Barbara Kolesar Retires During her time at Brunswick, Mrs. Kolesar has worked under Heads of Middle School Drew Dubuque, Jody Visage, John Lathrop, Tom Philip and John Pendergast. Her tenure included the move from Maher Avenue to Edwards Campus on King Street, the beginning of the Big Brother/Little Brother Program in the Middle School, homeroom competitions, and the famous Assembly Club. She was here for the introduction of computers and the laptop program, along with the start of her popular Middle School spring vacation trips abroad. While many of us think, “Wow! How cool to get a free spring vacation trip to Greece, China or Spain!” Mrs. Kolesar emphasizes that chaperoning Middle School students is not exactly like lounging poolside. Her first trip followed Odysseus’ steps through Greece to Ithaca, Delphi, and the Delphic Oracle. When Upper School Mandarin Chinese teacher Michelle Liu was seeking to organize a spring trip to China, she was told to consult with “The Expert in Enticing Boys Abroad: Barbara Kolesar.” In 2004, they had a successful trip to China with both Middle and Upper Schoolers. Last year’s spring trip, co-chaperoned with Monica Berisso,
Middle School Spanish teacher, was to Spain and France. As always, the trip was curriculum-based and included visits to indigenous schools. Other trips chaperoned by Mrs. Kolesar include the popular eighth grade three-night field trips to Gettysburg, Washington, D.C. and Williamsburg. Busch Gardens, a mandatory stop along the route for many years, is where a Brunswick tradition began. The boys compete fiercely at the game booths to win giant stuffed animals for Mrs. K’s classroom. She recently commented that her classroom was squeezed for space and couldn’t fit one more animal ... a good signal that it’s time to retire! Mrs. Kolesar taught many multiple siblings who have strolled the halls of the Middle School. Amongst many other families, there were five Adlers, four sets of Bashams and Bakers, three sets in the Boensch, Gasiorowski, Neff, Virtue, and Wahba families, and three of the four children in both the Biondi and Paternina families. Many people have taken a moment to thank Mrs. Kolesar since she announced her plans to retire, and many wonderful stories have come to light, especially with her daughters having
“Barbara Kolesar has been a staple of the Brunswick community for as long as I can remember. She is a fun and engaging teacher, and was both my advisor and English teacher when I was in 8th grade. But it was Barbara’s role as a mentor that I remember most. I made my fair share of mistakes. Barbara not only let me know that I was wrong when I got into trouble, but she also made me work to better myself. She commanded respect in a loving manner, always inspiring me to continue down the right path. Barbara is exactly the kind of teacher/mentor I hope to be. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to be her colleague for my first year as a Brunswick teacher. “ – Brian Shepard ’97 Brunswick School Art Department Barbara Kolesar in the Smith Garden with former students who are now teaching at Brunswick. Back row (left to right): Ted Ogden ’95, John Mclane ’98, Barbara Kolesar, Jarrett Shine ’92 and Tommy Mulvoy ’96. Front row (left to right): Brian Shepard ’97, Brian Coughlin ’94, and Michael Kennedy ’99. m
Winter 2007
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