2022 Alumni Award Recipients Announced

There is no greater testament to The Webb Schools’ mission, culture of service and honorable leadership than our extraordinary alumni. Through our annual Alumni Awards program, the Alumni Council and the Board of Trustees honor alumni whose service and achievements truly exemplify the qualities and values that Webb represents. 

We are pleased to announce the three distinguished recipients of Webb’s 2022 Alumni Awards: 

ALUMNI OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT 

The Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award acknowledges alumni who epitomize the core values of their school’s motto: 

Webb School of California: Principes non Homines, “Leaders not ordinary men” 

Vivian Webb School: Sapientia Amicitia Atque Honor, “Wisdom, Friendship and Honor” 

John Scalzi ’87 
Author 

John Scalzi credits his time at Webb with beginning his life-long career in writing, a career that has taken him to the stars even as he has stayed grounded with a connection to our school. 

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction said of John, “if anyone stands at the core of the American science fiction tradition at the moment, it is Scalzi.” John’s books have been New York Times best sellers and award winners (including the Hugo, Locus and Dragon awards) and have been published in over 30 languages worldwide. His best-known books include the Old Man’s War series, Redshirts (which won the 2013 Hugo Award for best novel) and his most recent, The Kaiju Preservation Society. All of these are currently in development for film and television. Five of John’s short stories have been adapted for the Emmy-winning Netflix animated series Love Death + Robots; John also served as the creative consultant for the Stargate: Universe television series. From 2010 to 2013 he was president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, helping to promote the craft of science fiction and protect the creative and intellectual rights of writers in the field. 

Beyond science fiction, John has had a varied writing career. His newspaper experience began at The Blue & Gold here at Webb, and eventually led him to being a nationally-syndicated film critic and columnist in the 90s. From there John branched out into magazines and Web sites, and founded his own site, Whatever, at which he has published continuously since 1998, and from which five books of essays have been culled. Beyond this, his non-fiction book subjects have included finance, science, humor and writing. 

John has maintained his connection with Webb throughout the years, returning to campus for reunions, participating in online events for the school, keeping connected to his class and other alumni, and meeting with students about the art and profession of writing. “Webb was where I decided I wanted to be a writer, and the school gave me the tools and encouragement to become one,” he said to us. “It’s a debt I can’t repay, so I’m happy to pay it forward instead.”

We are proud to award John Scalzi ’87 with this year’s Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award. Congratulations, John!  

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YOUNG ALUMNI RISING STAR AWARD 

The Rising Star Award recognizes recent alumni of the past 15 years who have used their success to bring good to the world, demonstrated exceptional achievements in their chosen field, and have shown an affinity for Webb. 

Summer Swee-Singh ’07  

Musician  

Summer Swee-Singh has definitely shown exceptional achievements in her career, all while staying connected to Webb through her music. 

Summer is a composer, music arranger, pianist, keyboardist, string contractor, music director, backing vocalist, and music educator. From a young age, she has shown strong musical talent that has taken her to where she is today. To start her music career, she became the youngest person to pass the Level 5 Yamaha Music School’s piano performance and theory examination which earned her a Yamaha Music School Teaching Credential at age twelve. She was both a violinist and pianist at Webb as a part of Honors String Sinfonia and was the official Vivian Webb Chapel pianist from 2004-2007. She additionally performed as the pit orchestra pianist for Webb’s productions of Fiddler on the Roof (2006) and Company (2007). In spring of 2007, she took 1st place in the Claremont Region and 2nd place overall in the subsequent Southern California Regional of the Dan Stover Music Competition, having performed Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu. Summer was VWS Class of 2007’s Senior Class President and went on to attend UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degree. 

Since graduating, Summer has earned a long list of musical accomplishments. She has many notable studio and touring/live credits with artists such as Polyphia, Bebe Rexha, Roddy Ricch, CHON, Circa Survive, KSHMR, Naia Izumi, Rob Scallon, Anthony Green, Chief Keef, Kings Elliot, Keiynan Lonsdale, Gashi, and many others. She has performed as a pianist backing Bebe Rexha on The Ellen Show, performed the national anthem as part of a trio for a record-breaking NWSL crowd of 32,000 at Snapdragon Stadium, and her YouTube channel has garnered over two million views. She recently played keyboard for Kings Elliot on a North American tour, opening for Macklemore and Imagine Dragons; the tour played famed venues including Fenway Park (Boston), T-Mobile Center (Kansas City), Rogers Centre (Toronto, Canada), Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Chicago (Tinley Park), Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas), and Banc of California Stadium (Los Angeles). Summer is also a featured “Coach” for Pianote for which she delivered an online masterclass on how to arrange music for solo piano. 

Summer stays very connected with Webb and was featured as a musician with Unwind with Webb during the pandemic. She also provided music for Webb’s dance show Centum in January 2022. She enjoys staying connected to the Webb community through her music. 

 Summer Swee-Singh continues to impress the Webb community, and for that, we are proud to present her with the 2022 Young Alumni Rising Star Award. Congratulations, Summer! 

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COLBORN DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD 

Named in honor of Ken Colborn ’47, the Colborn Distinguished Service Award pays tribute to an alumnus/a in recognition of selfless commitment and ongoing volunteer service to The Webb Schools and/or Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology. 

Chip Greening ‘62 

Retired Attorney 

Chip Greening has been as connected to Webb as you can be from a distance. A Portland, Oregon resident, Chip has continued to support Webb and keep his classmates involved throughout the years.  

His leadership started during his time at Webb. Chip earned eight varsity letters (two in football, two in lacrosse, and four in track). He was a member of Block W and was captain of the track team his senior year. He was also a member of the choir for four years and was a headwaiter in the Dining Hall senior year. 

After Webb, he dove back into service within the Webb community by serving as a class agent for 20 years, volunteering as reunion chair for several reunions, and maintaining a strong regional Webb presence in Portland.  Chip is currently busy planning his 60^th reunion with his classmates and was a reunion chair for the 45^th, 50^th and 55^th reunions, and served as a member at large and Portland regional representative on the Alumni Council from 2012 to 2016.  He has organized and supported alumni events in Portland at the Multnomah Athletic Club along with Larry Price ’61 and David Ditz ’72. He’s been a leadership donor for many years, and in 2007, in honor of his 45^th reunion, he and his father created The Greening Family Scholarship Fund to provide financial aid to deserving students. 

Chip Greening’s service to Webb has been exemplary, and for that, we are proud to announce him as the 2022 Colborn Distinguished Service Award recipient. Congratulations, Chip! 

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Please join us in congratulating this year’s recipients. We will be further celebrating and recognizing our 2022 recipients at Alumni Weekend on October 22, 2022. We hope to see you there!  

Register for Alumni Weekend here!