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St. David’s
When Passion Meets Profession It’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. Loving the life of learning, faculty bring personal inspiration into their classrooms.
The Teacher Becomes the Student From Kenya to New York, China to New Mexico, faculty pursue the love of their subjects and bring back life experiences that enrich themselves and their classrooms.
Faculty Stories
What inspires the faculty at St. David’s? Faculty stories give insight into the heart and soul behind the face in front of the classroom.
St. David’s Snapshot is a periodical publication that highlights the unique ways in which St. David’s School strives to fulfill its mission of preparing young men and women for college and life in the vital areas of faith, virtue, and knowledge.
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s n I t a h T s d in M d e Spirit
ne (1533Michel de Montaig er ph so ilo ph d an t essayis The great French wearin it is content, or of he 1592) once wrote: w d in m e th of n ntractio piring and going “It is a sign of co itself; it is always as in ith w s op st r ve ne d ent…Its ness. A spirited min powers of achievem its nd yo be s lse pu bi; it has im nder, the chase, am wo is beyond its strength od fo its ; rm fo ently of ess and without structured independ pursuits are boundl rld wo a In . ys) ssa E ience,” The telian agenda—in guity” (“Of Exper more or less Aristo a d rte se as ne ig ta to reason), on ith preference given dividual opinions, M in (w e d an nc rie ns io pe pt ex m d su an as reason is combination of rough the sources of e value of tr uth. Th em pr su e th other words, that th to r he or ” but also is tiveness leads him the “spirited mind, isi es qu riz in te l ac ra ar tu ch na ’s ly an on m rning not the discovery of and experiential lea es this approach to ish er ch ol ho cognitive wrestling Sc ’s id entically scholarship. St. Dav less the faculty auth of un s k ar om m ro y ss ar cla im e pr th e th ident in uld not be readily ev tr uth; however, it wo sionally. s you read rsonally and profes of our teachers. A pe s]” th d[ in bo m it, ed ed rit tic pi ac “s pr the ng love of learnshot is dedicated to mon theme: a lifelo m co a This edition of Snap r te un co en s to be used will d benefit from fund ion of articles, you ct an r lle fo co y e pl th ap h ay ug m ro th lty rsonal e Knott Grant, facu r classroom. The pe th he h or ug s ro hi th d , ar an r ye h he ing. Eac n are includrich both the teac professional passio search that will en a re e er fin m re m or su ill ds sk ar w w to a ne fresh sought to develop ent” are particularly ho w ud st w a fe g a ein of “b es of nc experie the memories researching, pages. Additionally, urses—their tales of co l ve -le te ua ad gr ed in the following in , bale currently enrolled licate, but rewarding ar de is ho th w , of lty e cu ps fa l im ra gl for seve ams provide a n highlights and studying for ex finally, this publicatio nd A t. en ud st a d dissertation-writing, n they an sly being a teacher of our teachers whe e ou ne tim ta d ul an sim ds in of t m e ac ancing d encompass th as a whole. es which engage an es our community nc ha en er rth fu ch some of the activiti ol, whi e notable in ic halls of the scho here is nothing mor “T d, ke ar m are not in the academ re ne ig g, and d grayer Monta rn music and dancin lea to , an m d Later on, an older an ol an n he was he found time, whe Socrates than that bre, I hope that spent.” In this tim thought it time well tellectual rtraits of spirited, in po lty cu fa g in w llo d the the fo students, parents, an to te ra st on m de lp “waltzing” he limit, curiosity wonder has no age at th ity un m m co r ening greate t of tr uth is strength ui rs pu e th d an s,” is “boundles d and the spirit. and vital to the min
Hollis Amley Dean of Faculty
seniors of Byzantine art with Discussing the nuances keeps ley Am Munster, Miss Jaime Park and Jacob ry sto Hi t Ar AP ve in her the spirit of inquir y ali class.
On the cover: Standing in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in front of the Forbidden City, World Cultures teacher Mary Mills experiences the Far East first hand. How her travels to China have impacted her teaching are covered on pages 6-7 of this issue.
Faculty Stories: Calling and Mission Corporate R&D just wasn’t enough Researching the properties of chemical compounds in glue for Franklin International Chemical Company was intriguing, but when Norma Pedersen went to grad school, a crystallizing moment of realization changed everything. Fulfilling a requirement for her degree, Norma had to teach a lab for NC State’s Biochemistry 551 class. “We were cloning part of a gene in a dark room with students. When they succeeded, I was so excited along with them, that it was like a switch went off in my head: ‘Dang! I’m a teacher!’” She should have known --
after all, even when she was a child, Norma used to “play teacher” and helped her Dad grade his papers. But it’s much more than that. Seeing students discover the “mind-blowing way that it all fits together” is what motivates her to teach. To this day, Mrs. Pedersen feels that deep satisfaction. Over the summer, she got a call from a recent graduate who got a 5 on the AP Chemistry exam. He was crying and thanking her for working them so hard and inspiring him to achieve so much. “Yup, it’s my calling,” she said with a smile.
Norma Pedersen Upper School Chemistry
Lifelong learning inseparable from faith “We used to joke that we were putting a limit on how many museums our dad could take us to,” said Julia Lederhouse with a smile. Coming from a long line of professors, learning as a part of life was just how she was raised. After receiving a degree from Wheaton, Julia spent several years teaching in the Chicago public schools, and she was dismayed at how she was forced to separate faith from learning.
She wanted a place that valued a rigorous education while encouraging the integration of faith in the classroom. “Does a place like that really exist?” she asked herself. After a nationwide search, she found St. David’s. “I feel like I’m a whole person again,” said Miss Lederhouse. “I immediately realized that I’ve found a place that reflects the educational principles that I truly believe in.”
Combat lends clarity to calling As a US Marine infantryman stationed in Okinawa, Japan, Timothy Pitts had one thing on his mind: working his way into a special operations recon unit. That was until a defining moment gave him pause about his direction in life. “You are going to be a teacher.” All by itself, unprompted by any obvious circumstance, that phrase popped into his head. How exactly that would play out wasn’t clear -- until he was called to serve in combat. Shortly thereafter, Lance Corporal Pitts found himself in a war zone, and as a result ended
up with a medical discharge. As a part of his re-training program, the Veterans Administration had him take an aptitude test. “Well, you’re suited to be a horticulturist or a history teacher,” they announced. Timothy chose the latter. Having earned his degrees in history and teaching, Dr. Pitts spent years looking for the best match, professionally. He has found it here at St. David’s. “We engage the world academically at the very highest levels,” he explained; “and we do so as Christians.”
Julia Lederhouse Middle School Math
Timothy Pitts, Ph.D. Upper School Principal
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From skydiving to seminary, Brazil to Camino de Santiago, faculty bring real-life inspiration into their classrooms
eaching about foreign cultures is one thing. Experiencing them for yourself is, well, a lifestyle for Matt Offner, teacher and lifelong learner of foreign languages and culture. “I enjoy leaving my comfort zone and seeing the world through others’ eyes,” explained Matt, who holds a bachelors and masters in language education and is balancing the pursuit of two additional degrees in the field. Mr. Offner not only speaks Spanish and Portuguese, he travels to Central and South America, Spain and other regions in his quest to fulfill his passion. Matt’s wife, Marina, hails from Brazil, and as such he has gotten an inside view of another culture in his travels there. From the time he was involved in a study abroad program in college, Matt had dreamed of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage -- the “Way of St. John” -- which has been traveled by Christian pilgrims since medieval times through the mountains of Spain. Matt finally got the opportunity to embark on the spiritual trek and spent five weeks immersed in the culture as he encountered fellow pilgrims from all over the world. Mr. Offner also involves students in his travels; every year he co-leads a mission trip with Miss Sarah Jane Keegan to Guatemala. While he enjoys exposing students to the language and culture, what he appreciates the most “is pouring [himself] into the kids who go.” Whether it’s on his own travels or while leading a group of students, Matt Offner continues to deepen his passion for world beyond himself and bring that passion into his profession. osh Honeycutt could teach almost anything. Scientists don’t typically hold master’s degrees in biblical studies or claim the History Channel as their favorite. And having recently finished War and Peace, Crime
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and Punishment, Moby Dick, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables, The Brothers Karamazov, and Fountainhead, Mr. Honeycutt is a living demonstration that learning is a thirst that he must quench, not just a part of his profession. Josh explained that one of his most passionate desires is pairing his quest for scientific discovery with biblical studies, and “to exegete biblical passages with greater understanding.” To that end, he decided to go to seminary. He recently received his master’s degree in Christian Studies with an emphasis on biblical languages -- yes, he also knows Greek and Hebrew! Mr. Honeycutt’s classroom is a clear reflection of his holistic, experiential approach. “Most of my classes are done back there,” explained Josh, pointing to his science lab, overflowing with technology and scientific instruments. For his students, it’s all about discovery. “I love when a student figures out other ways to accomplish the goals of a lab,” he explained. Recently a group of middle school students approached Mr. Honeycutt during an impulse lab: “Would we be able to find the force based on the acceleration from reading the velocity graph, instead of the way you showed us?” A big smile crept across his face as he realized that while he hadn’t taught this to his class, he had prepared them to discover it. “Yes! That’s exactly what you could do!” The spirit of discovery and the insatiable thirst for knowledge has become contagious in Mr. Honeycutt’s classroom. kydiving is just one of the adventures that third grade teacher Anna VandenEnde has engaged in. Her love of music and art meet her adventuresome nature and are organically integrated into her classroom -- and out of the classroom she brings it all together as she swings a hammer and hangs drywall with her husband while they renovate their home. Her creativity coupled with her love of adventure plays out in her daily life with the children. No, Mrs. VandenEnde hasn’t taken her third graders skydiving, But her class is always engaged in adventuresome discovery, whether it be combining art and music with writing or math, or starting each day singing along with her guitar. St. David’s offers Anna the freedom to not only include these passions in her teaching, but to integrate her faith while doing so. “It’s not a checklist of Christian things you have to do,” Anna explained. “I can be myself and let my faith come through naturally.” She noted the uniqueness of St. David’s as a place with “very high standard in academics, and the ability to be a Christian in your teaching.”
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Strumming her guitar as the students sing along, Mrs. VandenEnde incorporates her artistic passion into her teaching.
Using a Lab Quest 2 sensor data interface to determine a Hot Wheels car’s velocity at the end of the track, under Mr. Honeycutt’s guidance, eighth graders Anissa Deol, Elizabeth Webb, Parker York, Matthew Marting, and Justin Hudson measure how much mechanical energy is conserved in the process. Mr. Honeycutt’s classes spend a significant amount of time engaged in the inquiry and discovery process in the lab.
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Mr. Matt Offner pauses from his work to spend time with the children of a Guatemalan family he was serving. He and St. David’s students built a stove and chimney to replace the open fire pit that had been the family’s kitchen stove. One of the thousands of crosses on the Camino de Santiago acts as the backdrop as Matt takes a photo with a fellow pilgrim. Heading out to view the Portuguese city of Castelo Branco from the air, Matt is towed down the runway on his hang glider.
Knott Faculty Development Fund sends faculty abroad
The Teacher Becomes the Student
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ntomology in the Black Hills of South Dakota, history on Hadrian’s Wall, Shakespeare in Stratford, England – these are all real-world learning experiences that our faculty have engaged in through the Joe and Sarah Knott Faculty Development Fund. Grants are awarded every year to fund the pursuit of study, research, or other enriching activities. This year, faculty traveled to the corners of the globe including Kenya, China, New Mexico, and New York to become a student once again.
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wahili, the working language in most East African countries, was not new for modern languages teacher Steve Harrell, but he found himself re-learning it during his trip to Nairobi, Kenya. The trip brought Mr. Harrell back to the classrooms of his childhood where he grew up in a missionary family, and he also discovered himself in his students’ shoes as a language learner once again. “Relearning Swahili and trying to use it whenever I could reminds me of how my level-three students feel when they are placed in an immersion classroom
and expected to communicate exclusively in French or Spanish. Being immersed myself in that kind of humbling situation keeps me honest and empathetic as a language teacher, and pushes me to come up with new ways to motivate and encourage students as they attempt to accomplish what I know they are capable of, even if they are not always sure they can.” As is often the case with travel abroad, unanticipated experiences capture something within us and make lasting impression. For Steve, it was traveling with members from Africa Exchange,
Using principles Mrs. Palpant learned at the Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University, she exclaimed, “It has been so exciting to watch my students ENJOY writing and have success with the things we are trying.” Here she works with second grade student Asha Patel, helping her develop a writing assignment.
The Longaiwan Child Development Center is miles deep into the Kenyan “bush”, and Mr. Steve Harrell met his brother and the Kenyan director to explore the agricultural initiatives which help the center sustain itself. Pictured with his wife, sons, and committee that runs the school, Mr. Harrell’s Kenyan experience was not only an enlightening educational experience, but also a return to his childhood home where he was a “missionary kid.”
Mary Katz and Menglei Yu in Beijing.
a non-profit organization working to establish integrated child development centers throughout Kenya. “The most emotional visits,” Steve explains, “were to the preschools, like the one on the edges of the vast Kibera slum in Nairobi, where my sister-in-law teaches crafts once a week. At each center we were greeted warmly by the director and teachers, twice with a choreographed song from the children, then given a tour of the classes in session in small but brightly decorated rooms located in cinder block-walled, tin-roofed buildings that accommodated scores of disadvantaged children who were nonetheless intensely eager to learn, without many materials other than paper and pencils. I was deeply inspired by the teachers, mostly young Kenyan Christians who were dedicated to these rural or slum children who would never make it in primary school without this preparation. I was humbled by the scarcity of supplies and resources, the challenges among the families the children came from, especially in Kibera slum, where a group Children from the Longaiwan Child Development Center in Kenya
of teachers served a class of physically or mentally disabled children with such grace and love. I thought of my own fortunate teaching situation at St. David’s, of my students who have everything they need to learn and thrive, and resolved to somehow communicate to them how blessed they are.” hina was Mary Katz’s destination, where she attended China GPS (Global Positioning Summer). She encountered her subject matter first hand while leading students on a trip of discovery and development. “I hoped to gain insight into Chinese culture to elevate my Asia units for my own classroom as well as investigate the program for our own upper school students at St. David’s,” she said. GPS partners with professors and students at the Central University of Finance and Economics. This group of students is referred to as the “Beijing Olympics Generation;” they are the modern generation that has only seen China as a country of growth, and so their goals and values are much more globalized than previous generations in China. “I was actually surprised how in touch they were with the world.” Mary remarked, “China has truly experienced an ‘opening-up’ as they called it, and interacting with this group taught me a lot about how China has grown as well as my own stereotypes of this group of people. As much as I communicate to my students the importance of searching beyond cultural stereotypes, my travels proved that I still had some myself! My students this year know how important interactions with China will be in the coming years, and I told them many stories about a woman I met there, Menglei Yu, whom I fondly referred to as “my Chinese friend, Leslie.” The frank conversations I had and continue to have with Leslie are integral to my own understanding of the Chinese people, and this real life connection has inspired
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my instruction. It was amazing to have this opportunity to learn from another group of people so different from my own. Truly, that’s what a class called ‘World Cultures’ should be all about!” each the writer, not the writing,” said Lucy Calkins, Director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University. This nugget of truth has changed the philosophy of writing instruction for second grade teacher Tammi Palpant: “Those words helped me to realize that I needed to teach my students to be independent writers, not just spoon-feed them steps for a specific assignment. That paradigm shift has revolutionized my writing instruction as well as my students’ enthusiasm for the subject. In my second grade class, I am seeing some of the best results I have ever seen in my 22 years of teaching.” The goal of Mrs. Palpant’s writing institute experience at Columbia University was to give the participants authentic writing and teaching experiences, so that they would return to their classrooms prepared to help their students achieve success as authors. “We were forced to do what we ask our students to do, including daily writing assignments. It was very humbling to put myself in the place of my students and see through their eyes. It made me think about my motives, my words, and my actions. Do I really treat each student as though they are made in the image of God? Teach the child of God, not the student. Perhaps that lesson was the most valuable one I learned.” The Knott Grant continues to be a valuable tool in the development of our faculty -- faculty who see learning as a way of life for themselves, not just a requirement for their students.
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Did you know?
They’re real people, too -- in unique ways you might not suspect... It might surprise you to learn that upper school math teacher Mr. Ben Wood has scored two holes-in-one in his lifetime. It might not surprise you quite as much, however, that he was only one small step from entering an entirely different career -- as an FBI agent.
History and Greek language teacher Dr. Gil Greggs once befriended a fellow dorm mate while attending Amherst College. He later discovered that his friend was Prince Albert of Monaco, son of Rainier III, prince of Monaco and legendary actress Grace Kelly.
Math Department Chair Dr. Titus Sfirlea was not always a mathematician. He escaped from Communist Romania at age 18, and as he didn’t know much English, he chose to major in the universal language of math. The first English book he read was The Hobbit. “Did You Know” was written by Spencer Paige ’13
St. David’s School 3400 White Oak Road Raleigh, NC 27609 Return Receipt Requested
College and Life
Alumnus and decorated US Army officer Gareth Scott ’06 shares how the faculty at St. David’s prepared him for the rigors that he would face
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod
“Six years after graduating, I can still see the impact that St. David’s has had on my life,” said 1LT Gareth Scott during his recent visit back to campus for the Veterans Day Commemoration. “The faith foundation that St. David’s nurtured has been a cornerstone for getting me through many challenges during the last several years.” Gareth’s challenges included not only the rigors of West Point, Airborne School, and Ranger School, but combat tours of duty in Afghanistan as well. Whether he was bridging cultural gaps with Afghan locals or leading his infantry reconnaissance platoon as a part of the 82nd Airborne Division, Lieutenant Scott said he has “relied heavily” on his Christian foundation and the understanding of the world that he gained at St. David’s. While here on campus, Gareth took a few moments to reflect on his years at St. David’s and how the examples taught by the faculty, both intentional and unintentional, still influence his life today. “Without question, every member of the faculty serves as a role model for the student body to emulate,” said Gareth. “St. David’s teachers all come from a strong faith background and both in and out of the classroom their faith is evident. This provides a unique environment in which teachers can openly discuss religious topics with students and have real educated discussions. Regardless of denomination, every teacher at St. David’s lives their life according to the morals established by Christ, both in and out of the academic setting.” Academically, Gareth attributes much of his college success and career direction to his teachers at St. David’s. “I was
lucky enough to have Mrs. Ellie Maines as my math teacher for three of my four years in high school,” he recalled. “In those years she taught me Algebra II/Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB, and AP Calculus BC. In a subject that very few students pick up easily, Mrs. Maines had such a passion for the subject that she made the subject fun, and I actually looked forward to her classes. She made me comfortable with the subject and want to continue to improve my skills, which was a major factor in me choosing to major in Civil Engineering while at West Point.” In addition to the specific classes he took, Gareth cites the rigor of the St. David’s curriculum as “the best preparation for West Point. The level and speed with which new material was presented in class was comparable to that of freshmen level courses at West Point, allowing for a very smooth transition.” At St. David’s he took AP Chemistry, where the Thayer Method of teaching was used. This method of teaching puts the full burden of learning on the student, requiring the student to learn new material on their own initiative, and then devoting classroom time to answering questions on the new material. While this method required a lot of adjustment for Gareth, he was pleasantly surprised at how well that prepared him for college when discovered that the Thayer Method originated at West Point and every class is taught in that manner. Gareth has moved on to make a difference in the world around him in profound ways, but he still looks back to his time spent with the faculty at St. David’s as a key formative experience in his and the school’s success: “As a school community, the responsibility of internalizing and in turn implementing the mission of St. David’s rests squarely on the shoulders of the faculty. In that sense, the success of St. David’s over the past 40 years, and especially over the last 20, is a direct reflection of the quality of the teachers employed by the school.”