Connections Fall/Winter 2023

Connections

Fall / Winter 2022

Table of contents

Biodiversity Detectives

CFS Book Awards

The first-grade classes hosts their first annual “CFS Book Awards Ceremony.”

Lower School Funday

Friday, June 6, 2022 will be remembered as a day filled with fun as it was appropriately named “Fun Day”. A day dedicated to activities designed to bring together all the Lower School groups from Pre-K to 5th grade in celebration of childhood and having fun.

A “minimester” activity on ornithology (the study of birds) that saw the 6th grade class explore nature and the kings of the sky with an excursion walk to Danehy Park, a virtual visit from an expert, individual presentations and more.

Poets Corner

Read 5th Grade Division winning poem of the Cambridge Public Library’s 23rd Annual Poetry Contest written by CFS’s Henry Rios.

Catepillar to Butterfly

Discover the origins of life with Pre-K/K kids as they learn about chrysalis and butterflies. Revisit the experiences that made learning fun.

Letter from the Head of School Welcome message from David Tierney.

It’s More than Window Dressing

A summary by the Head of School on the renovations made to the school during the summer and how they affect our energy efficiency, appearance, and overall wellbeing at CFS.

Welcome!

Mini-biographies of our newest Faculty & Staff members.

The Post-Pandemic Outlook for Independent Schools

Taking a pragmatic look at the evolution of education in private schools as we embrace a world after a pandemic and how we have to address these changes.

Memories

A collage of pictures of activities in the FY 2022 – 2023 so far.

Mirror Mirror

3 beautifully written introspective poems by some of our students.

Connections Fall/Winter 2022

Cambridge Friends School

David Tierney, Head of School

Biokrobo “Krobo” Wokoma

Rob Botsford, P’24

Contributors

Patrick Clapper

Erin Diffenderfer

Lisa Domigan, P’29

Jessamine Griewanh-Okita

Jack Hill, P’23, 29

Diane Marangoly

Sarah Nelson

Ashvin Rajaram, ’23

Shaquita Rockhold, P’24

Erika Roderick

Laurie Tennant-Gadd

David Tierney

Photo Credits

Erin Diffenderfer

Jaz Nettrour

Elizabeth “Libby” Stillwell

Brooke Love

Shaquita Rockhold, P’24

Frances Botsford, P’24

Laurie Bozzi

Erin Bumgarner, P’31

Beno Chapman, P’18, ’21

Debby Colgan

Joel Dawson PhD

Lisa Domigan, P’29

Kirsten Greenidge ’88, P’21, ’23

Patricia Huff

Arthur Klipfel, P’83

Jose López Espinosa

Lisa Domigan, P’29

Biokrobo “Krobo” Wokoma

Carolyn Tousley

Haley Rezendes

Jessamine Griewahn-Okita

Renat Lumpau, P‘26, ‘28

Rebecca Goff Moore ’71

Jan Nisenbaum

Cathryn Oliva-Simmons, P‘06

Lili Schwan-Rosenwald, P’30

James Serdy

David Tierney

Rick Talkov

Lein Tung, P’26

Amory Wakefield, P’20

Laura Wolfe

CFS Board of Trustees

Letter from the Head of School

Dear Friends,

I have made it my tradition at Cambridge Friends School’s opening assembly in September to present every student with a token representing a quality or character I wanted them to embrace. Last year, students were given a Tiger’s Eye stone, a symbol of strength, and a few years ago, students received an owl’s feather, a symbol of wisdom.

I wanted the keepsake to represent one of our Quaker values this year. I had been thinking about Stewardship, partially because of our investment in our building and my continued concern for the environment. Each student was handed a silver dollar-sized piece of blue or green recycled glass stamped with the word “stewardship.” I asked them to place a special focus on Stewardship throughout this academic year. I also asked that everyone do everything they can to reduce our use of fossil fuels by shutting off lights in empty classrooms, to keep our grounds clean by picking up trash and disposing of it properly, to extend the use of our facilities and equipment by using them with respect, and to appreciate nature by caring about the natural world around us.

As we progressed through the fall, some students told me they kept their “stewardship” glass in their backpacks or on a shelf at home. I was especially impressed by the student who told me she put it in her fish tank at home so that her fish could see it and so she would be reminded that it was her responsibility to feed and care for them.

As you read through this issue of Connections, it is clear how invested we are in the Stewardship of our students. The articles about improvements to the facility, student programs, and experiences, or our adaptions to post-COVID society, are strong evidence that Cambridge Friends School embodies the Quaker testimony of Stewardship. Of course, the remaining five testimonies, Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, and Equality/Equity, complete the foundation on which our mission as a school is achieved. These values guide our pedagogy in the classroom, where the scope of our engaging curriculum prepares students to be successful at any secondary school, to love learning, and, most importantly, to be good and kind citizens.

In peace,

David J. Tierney Head of School

CFS Book Awards

This past spring, the first-grade classes had the pleasure of hosting the first annual “CFS Book Awards Ceremony.” The first-grade students nominated, then voted on books for ten different categories. Some categories included: best series, scariest villain, best hero, and favorite character. After the voting ended and the teachers had tallied up the winners, they held the results in secret from all until the ceremony, the students prepared for a fun event out in the courtyard.

On the day of the ceremony, there was a red carpet, a podium, trophies, and even the paparazzi! Family members were in attendance while the first-grade students walked up to the podium in pairs to announce the 10 winners. The envelopes revealed to the students for the first time which books and characters had won. A trophy was distributed as well. Some of the inspiring winners were: “Junie B. Jones” for Best Series, Mr. Snake from “Bad Guys” for Scariest Villain, and “Noman Didn’t Do It (Yes He Did!)” for Best Ending.

The book awards helped to get students excited about reading, while exposing new readers to a variety of genres.

It was an amazing affair that the students were thrilled to host. We look forward to its return in the spring of 2023!

Warmly

Fabulous Firstie Teachers, Brooke and Shaquita

Shaquita Rockhold Grade 1 Teacher

Brooke Love Grade 1 Teacher

Lower School Funday

Beth Ann Boelter-Dimock PreK/K teacher

This spring, as the weather warmed and people began spending more time outside, Katie Marion asked the Lower School faculty to plan a community event for the end of the school year. I jumped at the opportunity to clerk a committee to plan activities for Lower school students and teachers. Jasmine, Katy B-D, Anna, Shaquita and I formed a committee and took the charge of planning an event that would be fun for kids (and manageable for adults.) We wanted to design a day that would build community with cross-grade groupings, and provide activities for students which diverged from the typical school day. We chose a variety of activities, some of which had room for an element of competition, but were all focused on teamwork.

Lower School students were sorted into multi-age groups. Fun Day would provide a chance for PreKindergarten through Fifth Grade students to spend time together and work together for a common goal, whether that was to make the biggest bubble or to build a protective container for the egg drop challenge. Throughout the planning process, the thoughtfulness of the teaching colleagues on the committee was clear as we strove to make a fun, safe, and inclusive experience for everyone.

All activities were planned to take place outside, with the simple plan of moving around the exterior of the school building in a clockwise direction. The impending rain forced us to alter this original idea. Tents and tarps were put up to create dry spaces and the flow through activities became more of a zig-zag pattern.

To kick off the event we gathered in the courtyard the Friday afternoon before, to meet one another and work in teams to build structures for an egg drop challenge. Anna, the Lower School Science teacher, climbed a tenfoot ladder and demonstrated what would happen to an unprotected egg when dropped from a tall ladder, to the students’ loud chanting of “Drop it! Drop it!” After the egg splattered on the courtyard cement, student teams set about choosing materials and talking through how to assemble the protective structure.

True to hands-on science experiences at CFS, this project fostered students’ experimentation discovery rather than presenting a solution. An excited hum of discussion and activity filled the courtyard as students pulled sheets of bubble wrap, folded cardboard and stretched pieces of masking tape to build together. Older

students paused to listen to younger student’s ideas and questions and everyone added to the structures. All ten structures were collected by Anna and stored until Fun Day.

On Friday June 6, Fun Day began. After classes held their morning meetings, teams found one another in the courtyard and went off to their first activity. Despite the tents and tarps many students enjoyed stepping out into the intermittent rain. Students cheered one another on as they tossed bean bags, balanced eggs on spoons, and aimed squirters with abandon. There was plenty of room for those people who enjoy arriving the fastest or carrying the most. The subtle competitions some students enjoyed were harmoniously intermingled with the openended experiences of the activities, which afforded something for everyone.

The courtyard was filled with puddles, the turnaround became a giant canvas for chalk drawings and the field saw the parachute raised and lowered. Bubbles filled the playgarden and students shrieked as giant bubbles floating like giant creatures before someone jumped into them, shrinking them to a few drops of liquid.

It was time to switch activities when students heard Anna’s voice over the walkie-talkies. Teams ate their snacks together and then activities continued

throughout the morning. Students returned to their homerooms for lunch, comparing notes and reconnecting with grade-level friends. In the afternoon, teams gathered for the final event: the greatly anticipated egg drop! Anna placed eggs into each protective container and sealed them up. Then Anna ascended the ladder and dropped one more egg to

reiterate the challenge before us all. Each container was handed to Anna on the ladder; to cacophonous chanting and cheering, Anna dropped them in turn to the ground below. Erin opened each container after the impact to examine the state of the egg inside. As loud as the cheering was, the silence was complete as everyone waited to find out the status of the egg. Once Erin proclaimed the egg whole or cracked, cheering resumed! After the egg drop parent volunteers made sure everyone in Lower School had a special snack, the final treat of the day before leaving for the weekend.

Thanks to the faculty, staff and all of the parents who helped in every way possible, the day was a great success. The Family Association Committee lept into action to make sure this day was possible. It was a lovely chance for us to see and talk with parents as we set up materials and facilitated events.

Concrete reminders of the day’s fun activities include the series of painted murals that students created at one activity station and have been hung around the school, as well as wearable Fun Day buttons. Of course students and teachers also have the memories of playing with people normally only passed briefly in the hallways or seen at all school gatherings.

With a few exceptions everyone had a chance to try every activity. There were snafus and challenges but it was a wonderful opportunity for all of Lower School to be at play, together. As an early childhood

teacher I know the depth of benefits of play. The problem solving, necessity to explain your ideas and to listen to others are woven into the fabric of play. As we have worked hard, adults and children, the past two years, this day was a well-deserved break from the usual routines, to celebrate being together and to share in play. When we sing, or when we play, our spirits are lifted.

Biodiversity Detectives

Behind the Scenes of Sixth-Grade Minimester 2022

Carolyn Tousley, Grades 6-8 Science Teacher

“Minimester” is a mini semester, occurring the week before spring break. During the week, the usual middle school classes are canceled, replaced with a singularly focused curriculum created and led by the grade’s advisor.

In April 2022, I led the sixth grade through a week of ornithology (the study of birds). By the end of the week, students had each created an individual presentation on a specific bird species, and the entire grade had gathered and submitted bird count data from 4 bird walks to the global citizen science project eBird.

Special thanks to Anna Grant, lower school science teacher, who led the bird walks at Danehy Park throughout the week. Her enthusiastic, hands-on teaching style and intimate knowledge of the park made each walk an engaging experience for each and every student. Thank you, Anna, for your time and expertise!

Striking Gold

I stumbled upon the curriculum for sixth grade’s 2022 minimester through sheer serendipity. I have a rather nerdy habit of searching for free science teacher programs, resources, and webinars in my spare time. Typically I end up with a whole new folder of bookmarks in my browser, and maybe a little lost sleep. Occasionally, however, I strike teaching gold.

During fall break of November 2021, I came across a curriculum scholarship program through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology specifically for middle school science teachers. On a whim, I applied for the program, then promptly forgot about it.

Fast forward to winter break, and I’m in Reno, Nevada visiting my fiance’s family. An email pops up on my phone informing me that I have been selected to receive a Cornell Lab scholarship! After more than a few minutes of confusion, I finally remembered the application I had done that fall. The scholarship provided me with free training, physical materials, and online resources for the Cornell Lab’s “eBird Explorers: Biodiversity Detectives” curriculum. This curriculum was inquiry-based, which is the gold standard for effective science education, and focused on one of my absolute favorite subjects: birds! I realized that this might be a perfect fit for the sixth grade minimester that I would be teaching in the spring.

In the months following, I attended two virtual evening classes with education specialists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. These classes helped take me through the base material that I would use as the foundation of my minimester curriculum. By the time April rolled around, I had an ambitious plan.

My goals for each of the sixth grade students were:

1. Be able to identify the most common birds typically seen in Cambridge

2. Become an expert in a local bird species of their choice

3. Create a presentation to teach classmates about their bird species

4. Contribute citizen science data (bird counts) to eBird.org

5. Help create a whole-grade presentation summarizing what we did during the week and the data we submitted to eBird

The week before

The weekend before minimester, I was feeling nervous. I had prepared a detailed schedule, rigorous academic assignments, lined up an incredible virtual expert visit, and even rearranged the desks to visually indicate that the week would be different. However, I had no idea how

the students would react to what I had planned. Would they think ornithology was boring? Would they be able to successfully identify birds in the field? My worries felt like vultures, circling endlessly. Laying in bed on Sunday night, it felt as if a whole flock had taken up residence in my stomach.

Monday

By mid-morning on Monday, the classroom was a cacophony of competitive shouts, the floor was an absolute mess, and I was happy as a lark. Students were in the middle of a bird beak lab, and every single one was fully engaged. The lab helped students connect how different physical characteristics of birds help them survive in their environments. Students were assigned materials that represented a few types of beaks found in the bird world: pliers representing the seed-cracking beaks of parrots, pipettes representing the nectar-drinking beaks of hummingbirds, envelopes representing the water-skimming beaks of many ocean birds, and tweezers representing the fine insect-eating beaks of insectivore species. Students had 30 seconds at a time to try and gather different “food” types. Beans represented seeds, rice represented small insects, cotton balls (thrown in the air during the food-gathering time) represented flying insects, and water represented flower nectar. While messy and loud, this lab kickstarted minimester with gusto and got students excited for the rest of the week.

Six graders pose at Danehy Park

Tuesday

Tuesday’s highlight was the virtual visit from Kelly Schaeffer, a Cornell Lab of Ornithology education specialist. Kelly told the students about her education background, the importance of citizen science, and fielded countless questions. The sixth grade had so many questions about birds that the call, which was scheduled for 30 minutes, lasted over an hour!

Wednesday

Wednesday dawned bright and clear: the perfect weather for a day filled with outdoor activities. That morning, we went on an hour-long bird walk at Danehy Park, then returned for a perfect springtime picnic complete with frolicking and treats from Trader Joe’s. By the end of the day on Wednesday, the students were worn out; they were the kind of tired that only comes from spending hours outdoors.

Thursday

Thursday was industrious. The students dedicated themselves to finishing their individual research projects; at this point, I was simply there to help guide their work. I recall sitting at my desk, watching the students each working on a unique presentation, and being filled with pride at both their work and my own. By then , all of them could identify common birds on sight, and even a few species simply by their distinctive songs.

Friday

On our final bird walk on Friday, the students counted dozens of common birds, from American Robins to Common Grackles. A few less common birds, however, made our final walk particularly exciting. A Downy Woodpecker, hidden high up among the still-naked tree branches, challenged students’ binocular skills. Two ridiculously tiny Golden-crowned Kinglets showed off their yellow crests, and a singular Northern Flicker was spotted for only a few moments before flying away, its distinctive polkadotted plumage a wonderful finale to our minimester walks.

By the end of the day on Friday, both the students and I left school feeling tired but proud of our accomplishments. Looking back now, in July 2022, I am still proud of everything that went into making that week a success for the students. I got a bunch of middle schoolers enthusiastic about studying birds, to the point that I heard them identify birds during lunch and recess in the weeks following minimester. Instead of birds blending into the scenery of everyday life, the students started to truly see them and realize how they surround us even in cities. While the week wasn’t perfect by any means, it still stands out to me as one of the most memorable experiences from my first year at Cambridge Friends School. I hope to continue introducing middle school students at CFS to the fascinating world of birding and the important work of citizen science for years to come.

Poet’s

cambridgefriendsschool.org

Corner

by Henry Rios,

Plants growing little by little the green leafs

Carrying little drops of rain

Caterpillars Eating the leafs

Until frwsh! A beautiful blue bird swoops in  And eats the caterpillars

And the plant grows again.

Henry’s poem won the fifth-grade division of the Cambridge Public Library’s 23 nd Annual Poetry Contest.

CFS Class of 2026

Caterpillar to...

Spring Life science unit in the PreK/K Classrooms

Beth Ann Boelter-Dimock PreK/K teacher

he spring life science unit in the Early Childhood classrooms helps students apply many of the skills they have practiced during the school year, as well as put into practice the tenets of Stewardship. The curriculum shifts from the expansive exploratory approach to science experiences during the rest of the year to a more focused and teacher-directed curriculum.

The science curriculum in the PreKindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms is designed to give students a wide range of experiences and capitalize on students’ interest. Tools such as magnifying glasses, tweezers, and pipettes are available to explore. Teachers are always looking for unique objects, materials, and questions to present. Young children like to touch, mix, stir and pour, giving them an understanding of the properties of materials, such as the viscosity of different kinds of paint or the attributes of wet versus dry sand. Woven through these explorations is always a dramatic play story, that is interspersed with sharing observations of the materials and processes with which children are engaged. This exploration of materials and practice using tools gives students a wealth of knowledge and experience which is a solid base for them to then launch into the hands-on Lower School science curriculum.

Butterfly

Once we begin discussing the arrival of the caterpillars we flood the classroom with resources such as books and posters. We also have models of each stage of the Painted Lady Butterfly and have those available as well. The science table also has petri dishes with caterpillars that did not form a chrysalis from years past and the discarded skins of growing caterpillars. Videos of the sped up process of metamorphosis from chrysalis to butterfly are also part of the variety of media we use to educate about this amazing process.

To begin the life cycle unit, the caterpillars are ordered with support from Anna, the Lower School science teacher, and arrive in a small plastic container lined with their food. The caterpillars need to be transferred to individual containers, or larger “apartments” for three or four caterpillars soon after arrival. For second year students who have risen to Kindergarten, this unit is yet another opportunity for them to be experts, sharing their knowledge of the process of caring for the caterpillars with younger classmates.

Second year students can guide others to remember the fragility of the caterpillars and offer strategies for handling them and transferring them from one container

to the next. Once the puréed mallow that is their food, has been pressed into the bottom of the container the creatures can be moved. As students lean close to the table and slowly push the fine bristles of a paint brush under the tiny creatures, their concentration is complete. Students work on observational drawings of the caterpillars; having the caterpillars crawl on the table supports students noticing more details about the body. When four students were gathered around the table watching a caterpillar traversing the top of a magnifying glass, they shared what they noticed about the legs,head and bristles as the caterpillar moved. “How does it breathe?” one person asked. A teacher then joined in the discussion to point out the spiracles and offered an enlarged illustration to make them more visible, scaffolding students’ learning with more information.

Second year students also deepen their understanding of the process of metamorphosis, collect more detailed information and gain facility with more vocabulary. A second year student was excited to share that only the six legs at the front of the caterpillar’s body would be there when it emerged from the chrysalis: “Those are the true legs!” There are always some students that are more drawn to caring for the caterpillars and butterflies.

A beautiful butterfly free from its cocoon rests on a finger.

These students often spark conversations about what it means to be good stewards of the plants and creatures in the playgarden, bringing the same care to the earthworms and insects discovered outside. This stewardship then transfers to opportunities to relocate a spider or ant that is found crawling across the floor of the classroom. We always have a bug catcher that students can use to safely capture these creatures.

Once the caterpillars have all formed chrysalises, it is time to set up the butterfly house. When the butterflies are ready to fly they need a space to move around. The butterfly house allows students to observe the butterflies using their proboscises to drink nectar, and students can often coax them onto their fingers. It requires a child to demonstrate patience and a calm body in order to hold a finger in front of the butterfly’s legs so that it will climb on and stay. Being able to handle and be close to the creatures as they grow and change gives students an understanding and respect for living creatures. As it is the study of the cycle of life, with every hatching there are caterpillars that may not survive, chrysalises that don’t open or butterflies whose wings do not form. These events also offer opportunities for discussions and reflection about the natural world and sometimes students’ life experiences.

At the end of the unit, we gather all of the butterflies into a small net house and take them outside. Students wave goodbye to the butterflies as they fly off into the branches of the trees in the playgarden. Having this intimate experience of sharing the classroom with these creatures as they grow and change gives a depth of knowledge that students take into the world with them. The next sighting of a butterfly will prompt not just a wondering if it was once sitting on their finger but also what the next stage is in the life cycle of that butterfly. We continue to look for ways to bring a part of the natural world into the classroom for a closer look so that students can bring that respect and knowledge with them when they go outside again.

The beautiful butterfly makes its way to another finger.

It’s More than Window Dressing

David J. Tierney Head of School

If you walked past Cambridge Friends School last summer, you probably noticed a significant change in the appearance of the building. The old classroom doors and windows, which were installed when the original building was constructed in 1963, were removed and replaced with new ones.

These classroom doors and windows are called “storefronts” – a somewhat unusual terminology for a school. Two years ago, we began using the classroom’s exterior doors and windows in response to COVID. Rather than having our students crowd the main entrance, they entered and exited their classrooms through these ‘storefront” doors, many of which had not been used in years. To increase the supply of fresh air in the classrooms, teachers opened all windows only to find many were in disrepair. Sixty years of rain and occasionally intense heat had taken their toll; some

doors were severely rotted, and window and door frames had begun to deteriorate due to rust and were unsafe. In addition, the old “storefront” windows were single-pane glass, and the doors were hollow-core, adding to the urgent need to upgrade them with far more energy-efficient materials. Nine classrooms and two offices now have highly rated energy-efficient exterior doors and windows, neatly trimmed with aluminum, matching the 1982 and 1997 additions to the facility.

In June, construction began with removing the old “storefronts” and trim. Unfortunately, many of the murals painted on the stucco walls had adhered to the frames, and large pieces of the murals peeled off the building during the trim removal. We also discovered that the rain and sunshine had damaged some of the murals, causing the paint to flake and bubble. We explored trying to restore the murals, but the damage was too extensive, and the walls needed treatment to prevent further damage. The decision was made to treat and repaint the walls, creating an empty canvas for the possible installation of new murals in the future. Later this year, we will engage the community in a conversation to explore ideas for these spaces.

Welcome!

Serenity Kostigen

My name is Serenity Kostigen. My family is originally from Barrackpore, Trinidad and Tobago, in the West Indies. I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I moved to Boston in 2015 where I attended Suffolk University for my bachelor’s degree and paralegal certification from the College of Arts and Sciences. Prior to working at Cambridge Friends School, I worked for the Massachusetts Teachers Association in the legal division and worked for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Currently, I’m also a graduate student at Northeastern University in the College of Professional Studies Program.

Some of my passions include cooking, traveling, reading, dancing, and the study of theology. I’m happy to work with students and faculty here at Cambridge Friends School. I look forward to connecting with everyone in the community throughout this academic year.

Daniel Alvord

My name is Daniel Alvord and I am the Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid.  I am originally from Colorado Springs, CO, but moved to the upper east coast in 2016. I have since lived in New Hampshire, New York, and Connecticut before moving to Massachusetts. I attended Western State Colorado University and studied History and Sociology. Post college, I have been involved in a wide variety of jobs, such as mail man, mattress salesman, and quite a few others before finally finding my path in education. In my free time, I love to play video games, walk my two dogs: Tallulah and Daisy, and spend time with my wife. I’m very excited to be part of the CFS community!

Celine Morneau

My name is Celine Morneau and I am so excited to be at CFS as the school clinician! I graduated from Lesley University in May 2022 with my Masters in Mental Health Counseling: School Adjustment. I am passionate about mental health and social emotional learning (SEL) that supports the whole child. I love learning about kids’ interests and strengths and using them to come up with creative interventions and activities! I also love music, reading, travel, art, food (especially chocolate), and history!

Haley Rezendes

I am immensely grateful to have been welcomed into the CFS community! Moving here from San Diego where I was born and raised was a big change for me, but I am thrilled to learn and grow alongside each of you. Here’s to a fantastic year!

cambridgefriendsschool.org

Krobo Wokoma

Meet Krobo, he’s the new Director of Development, Marketing and Communication here at Cambridge Friends School. His full name is Biokrobo S. Wokoma but is fondly referred to by the short form of his name, Krobo. He was born and spent most of his formative years in Nigeria yet has lived and schooled in several countries including Malaysia, Mexico and Liberia. He is a published author and prior to joining CFS, he co-founded and ran a nonprofit for children with autism called Abriendo Posibilidades in Mexico, as the Administrative and Communications Director since 2017. He is a fluent Spanish speaker and loves putting a smile on people’s faces. He looks forward to working with and growing CFS as much as is possible.

Karsen Bonifer

Hello families and students of Cambridge Friends School. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Karsen Bonifer and I am the new, full-time school nurse at CFS. In 2018, I received my Bachelors in Science of Nursing from the University of Michigan. Since then, I have spent the last 4 years working as an emergency room nurse, and more recently as a travel nurse throughout the pandemic. I am so excited to make the transition to school nursing, settle down full-time in Cambridge and join this wonderful community. Throughout the upcoming year, I will be available for students who require medical attention during school hours and will serve as a resource for health promotion, maintenance, and education of students at CFS.

It is my goal to collaborate with you to ensure your student’s health and safety while they are at school. Here’s to a great school year!

Sara joins us from Toronto, Ontario, where she worked at several International Baccalaureate independent schools. She holds a Master’s in education from the University of Toronto, with a focus on Inclusive Education, and additional qualifications in Special Education, Kindergarten, Math, and Intermediate English (Grades 5-12). Her goal as an educator is to promote a positive and enriching learning community, to stimulate enthusiasm for learning, and to assist students as they develop into life-long learners and, ultimately, active and empowered global citizens.

Her teaching is rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and she embeds culturally responsive pedagogy in her teaching practice. In addition, Sara also puts an emphasis on social and emotional learning in her daily teaching using the Yale RULER approach. She is very excited to have joined the CFS faculty and looks forward to continuing to build connections with the community.

Sara Akbari

The Post-Pandemic Outlook for Independent Schools

David J. Tierney Head of School

Over the past two years, all of us have adapted to a life filled with Zoom or Google Meet engagements. We’ve appreciated not having to fight traffic and find parking to attend conferences with teachers, committee meetings, book clubs, and curriculum nights. Who doesn’t love the comfort and convenience of sitting in their favorite chair at home, eating a healthy meal, or throwing the laundry in the washing machine while listening to a presentation on Zoom?

What will a Post-Pandemic School look like? Seismic change may be the only way to adequately describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way schools have operated for the past two years and will operate in the future. In September 2020, many independent schools adapted quickly and effectively to create safe and healthy buildings that allowed students to return to school full-time and in-person. The capacity to do this is primarily due to having a combination of leadership and administrative structures that facilitated efficient decision-making and rapid deployment of resources to meet the challenges of the pandemic. At the same time, we lamented the lack of personal contact, being able to shake hands or embrace a friend, the inability to read body language during a Zoom meeting or being unable to shake hands or embrace a friend. What will the landscape in school communities look like as COVID evolves from pandemic to endemic? How will the fundamental business of being a school change from both an educational and administrative perspective?

Schools may never return to whatever their “normal” was before March 2020. When it comes to delivering curriculum, the schools that want to matter will permanently adopt the integration of technology and pedagogy that occurred in 2020. Zoom, Google Meet, and other digital platforms have brought nearly all of the world into our classrooms and made it easier for teachers to access authors, researchers, scientists, and artists. Lectures, performances, demonstrations, and conversations from across the globe are accessible to students of all ages. A few years ago, educators used these technologies reluctantly, and schools that supported these platforms were often considered outside the mainstream of educational practices. Looking forward, it seems clear that these and yet-to-bediscovered uses for communications technology will be the expected norm. Woe (and declining enrollment) to the schools that don’t embrace the opportunities 21stcentury technology has to offer!

We would be foolish to ignore the epidemiologists’ warnings of future pandemics. Will schools need to permanently adapt classrooms for remote and hybrid learning, equipping every room with an OWL, speakers, big screen, and cameras? Will curricula need to be redesigned to achieve learning goals regardless of how it is delivered or experienced? Will schools be forced to rely more heavily on digital materials such as e-textbooks and videos?

While schools, particularly independent elementary schools, rely heavily on human interactions, we can expect a wide variance in how families may expect or want to interact with admissions, teachers, and administrators. Admission offices will likely have to be flexible and offer in-person and online interviews, cyber tours and on-site tours, and online as well as

in-person student evaluations. Organizations that provide SSAT, SAT, ACT, and other standardized tests will likely continue offering on-site and online testing. While Open Houses are critically important to families as they explore schools for their children, it can be nearly impossible for a family to attend an open house at every school they are investigating. Remote events are convenient for families to meet more teachers, learn about more programs, and “see” more schools. Unfortunately, they also add to the time schools ask teachers to give to admissions events while simultaneously saving families time by eliminating another outing to visit yet another school.

The same can be true regarding meetings with teachers, regularly scheduled family conferences, back-to-school nights, and fundraising events. Having relied upon Zoom to keep us remotely connected, we also made it easier for those away on business, juggling child-care challenges, or too far away to attend an event in person,

to digitally connect to teachers and the community. Perhaps schools will offer choices for meetings and family conferences as there is minimal inconvenience to set them up via Zoom or Google Meet. Will alums and donors who have connected with their school community thanks to these digital platforms expect that they will continue to be able to do so?

Can schools effectively do everything in a hybrid model? Will schools be expected to duplicate live events with similar online versions? The picture is murky. In March 2020, we had no choices. Remote school – from classrooms to admissions to development – was our only option, and the transition was abrupt. However, as the pandemic recedes, the transition to the next phase of school operations will be turbulent. Schools will need to respond to the varying comfort levels of families, remain flexible in dealing with the inevitable challenges that will arise, and be creative in managing hundreds of different expectations. Wish us luck!

Memories

Mirror Mirror

Crystals, Art and Pets

by Ariana Caro

When I look in the mirror…

I see a girl who has one shy pet hermit crab, a girl who wants a cat but doesn’t have one

I see a girl that is creative and likes anything that is arts and crafts such as crocheting

I see a curious miner that loves Tourmaline and has many quartz

I see a amazing roller skater that has light-up roller skates

I see a fast reader that loves books

I see a 8 ½ year old girl that is half Salvadorian and half Colombian that loves Pan de Bono and Frijol y Tortilla

When I look in the mirror, I see a girl and that girl is me

Aviv’s Mirror

by Aviv Heldman

I live on a pretty small street. I was born in Cambridge I live in Cambridge and in a gray house. I like to walk and hike.

I like to think and do really hard math like to the power of 17 or 10 for example. I really like to draw from my mind.

And do NOT like the qwerty keyboard!

Nature, Pie, and Pets

by Sasha Lumpau

When I look in the mirror…

I see a girl with hair so long it flows down to her waist like a shining chestnut river

I see a girl who jumps for joy at the thought of a kitten, but also wants to have an algae-eating fish when she grows up

I see a girl who likes to swim, but does not want to do it competitively

I see a girl who has lots of wonderful memories with blueberry pie in them but still thinks cherry pie tastes even more delicious

I see a girl who loves nature and takes walks often

I see a girl who likes making tiny, colorful, chubby-cheeked creatures out of paper

I see a girl who is kind, quiet, and creative

I see a 9 year old girl and that girl is me!

5 Cadbury Road

Cambridge, MA 02140

cambridgefriendsschool.org

CambridgeFriendsSchool

CFSgrams

CFStweets

CambridgeFriendsSch

www.linkedin.com/company/cambridge-friends-school

Parents/Guardians of Alumni: If this publication is addressed to your child(ren), and they no longer maintain a permanent address at your home, please provide their new mailing address by contacting the Development Office at: 617.354.3880 or advancement@cambridgefriendsschool.org . Thank you!