Love at Graland
Ask a married couple how they met and the stories vary widely. Surprisingly, for some of our alumni, their future spouses once walked the halls with them at Graland. Within our alumni community, there are at least 20 pairs of former students who found their love through Graland.
Whether they knew each other as Graland classmates or met in later years, all our couples have sweet and unique love stories.
Ask a married couple how they met and the stories vary widely. Surprisingly, for some of our alumni, their future spouses once walked the halls with them at Graland. Within our alumni community, there are at least 20 pairs of former students who found their love through Graland.
Whether they knew each other as Graland classmates or met in later years, all our couples have sweet and unique love stories.
The Komppas
Sarah Snider ’97 Komppa and Eric Komppa ’97 were classmates at Graland for only two years, Grades 7 and 8. Eric distinctly remembers seeing his future wife at recess during her first week at Graland. They moved in different circles at school, but got to know each other better on Tom Rice’s Russia trip in 1997. During another Graland trip, this time to Bermuda with Dr. Trento in 1998, they started dating and stayed together through high school before heading off to separate colleges. After college, they reunited for the last time and have been together ever since.
In 2009 Sarah, an architect and urban designer, teamed up with Eric, a real estate expert, and other professionals to win the Hines Urban Lands Institute Competition after envisioning a new urban center for Denver. Married in August 2010, the Komppas lived in Seattle, traveled through New Zealand for a month and have recently landed back in Denver.
The Coopers
Sara Drucker ’89 Cooper and Jason Cooper ’84 were five grades apart, “which makes reunions convenient because both our classes celebrate at the same time,” says Sara. This couple has their parents to thank for their union. By chance, the Druckers and Coopers were sitting together at the bat mitzvah for Jamie Miller ’97 Altman when the moms and dads decided to set Sara and Jason up on a blind date. “By the third date, I knew I was going to marry him,” says Sara with characteristic certainty.
The two families remain connected to Graland. Jason and his two brothers are alumni and Sara is one of four siblings who all attended Graland. They have two darling girls; the oldest is a current student in Grade 1.
The Austins
Catherine Wilhem ’90 Austin and Rye Austin ’91 were a year apart in school and also met as adults. They were introduced by friends – also Graland alumni – in 2001 and married two years later. The Austins are proud parents of three young children, two of whom are now Graland students.
“I’m surprised that there aren’t more couples from Graland,” Catherine says, “given the close community and overlapping families who have attended through the years.”
Do you have a Graland love story? Let us know!
Contact Kristin Eklund ’88 Weber (kweber@graland.org or 303-398-3623).
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
