Faculty & Staff

from Lamplighter Spring 2020

Athletics

34 Lamplighter Faculty Spotlight Claire Schlegel, Director of Instrumental Music “The best part of our Mary Leonard, Math Team Leader “I like to teach quadratic functions, which are parabolas, to the Eighth Grade. There is a lot of abstract content leading into that unit, but once the boys get into it, it gives a context for a lot of the other things they have been learning. I can see my students making connections to what they’ve learned as well as the world around them.” From the #ASpotlight series as seen on social media. The Communications team has been interviewing faculty over the past couple of years. Here are quotes from the most recent interviews. Hold your phone camera over the QR Code to access the full spotlights. instrumental program is the oneon-one attention that students

Erica Marcus, Third Grade Teacher get with their teacher for an hour

“I always want to show my students once a week… They get to know these that we are constantly learning and instructors well over the years and can growing. Just because I am a feel comfortable expressing themselves teacher does not mean that I am in a unique way.” not also learning. Learning is a lifelong endeavor and I want to impart that to my students.”

Jack Cooley, Science Department Head

“I, along with the rest of the Science Department, am integrating projects that are connecting the boys to real-life scenarios, if not literally doing research out in the field.”

Susan Lukas, English Teacher

“As an English teacher, I can affect the way students understand their world and the people around them, help them to think and to communicate their thoughts clearly, and work with them to develop their sensibilities so that they can appreciate a particular kind of beauty.”

“Social-emotional learning (SEL) should be the cornerstone of every classroom. We use puppets, photographs, books, role-playing, and real-life scenarios to introduce and reinforce socialemotional learning.” Maya Jourieh, Health and Wellness Educator and Health Office Assistant “I want our boys to be inquisitive and aware of what’s happening in the world. I want them to be open and empathetic.” “As a wrestler, you are the creator of your success or failure... I find this to be a powerful message to send our boys - they are directly responsible for and can positively

Jesse Montero, Kindergarten Teacher

influence their life outcomes.”

Margaret Garfinkel, Kindergarten Teacher “In Kindergarten, we spend a great deal of time building a community of respectfulness to ensure that every student perceives he is a valued member of the class. Once a boy feels respected and valued, he will steadily blossom in the on-going expression of his boyhood!” Stephen Krawec, Spanish Teacher “Language learning is rooted in communicating with other people. I want my students to know how to have a conversation with someone: to wait for their turn, listen actively, and ask good follow-up questions… By becoming a good listener, people can learn to work together and cooperate.” Meghan Wall, Learning Resource Specialis “I often say I have an ‘umbrella’ position because I support the boys in so many different ways. My support ranges from morning work where I help them get settled and ready for the day, to seeing them at halftime to work on an essay.”

Sophy Joseph, First Grade Teacher

“My students are creative geniuses! They inspire me with their ideas. I structure my schedule so that I can give them time to explore and build

on this creativity.”

news FACULTY AND STAFF

Two Speakers – One Topic | Approaching Difficult Conversations

When suddenly faced with a comment during a class or talking to someone that says something insensitive, how is one to respond at that exact moment? These challenges occur in our lives when we least expect them, and we need to know how to react.

Jennifer Vermont-Davis, Chair of Community Life + Diversity (CL+D), said, “The CL+D team wanted to find a way to support faculty, staff, and parents, who indicated that they would like some tools to help them manage difficult conversations, in particular, when the language being used is inappropriate. I immediately thought of Dr. Liza Talusan, educator, speaker, leader and parent with over 22 years of experience in PreK-20 education, who I had heard speak at a conference and knew would be an excellent resource for the Allen-Stevenson community.”

Dr. Talusan gave two presentations in November – one to parents and one to faculty and staff – during which she shared her expertise and provided tools to use when confronted with these difficult conversations. Attendees worked through scenarios in teams, taking on various roles to practice some of the newly acquired tools, and to try to understand better the impact that these hurtful words can have on an individual.

Ms. Vermont-Davis explained, “Following Dr. Talusan’s presentation, we surveyed the faculty and staff. Results showed that they were keen to deepen their learning and expand their skills, so we invited Erica Corbin, Director of Community Life and Diversity at the Chapin School in NYC, to lead another workshop on handling uncomfortable classroom moments.

A key takeaway from Dr. Corbin’s workshop was: “You don’t need to have the answer immediately, but you do need to respond right away.”

Allen-Stevenson strives to create a community in which everyone feels safe regardless of religion, race, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, and we are so grateful for the guidance and expertise of these two experts as we all continue to educate ourselves on sensitive and important topics.

Erica Corbin

Science Teacher Jeffrey Herschenhous showcases his creative side through woodworking, among other hobbies! Mr. Herschenhous is self-taught using books and YouTube and has been exploring smooth, organic shapes in his recent pieces (shown here). Maria Paz Alegre recently participated on the voting committee for the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award as part of the ALA Youth Media Awards.

Art Teacher Julia Kunin had her artwork included in a show, "Fur Cup" that was reviewed in The New Yorker. Science Department Head Jack Cooley’s non-profit organization, The Community Bots, is offering a virtual robotics camp for their partners in Nicaragua, Colombia and the Dominican Republic this summer. The Community Bots provide robotics training and free equipment to middle school girls and their teachers.

Spanish Department Head Samara Spielberg was featured on the podcast Inspired Proficiency talking about ways that parents, students and teachers can navigate the remote learning environment during the COVID closure. She has also taken part in a series of educational talks and conferences, including leading a virtual chat on engaging students through Zoom and other virtual platforms for the Foreign Language Teachers of New Jersey; giving a talk about educational approaches to reduce stress and foster connection in the age of COVID at the Vital Statistics Consulting Virtual Conference; and leading a leading biweekly game night for language teachers from across the United States!