The Evergreen Wednesday [05.16.12]
NEWS
Preview Online Courses for Fall:
Learn more about Greenhill’s partnership with the Global Online Academy on pg. 6.
Shaking Things Up:
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eggy Fredrickson has always found her place in the Greenhill community. As a primer and second grade teacher, a substitute in the Lower School, the Lower School Humanities Coordinator, a team leader, and a faculty leader, Mrs. Fredrickson made the most of her time. Now after 18 years of serving the Greenhill community, Mrs. Fredrickson will retire. Her favorite thing about Greenhill is “the freedom to create an interactive classroom.” She enjoys seeing her students grow up and “watching my former students graduate each year.” “I want to safeguard their childhood, allowing them to reach their individual potentials in their own time and pace,” she said. She loves working with children, “helping them grow into successful, confident Greenhill community members,” which is why she has always found a place in the Lower School.
Fall faculty changes
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ay Geisler, Lower School libarian, will retire after 13 years. One factor in her decision was that her good friend and co-worker Philippa Anderson took a leave of absence. “[She has been] my confidante and collaborator for a dozen years,” Mrs. Geisler said. Having 28 library sessions to manage each week and double the amount of comments to write made for a professionally challenging year. Mrs. Geisler is looking forward to the new opportunities and challenges retirement will bring. If there is one thing she will never forget, it is the children’s faces during story time. “It’s just priceless,” she said.
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s a child, Barbara Gregory read historical short stories from a textbook her grandfather used as a teacher in the mid 19th century. Today, she feels that those narratives inspired her to teach history for 45 years. Mrs. Gregory will retire after 11 years at Greenhill as Middle School history teacher. She plans to spend her time with family, travel, and study art history. “I think that history and the study of it counts, that it is important,” Mrs. Gregory said. “It tells us how we came to be who and where we are, and reminds us of what still needs to be accomplished.” Teaching history has allowed her to share the importance of the past with students.“I love seeing the light bulbs come on when they ‘get’ an idea, and especially appreciate the quirky questions they ask,” Mrs. Gregory said. Mrs. Gregory said it is hard to imagine not teaching. “I will miss this wonderful place and these people immensely, but I think it is time for the next chapter in my life,” she said.
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dam Holt, Middle School English coordinator and teacher, will leave Greenhill to test out a career in writing. Mr. Holt sees his past 10 years at Greenhill as a milestone and a chance to try something new. “I figured that if I don’t do it now, there wouldn’t be a better time,” Mr. Holt said. He already completed a screen-play (Free Ride) with a friend and is now writing a young adult novel (working title The Girl Who Dreamed). This dystopian novel is set in America 2030-2035, where only the main character can retain dreams. “I want to make a career out of writing. I am not sure if I am a life-long teacher, and I think after this year I will know,” he said. He is approaching this year like a job, writing and pitching his works to agents in an attempt to become a published author. However, he will stay close to home to coach JV Boys Volleyball in the fall. “I am going to spend a good chunk of time writing, reading and coaching every day,” he said. Mr. Holt knows the risks involved with his new career path, but ultimately decided it was worth it. “I don’t know if I will like writing as a full-time job,” he said. “Fortunately, I set aside enough money to find out.”
Photo by Mary Lo
NEW BEGINNINGS: Hall (left) and McGuigan (right) reflect upon their time here and the changes to ensue for next year.
Samantha Carp Content Editor
After three years as the Director of Multicultural Programs, Christel McGuigan is leaving Greenhill to be the Director of Equity and Instruction at the Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington. Art Hall, the current Dean of Students, will replace Mrs. McGuigan as the newly titled Director of Equity and Inclusion. McGuigan is leaving Greenhill because of her new position, and because now that she has a baby, she wants to be closer to family in Seattle. While Mrs. McGuigan is excited, she will miss Greenhill. “I leave with mixed emotions: excited for the new opportunity, excited for family there, but sad because I am leaving my Greenhill family here,” she said. Once Mrs. McGuigan announced her departure, the school launched a nation-wide search for a replacement, but Mr. Hall was the top choice. “I knew if Mr. Hall was interested, that is the direction we would want to be going, because he has a skill set that fits us,” Head of School Scott Griggs said. “He knows us, so he knows the people, the challenges, and the players. It is a great way to promote him to a senior administrative position and to have his voice around that table.” Mr. Hall is thinking of how he will tackle the position. “When I was approached, I was a little hesitant, but after conversation with Mr. Griggs about how the position can change into something more in line to what I was thinking, I got more excited about it,” Mr. Hall said. “The first thing I want to do is expand the scope of the position so that it serves all three divisions. My goal is to have my face as recognizable in the Middle School and Lower Schools as it is in the Upper School.” Mr. Griggs does not want Mr. Hall confined to his office. Mr. Hall will be in the classrooms and community at large, making sure what is being taught has multicultural content. “Every hour he sits in his office, while he will have to do it some, is really a missed opportunity to teach and learn and interact with students in grades pre-K through 12,” Mr. Griggs said.
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enee Barber, second grade teacher, will leave Greenhill after four years as a substitute teacher and two as a second grade teacher. Mrs. Barber plans to go back to college in order to finish her graduate degree in education. She then plans to tutor the students individually. Currently, Mrs. Barber teaches second grade math, reading, writing, and social studies. She loves working with children, because she finds it a rewarding and encouraging job. “As I leave Greenhill, I will always remember the warm hugs and smiles I received each day from the students I’ve taught over the last six years,” Mrs. Barber said. Even once she has left Greenhill, Mrs. Barber hopes to visit again with her son, eighth grader Matthew Barber, who will also leave this year. I hope to visit Greenhill in the coming years to see how my second graders have continued to grow,” she said.
Mr. Griggs and Mr. Hall changed the position’s title from Director of Multicultural Programs to Director of Equity and Inclusion. This changes the focus from solely racial and ethnic diversity to socioeconomic diversity as well. “In our programs we want to make sure we include students from all different backgrounds and make sure everybody is on an even playing field,” Mr. Griggs said. The goal of diversity will always be important to Greenhill. “I want diversity to be the norm.” Mr. Hall said. “We are having conversations about how we move forward and we need to increase our honest conversations about how we solve the problem. If we maintain our pursuit of frank conversations about diversity issues, it will allow us to be more proactive, less reactive.” Mr. Hall leaves his position as Dean of Students with mixed emotions. “I will truly miss being the Dean. I am ready for the new challenge and I am excited, but I am going to miss the immediate access to the students, and them being able to knock on my door and know that I am always here,” Mr. Hall said. Mr. Hall will continue to teach three trimester electives. “Continuing teaching was a non-negotiable part [of taking this position.] It will help me stay connected to the Upper School,” he said. There was no nationwide search for a new Dean of Students. After Mr. Hall was promoted, Mr. Oros approached Mr. Griggs about the position of Dean of Students. “So many things I do now are student-based, so working with the students closely [as the Dean of Students] seemed like the natural thing to do. I want to have a direct impact on the students in the Upper School,” said Mr. Oros. Mr. Griggs agreed that Mr. Oros would be a good fit for the job, and after a few informal meetings, he appointed Mr. Oros. “We have a new head of Upper School coming in from outside, so I wanted somebody from inside who knows how things work and who will be able to work well with [new Head of Upper School, Laura Ross] and [Assistant Head of Upper School, Rebecca Shuman],” Mr. Griggs said.
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n June, Natascha Tworke, Middle School history teacher, will return to her native Germany after two years at Greenhill to resume a previous position at Kaufmaennische Schulen Marburg Upper School. “It is really bittersweet. I will miss the students and my colleagues so much. Greenhill will always be my favorite school in the world,” Ms. Tworke said. “I love the fact that Greenhill is such an inclusive and accepting community. It is also a great pleasure and an honor to be able to learn from so many excellent teachers and extraordinarily talented individuals. I also feel very grateful for what I have been able to experience and learn,” she said. Stories by Bradley Aptilon, Tanisha Gupta, Varun Gupta, Geli Kane, Ben Krakow, Sofia Shirley, Richa Sinkre, Lauren Stock, and Sera Tuz Photos by Jocelyn Lee and Mary Lo