F A C U LTY & S TA F F N EW S
teachers designed is more experiential, says Jon, and in the fall students spent significant time outdoors, even building a small river behind the New Gym to better understand the idea of flow and the elements of a stream such as head waters and tail waters. Michelle Heaton, service learning coordinator and science teacher, traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, last summer to participate in the International Boys’ School Coalition 2015-2016 Action Project. Michelle is one of a group of U.S. educators who will conduct research on the topic of boys as global citizens at their schools. She was thrilled to hear Desmond Tutu give the keynote address and called the entire experience, which included going on a safari, “inspiring.” Tory Hayes ’02, assistant director of admissions, and Kofi Obeng attended the Diversity Leadership Conference held at the Episcopal School in Alexandria, VA, last summer. “I think I speak for Kofi and myself when I say that we had a truly impactful week at the institute,” says Tory. “We were privileged to connect with so many other diversity practitioners and to participate in some incredibly rich and challenging workshops and are excited to share our new knowledge and perspectives in our classrooms, with the Student Diversity Committee, and in our work in admissions. In November, Steve Farley, assistant headmaster for the academic program; Jeff LaPlante, director of technology; George Scott, head of the Lower School; Eden Dunckel, director of learning support services, and Matt Ward ’00, who teaches social studies, attended the fourth annual EdTech Teacher iPad Summit in 22
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Boston. Brendon Bates, Lower School teacher; Nat Carr, science teacher and director of secondary school placement; Eden Dunckel; Laurie Byron, chair of the English department; Steve Farley; and Lower School teachers Brendon Bates, Jon Byrd ’76, and Jen Waldeck attended Harvard’s Learning and the Brain conference on “Science of Character: Using Brain Science to Raise Student Self-Regulation, Resilience, and Respect.”
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Winnie Smith (right) on cover of Maine Women
Tricia McCarthy, head of the Middle School, attended “Meaningful Advisory Time: Building Programs for Student Success,” a conference run by the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education. Tony Santos, photography teacher; Paul Heinze, woodshop teacher; Seema Shenoy, gift entry and data coordinator; Kofi Obeng; and Tete Cobblah attended AISNE’s (Association of Independent Schools in New England) Diversity Conference titled “Equity and Inclusion in Today’s Education.” Pauline MacLellan, science teacher and coordinator of the makerspace program; Michelle Heaton; and Cameren Cousins, Latin teacher and sustainability director, attended the New England Environmental Education Association’s annual conference this fall, the subject of which was climate change. Pauline also attended the Design Thinking Institute at the Nueva School in California. “It was a powerful and affirming opportunity to focus on developing curriculum and challenges that help students develop empathy, encourage ideation, build metacognitive awareness, and foster active problem solving,” she said.
Three Rivers Anthology, a book of poetry by English and woodshop teacher John Fitzsimmons, was made available on iTunes as an iBook in November. It is a collection of more than 150 poems, essays, songs, and ramblings on life, writing, family, and community. “The iBook format is pretty cool in that it allows me to embed audio and video for many of the poems and songs,” he says, “and to update and add new content as it is created.” Lower School teacher Winnie Smith competed in the Tri for a Cure triathlon last August, the only all-women event of its kind in Maine and the largest cancer-fighting fundraiser in the state. Proceeds support research, education, and support programs. The USATsanctioned event asks participants to plunge into the cold Atlantic for a onethird mile swim, ride for fifteen miles, and complete a three-mile run. Winnie was featured on the cover of Maine Women magazine last August, where she is shown running in the 2014 event.
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