The Sumner/Larsen Excellence in Teaching Faculty Award—An Investment in Our Teachers

Kit Sumner ’64 thinks of the faculty award that bears his name as the Nobel Prize for teachers. So when he asked longtime friend and fellow Rowland Hall parent Kurt Larsen to join him in sponsoring the yearly recognition, Kurt’s answer was an immediate yes.

“He wanted to find someone who has a long-term and ongoing connection to the school,” said Kurt, “and someone with a deep appreciation for the faculty here.”

For almost 40 years, the Sumner Family Faculty Award, as it was first named when it was established by Kit and his wife, Molly, in 1985, has recognized members of the faculty from all divisions with a cash honorarium, presented at graduation. “When Molly and I set up the award, we wanted to showcase the winners—the lifeblood of Rowland Hall is its faculty,” said Kit. “The winners should be celebrated and held up as a model for other teachers. Kurt was more than motivated to join for the same reasons.”

And that partnership with Kurt, which began this year, not only ensures that Kit and Molly’s vision will continue on, but that recipients will receive a more substantial award in gratitude for the high quality of their work.

“This award is about excellence in teaching, about engaging students on a daily basis and helping them learn how to contribute positively to their community,” said Kurt.

The desire of both Kit and Kurt to fund a faculty award speaks to their enduring bonds with Rowland Hall and its educational mission. Kit graduated from St. Mark’s School in the 1960s, and both men have served on the Board of Trustees, Kit as board chair from 1987 to 1991. They both watched their children—and, in Kit and Molly’s case, grandchildren—excel as students here, and they know that the teachers who lead classrooms every day are the heart of the school and the community.

“The faculty is really what makes Rowland Hall,” Kurt said. “This is a great environment, but everything that happens here is all driven by the bodies in the building.”

AWARDEES REFLECT ON RECOGNITION

The Sumner/Larsen Excellence in Teaching Faculty Award acknowledges the work done by teachers, and is valued not only by the recipients but also by their community of peers. This feeling of support becomes the overarching feeling of the beneficiaries.

It is very special, validating, and humbling to hear what is said about you before receiving this award. This is a moment one remembers and feels very deeply. It is also an honor to be recognized as a teacher among so many other teachers deserving of this award. After receiving this award, there is definitely a sense of duty to live up to those words every day you teach, to try to be your best self and to impact the community positively.

— Isabelle Buhler, 4PreK lead teacher

I loved getting the award. Even more so, though, I loved seeing other people receive it. It was an amazing feeling of how supportive the faculty group was of whomever was recognized, and watching how pleased that person was being recognized.

— Jeanne Zeigler, former Lower School teacher, trustee

I loved knowing that my efforts were noticed by my administration. They had notified my family, so they were there to see me being celebrated—that meant a lot to me. My favorite part of it all was the high-fives from students and parents as I went back to my seat.

— Mary Lawlor, sixth-grade English teacher

It’s always my favorite part of graduation. It’s a moment for faculty to celebrate one of our own, and it meant a lot to the body of teachers to hear the recipient announced and see the joy on their faces. When I received it, it was humbling to be recognized by the administration. It meant a lot to me to know the community valued my contributions.

— Doug Wortham, retired Upper School French teacher