, to the physics...

In Episode 18 of Season 2 of The Late Start Show (and the next year of The Harmon Holiday Special), Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down by the fire with Mr. Terry Harmon, legendary science teacher and Outdoor Projects advisor at University School, to talk all things winter on campus.

From the first real signs of the season to the magic of a frozen Lake Kilroy, Mr. Harmon breaks down how the school measures ice safety (and where not to step), then goes deep on what’s happening beneath the ice, why water behaves so st...

In Episode 17 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Dan Swander ’61, University School lifer, veteran consumer products executive, and co-founder of consulting firm Swander Pace & Company and private equity firm Swander Pace Capital. Growing up in the backyard of the Shaker Campus, Dan shares memories of walking across the fields to kindergarten, remembering every teacher from first grade through senior year, and having US at the center of his life. He reflects on the mentors who shaped him such as his coaches and teachers, the early days of sixth-grade football and undefeated varsity so...

In Episode 16 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Carter Loeser, senior football linebacker, Jarvis Scholar, and student entrepreneur. Carter walks us through arriving at US as a freshman, what the Jarvis Scholarship has meant for his sense of purpose, and how stepping into a bigger academic and social world pushed him to grow in confidence and ambition. Along the way, he reflects on the importance of community, strong teacher support, and the people who helped turn a potentially overwhelming transition into a place that feels like home.

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In Episode 15 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Bill Conway ’45, University School alum, Yale football captain, mining entrepreneur, golf-course founder, and cornerstone of Cleveland philanthropy. He takes us back to a Cleveland childhood as the seventh of thirteen children, growing up in the shadow of the Great Depression and World War II while his father rose through Fisher Foods and moved the family to a house just behind US so “all those boys” could attend. We trace his days sprinting across the Shaker campus fields to chapel, marching in wartime drills under Teache...

In Episode 14 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Z Cimoroni, senior, hockey and lacrosse player, award-winning percussionist, and Sherman Price Speaking Contest finalist. He takes us back to growing up in Shaker Heights, finding his way to US when Shaker dropped its honors classes, and walking the track during ILT with the friends who became his core group. Z opens up about what it was like to start here in the middle of COVID, how the brotherhood and incredible teachers pulled him into the community, and why having his younger brother John at...

In Episode 13 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Kevin O’Brien, English teacher, coach, and mindfulness advocate at University School. He takes us from a Cleveland childhood fueled by library stacks and elementary-school talent shows to a life-changing scholarship at Phillips Academy Andover, where mentors and coaches sharpened his love of literature, leadership, and team culture. We trace his journey from multi-sport athlete to Division I lacrosse at Penn (and a position switch that taught him humility), and the winding early-career path through New York film sets, the wake of 9/11, and head-coaching st...

In Episode 12 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Will Allen, senior, head varsity debate captain, and US baseball player. He takes us from transferring in from Chagrin Falls and finding his footing to the upperclassman mentors who brought him in and why microeconomics with Mr. Heath became a turning point. On the baseball field, Will relives last year’s historic run to the state finals and relentless summer work that forged US Baseball’s culture. In the classroom and beyond, he shares why he jumped into orchestra and how he manages a schedule that...

In Episode 11 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Ben Malbasa, head varsity football coach, English teacher, and US ’96 alum. He takes us from the Lower School’s early days of theme learning (and the teachers who shaped him) to being “cut” from basketball and welcomed onto the bench as an assistant, his doorway into coaching. We trace his path from Ohio State to John Carroll, why he sees law as a true liberal art, and the years building programs at Elyria Catholic, Benedictine, and NDCL before returning home to US in 2015 with the encourag...

In Episode 10 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with senior Chase Takaoka, pep rally mastermind, Prep Squad spirit leader, and award-winning street photographer. Chase talks about his family (including trips to visit his grandparents in Japan), how travel turned into a love for immersive food hunts and candid street shots, and the classroom spark that pushed him from “landscapes” to storytelling with strangers. He contrasts the quietness of Tokyo with Cleveland game-day chaos, remembers the neon-out under the lights at Shaker, and explains why real school spirit means showing up loud and together.

In Episode 9 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Mr. Bo Montanye, middle school science teacher, head of the House system at the Shaker Campus, and longtime soccer coach. Growing up where New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont meet, Mr. Montanye recalls life at a tiny boarding school, captaining three sports, and as the “weird kid who wanted to know everything.” He traces his path to Colgate, where a Geology class rerouted him from astrophysics to rocks and isotopes where along the way he double majored in Classical Studies, discovered intramural sports, and via ballroom danc...

In Episode 8 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Joe Brown ’85, lifelong flyer, community-builder, and former president/chairman of Hartzell Propeller. Growing up in Shaker Heights and arriving at US in seventh grade, Joe talks about middle and high school and its fake courts, and shop teachers who mentored him, and teachers who kept him going even when classes were challenging. He shares his favorite US memories and then traces his path to Middlebury College, where his professor’s response to his first paper reframed his thinking of what school was, and set the tone...

In Episode 7 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sat down with Griff Koch, a Sanders House prefect, varsity football captain, and Columbia Football commit. A US lifer who grew up minutes from the Shaker campus, Griff reminisces about castle-marshmallow launches, eighth-grade current-events classes that sparked a love of history, and the lower-school coaches who first showed him what great teams feel like. He traces his path from multi-sport kid to the varsity O-line, through an ACL setback and back again, and credits his older captains and teachers for pulling him in and showing him how to...

In Episode 6 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sat down with Nico and Matteo Morelli, University School brothers, varsity football standouts, and proud members of McKinley House. From first days at US and finding their footing in the weight room to a great moment when Nico’s first varsity touchdown sprung loose behind Matteo’s block, the Morelli brothers unpack how sibling synergy, locker-room culture, and mentors shaped their grit and leadership.

The conversation spans recruiting highs and lows, including Matteo’s summer hamstring setback and the resilience that followed, Nico’s early...

In Episode 5 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Anthony Doerr, University School Class of 1991 alum, New York Times bestselling author, and Pulitzer Prize winner. From library runs and Outdoor Projects days with Mr. Terry Harmon to a home that celebrated curiosity, Doerr reflects on how his Cleveland roots, US education, and early obsessions with stories forged his voice.

The conversation traces Bowdoin College, post-grad years in Telluride and mailing stories to magazines, and the life-jolting Rome Prize. Doerr unpacks his bestselling novel All the...

In Episode 4 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Mrs. Ullery, Assistant Director of College Counseling, sophomore class dean, former Director of IT, and longtime librarian at University School, to trace a career defined by curiosity, care, and community-building.

The conversation spans her Summit County roots with a twin and two teacher parents; a Spanish major at Miami University that led to study abroad in Mexico and a first teaching post in Wichita; a return to Ohio for Cleveland Heights classrooms and a Kent State...

In Episode 3 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Jordan Barham, University School Class of 2012 alum and professional basketball player. From backyard battles and multi-sport seasons at US to becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer, Jordan reflects on how family sacrifice, tough coaching, and a tight brotherhood forged his edge.

The conversation traces his choice of Davidson College, the shock-and-learn curve of Division I speed, and hard match-ups like Duke, UNC, UVA, and stars like Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins, plus a trip to th...

In Episode 2 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Travis Phillips, a senior, Peters House prefect, and standout double bassist at University School. From arriving at US in first grade to balancing AP rigor, varsity football, and conservatory-level practice, Travis shares how discipline, great coaching, and community shaped his pursuit of excellence.

The conversation follows his training at Music School Settlement, Interlochen, and the Cleveland Institute of Music; acceptance into the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra; and a national NYO residency culminating in a Carnegie Hall...

In Episode 1 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, Charlie Martin and Jack Nelson sit down with Mr. Patrick Gallagher, Head of School at University School. From growing up in Strongsville as the youngest of five to leading US through a period of renewal and growth, Mr. Gallagher shares his journey through teaching, mentorship, and mission-driven leadership.

The conversation traces his path from St. Edward High School and early lessons in hard work to formative years at Culver Academies with three dedicated mentors, his move to US in 2005, and roles as English teacher...