Farewell, Friends

Twenty years ago, Stojan and Zrinka Yerkic joined the physical plant staff in the custodial department and have spent most of their time tending to buildings on the Lower School campus. In a few weeks, they will bid farewell and begin their transition into a well-earned retirement.

 

“They’ve loved and appreciated what Collegiate has meant,” said Debbie Miller, head of the Lower School. “They think it’s amazing. They love the people. They always have a smile and a sweet word to say to adults and the children. Everyone respects them. They bring the consistent face of kindness and work hard and do their job the best they can. They’re very much a part of the Collegiate community.”

 

Natives of Bosnia who fled their homeland during the civil war in the early 1990’s, this caring, loving husband and wife team found peace and safety in Richmond and among friends and colleagues on North Mooreland Road.

 

“Collegiate has been a wonderful place for us from the first day until the last day,” Zrinka said. “The people are wonderful. They are helpful, nice, and like family. If you ask anybody, they’ll help you. That’s huge for us because we came here new. We needed advice for everything. I appreciate that so much.”

 

Stojan, a high school teacher by profession, echoed her sentiments and added that he has enjoyed watching Collegiate volleyball, soccer, and distance running – his sports of choice as a youth – and plans to continue following Cougar athletics in his retirement.

 

Trusted, industrious, dutiful, and diligent, they see to the housekeeping duties in Reynolds Hall, Zrinka on the second floor and Stojan (who goes by Jan, pronounced “Yon”) on the first.

 

“Both Stojan and Zrinka are extremely dedicated to the school, to the school’s mission, to each other, and to their family,” said Spencer Evans, Collegiate’s housekeeping supervisor. “I see them as each other’s support.

 

“Stojan has gone into Lower School classes and done sessions about the history and culture of his country and about his and Zrinka’s journey to get to America. They left home during a civil war. It was a frightening time.

 

“When they came to Collegiate, they won over the hearts of the staff, the students, everybody. They feel fortunate to have experienced life in the United States.”

 

Alex Peavey also bids farewell after 14 very full and fulfilling years on North Mooreland Road.

 

His tenure began in 2004 when he arrived after serving as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Wofford College. He headed Collegiate’s boys’ basketball program for 12 years and also served as Summer Quest director, then Upper School guidance counselor, mindfulness guru, and assistant varsity boys lacrosse coach.

 

Going forward, he’ll focus exclusively on mindfulness training, serving as a consultant for Health and Family Psychologists of Virginia and the VCU men’s basketball squad as well as private clients throughout the country via Skype and FaceTime.

 

Peavey is a cancer survivor, and his career change was necessitated by the need to slow the pace, marshal his strength, and direct his attention to one professional area rather than several. That said, he’ll no doubt continue to support Collegiate’s athletic teams and share with groups and individuals techniques that will enable them to achieve peak performance and attain peace of mind.

 

“My health is good,” he said. “My cancer is not curable, but it’s treatable. We’re fully in the treatment phase right now. We’re done with chemo for the time being. Right now, we’re plugging along with appointments every three months to make sure everything continues to go well and navigating the various symptoms and side effects that arise. Otherwise, I’m going about the day as usual.”

 

So what have his years at Collegiate and the personal associations meant to him?

 

“Words just don’t do justice to the experience,” he said. “The long and the short of it is that I came here for a job and an opportunity to build a program, and that evolved into counseling and mindfulness. What has occurred is that I’ve discovered a family.”

         --Weldon Bradshaw