The Gilman News Graduation Issue

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THE June 10, 2018

Gilman School

Sam Bloomberg After thirty-eight years of teaching at Gilman, Mr. Dan Christian will be stepping down from his post as a freshman English teacher and will work only part time, teaching his two senior electives: Dante and Dickens. Mr. Christian has left a profound impact at Gilman implementing and teaching the word of poet Dante Alighieri in all of his classes. Mr. Christian started working at Gilman in 1980 when he was going to St. Mary’s Seminary. Looking for money to pay for his tuition, he took a part-time job teaching religion and coaching basketball. Knowing he was looking for a full-time job, then Athletic Director, Mr. Sherm Bristow, and then Head of the English Department, Mr. Allison Downs, told Headmaster Redmond C.S. Finney that he could teach English. According to Mr. Christian, “What they didn’t know was that at that point in my life, and I was only 27 years old, I had only read four novels my entire life because I didn’t take English particularly seriously.” In the summer preceding his first year teaching English at Gilman, Mr. Christian started to read the books that he was going to teach. “It was like Dorothy walking out of by

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Dan(te)’s Final Canto the house from black and white to color. It was like the whole world just opened up. It was, I mean, it sounds hokey and it sounds kind of dramatic, but it was like, oh my goodness, there’s so much out there.” From there, Mr. Christian became a staple at Gilman when he asked Mr. Downs if he could teach an elective during each trimester on Dante, C.S. Lewis, and Dickens. His electives gained more and more popularity over the years and because of that he will be teaching his Dante elective for the 37th year. Mr. Christian states that “getting to hang out with Dante has been the best unexpected grace in my life by far. As a teacher, I’ve been lucky in my life on lots of levels, but getting to hang out with Dante, with Gilman guys and go to paradise every year [nears the top].” In commemoration of his forthcoming retirement, Mr. Christian was honored with the May Holmes Service Award on April 28th. According to the Gilman website, this award “is given to a faculty member who has served the School in a distinguished manner and meritorious fashion.” For decades, Mr. Christian distinguished himself from other Gilman Faculty members by creating a classroom environment revolving around conversation and becoming a true part of the

Getting to hang out with Dante has been the best unexpected grace in my life by far. As a teacher, I’ve been lucky in my life and lots of levels, but getting a hang out with Dante, with Gilman guys and go to paradise every year [nears the top].

Greg Diette

After graduating from Gilman eleven years ago, Mr. Omar Brown (‘07) is sadly leaving the Gilman community once again. Mr. Brown explained, “It’s funny, my mom always told me that I was going to be a teacher, but I never believed her.” Luckily for Gilman, he returned as a Middle School teacher in 2015 and moved to the Upper School the following year. Mr. Brown has showcased his versatility in the classroom during his time here as he has taught five different courses: English for grades six, seven, and eight, eighth grade World Religions, and ninth grade World Cultures. He explained that he does not have a favorite class to teach, but he states that he “was a philosophy major in undergrad and teaching world religion and the theory behind it was

Volume CXVII No. 6

Photo Courtesy of Gilman.edu book, allowing the books to become a part of you. Davis Liddell (‘19) comments, “He truly sets himself apart from other English teachers by delving in-depth into each small moment in a book. He can make any seemingly insignificant moment become monumental. This really shows his passion for not only reading but also experiencing the books.” Experiencing the book is part of Mr. Christian’s philosophy as a teacher as he states, “People have asked me, well, how can [you keep teaching this], don’t you get bored with it? [And I answer] You’re doing the same thing each year. I’m a year older each time and I will have never read it with you. It’s brand new, completely brand new, because you have never been in this class before. This minute has never happened before. It’s this brand new as you can imagine. So getting to do it with new kids every year [is] like literally getting to go through a brand new year, brand new door and paradise gets bigger and brighter every single year because new kids are bringing in their heads and

hearts to it.” Although Mr. Christian isn’t parting from Gilman completely, he defines this move as retirement. “Except I’m going to retire and then I have a year opportunity to still read Dante with Gilman guys and Bryn Mawr and Roland Park girls and Dickens with them and coach one more year of frosh-soph basketball.” In his words, this is an “awesome opportunity for [him] to segway gently” into a new chapter of his life. What this new chapter entails is yet to be determined, but Mr. Christian does not see himself teaching once again in a classroom setting. Using author Charles Dickens as an example, he says that “The key virtues for Charles Dickens’ [characters] is when things are going well in their lives because they are happy and useful.” While he doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do next, he wants to continue to be happy and useful. Learning from author and philosopher Sam Keen “I have learned one important thing in my life – how to begin again.”

Westward Brown very interesting with [young students].” all of the students he has taught. Mr. Brown is praised for his kind and Mr. Matt Baum (‘93), The Head of patient nature, as one of his previous stu- the History Department, also praised Mr. Brown’s dents, Aaron c h a r a c t e r, L ieb er explaining, m a n (‘20), “First of all, stressed that he is just “he was very about the open and n ic e s t g uy f r iend ly to you will ever the students meet. I was and just had a lso rea lly a really great impre ssed relationship from the with everystar t, even one.” Aaron t hough he a d d e d , “ It Photo Courtesy of Gilman.edu wa s new to felt l i ke he was just a another student who knew the upper school, he was really innovaway more than us.” Mr. Brown’s kind, tive, especially with use of technology. calming nature will surely be missed by He just helped right [away] and helped

so many teachers that had been here for a while.” Mr. Baum also emphasized that the History Departement will miss “his easy going manner [and] his sense of humor.” Furthermore, Mr. Baum states that “[the teachers in the History Department] all just enjoy talking history with him, talking teaching with him, [and] talking about Gilman issues with him.” Finally, in the words of Mr. Baum, “even though he is so young,” Mr. Brown “has been involved in so many parts of Gilman.” Mr. Brown’s impact on Gilman is more profound than just teaching a history or english class, as he has enjoyed his time coaching both intramural basketball as well as spring fitness. Thomas Muhly (‘19), an intramural basketball veteran, spoke about Coach Brown, saying, “As an intramural basketball icon, I have seen

see “Brown,” page 4

OPINION Will Dowling on the Club Schedule (pg. 2) : College Matriculation (pg. 5) EXCLUSIVES Clark Dowling Discusses the Fortnite Craze (pg. 3) : Crossword by Michael Brittingham (pg. 7)


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