Loomis Welcomes Penn Fellows
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OINING a consortium of nine boarding schools, Loomis Chaffee has hosted four fellows in the Penn Residency Master’s in Teaching Program during the last two years, a collaboration that has benefitted the school on many levels.
The program, part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, enrolls 50 master’s degree candidates, who serve as classroom instructors at each of the member boarding schools. Understanding that successful teacher training includes theory, practice, and support, the residency program enables fellows to put theory into practice in the classroom, mentored by experienced faculty. “One of the major motivations for taking part in the Penn Residency program is to recruit the very best candidates to be on our teaching faculty,” notes Andrew Matlack, Loomis associate dean of faculty. In addition to attracting a flood of promising applicants for teaching fellow positions, Loomis’ participation enables the school to connect with Penn fellows at other consor-
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The residency program enables fellows to put theory into practice in the classroom, mentored by experienced faculty.
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tium schools. The fellows and their faculty mentors meet for instruction and professional development at Penn’s Philadelphia campus and at member schools several times over the two-year program. The program also benefits current Loomis faculty. Scott MacClintic ’82, director of the Henry R. Kravis ’63
Penn Fellow Stephen Saccheti helps a student with a math problem. Photo: John Groo
Center for Excellence in Teaching, cites the “trickle-up” effect that the fellows have on professional development. Loomis faculty mentors gain exposure to the latest pedagogy and classroom techniques through their interaction, he says, and the fellows share new ideas, discuss teaching challenges, and participate in faculty meetings, all of which further invigorate the school’s approach to teaching. The fellows’ contributions to both the teaching atmosphere and campus life at Loomis have been highly regarded. Math teacher Stephen Sacchetti and Spanish teacher Marc Cardwell completed their degrees this spring and accepted positions as full faculty members at Loomis for the 2015–16 school year. They presented their Action Research Projects, a degree requirement sim-
ilar to a thesis, to the Loomis faculty in May. Fellows Ashley Hansberry, a computer science teacher, and Sophia Rabb, an English teacher, completed their first year in the program this spring and will continue next year at Loomis. Two new fellows will arrive on the Island in the fall. Rashaa Fletcher, a graduate of Amherst College, will teach psychology, and George Ramirez, a graduate of Yale, will teach physics. “The ultimate goal of our participation in the Penn Residency program is to provide Loomis students access to the highest quality classroom experience with teachers who are well-trained, who are committed to continuous development, and who inspire students to achieve their potential,” Andrew says.
Visiting Potter Mentors Ceramics Students
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ISITING Artist Tamara Cameron of Burlington, Vermont, spent time on the Island working with and among students in Jennifer McCandless’s ceramics classes in the Richmond Art Center May 11–13.
Artist Tamara Cameron with juniors Wilson Kaplan and Lorenzo Giannamore. Photo: Christine Coyle
A seasoned potter who specializes in handbuilding, creating three-dimensional forms from flat slabs of clay, Ms. Cameron is an instructor at the University of Vermont Living & Learning
Pottery Co-op. She worked with a group of Loomis students in creating mugs from slabs of clay. Having grown up on the coast of Nova Scotia, Ms. Cameron acknowledges that the colors and textures of her work are influenced by her seaside heritage. For a link to Ms. Cameron’s website, go to www. loomischaffee.org/ magazine.
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