A T THE Heart of Pegasus

Tita Nguyen

Caring little if anyone else notices, Luke Rin g sees his sister Charlotte across campus, runs to embrace her and instantly receives the reward he bestowed upon himself and his younger sibling. Thirdgrade teacher Chressa Fancher has known Luke to be “kind and helpful to all his classmates.” She considers Luke an “always polite, amazing young man with a huge heart.” When his fourth-grade environmental class, studying native tribes, was tasked with selecting a leader with good judgment and character, they collectively decided he would serve well, perhaps in affirmation of his spontaneous kindness to them.

Pam Conti, Director of Environmental Sustainability, reflects how difficult it would be for all three children in one family to be “the whole package of kindness, goodness, and humor,” but confirms Sam, Charlotte, and Luke deliver. First-grade teacher Shelley Ward affirms Charlotte is equally gracious with her time and support for others, always caring and generously lending help under any circumstances, even if those circumstances are not necessarily ideal for her.

All three extroverts enjoy hiking, biking, surfing, snorkeling, basketball, flag football, lacrosse, baseball, golf, dance, swimming and softball. You name the activity, they can, and do, have fun playing it. Even in a competitive environment, they each thrive from being a teammate, helping others, working with people, and are being spontaneously kind in the process. Luke, Sam and Charlotte look to parents, Molly and Seth Ring, and cousins, alumni Maggie Pietsch ’15, a prior Sullivan award recipient, and Ellie Pietsch ’12, for great guidance and modeling. But, the Ring siblings are already themselves revealing their own strong foundation of good character and nature. Confucius said, “When there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character.”

Even a short visit to Lisa Cal vin ’s eighth-grade science classroom will have any watchful visitor feeling her enthusiasm for teaching and her experience as a scientist. Always loving math and science, this college-trained geologist also fell in love with teaching when she began tutoring fellow students. Armed with another passion, Calvin obtained a teaching credential and a master’s degree in education. Until 2011, she taught earth science, chemistry, and physics to high schoolers at Mater Dei. Thereafter, she began making a difference for curious Pegasus scientists.

In keeping with the Pegasus spirit, Calvin’s teaching philosophy is simple — prepare Pegasus graduates with challenging curriculum that will equip them to be responsible students to meet future challenges, such as honors and advanced placement science, with skilled confidence. She acknowledges the work of her colleagues who pave this path for students. For example, Jamie Kunze-Thibeau teaches her sixth-grade class to write a laboratory report together as a class, and in Julie Warren’s seventh-grade class, smaller student groups complete laboratory

reports. By eighth grade, students will have independently recorded their own high school science level curriculum. Her enthusiasm and experience is marked by how she prepares daily for her classroom and adapts to her students’ needs, whether by spending more time to ensure success or assigning work in advance to spark curiosity. Alumna Sierra Green ’16, current high school senior, and newly published scientific author, well illustrates Calvin's dedication. Noting Sierra’s ambitious seventh-grade Spark Day chemistry project, Calvin allowed Sierra to utilize the lab and supervised Sierra’s experiment. As Sierra reflects, Mrs. Calvin “saved” her in AP Chemistry!

And it seems Calvin is just as inspired by her students as she is inspiring, describing Pegasus children as appreciative, advanced, and fun to teach. Calvin often finds that Pegasus students exceed expectations and successfully transform into scientists capable of grasping complex scientific principles.

Legendary martial artist Bruce Lee said, "Knowledge will give you power, but character respect." While ardently learning, Sasch a Pir gh ibi is also steadfastly earning the respect of his Pegasus community. Last year, his teachers and peers demonstrated their appreciation for his good character by rewarding him with the Sullivan award. While maintaining an excellent academic standard, Sascha represents Pegasus on the Associated Student Body Council, as well as competitively, in soccer, flag football and robotics. He finds time to play club soccer and learn Mandarin. A member of the Math Field Day team for three years, Sascha placed first in his fifth-grade math class and in the top five percent nationwide for the Mathematical Association of America (MMA) AMC 8 examination, and he received a first-place trophy in the Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle School (MOEM) exam for two years. He took second place in the Pegasus Geography Bee. It's no wonder Sascha reminds Seth Bartels, third-grade teacher, of a "Renaissance man." Years ago, Sascha impressed by being a well-rounded student. He continues to impress, not only academically, but more notably, with natural and polite kindnesses, always having time for a hello and smile. Nadeane Cooper, Lower School Science and Math Teacher, also describes Sascha as "a well-rounded Pegasus student," with "a tenacity for discovering new knowledge" and as someone who "finds a balance between the rigors of academia and of being a vital member within his peer group. He’s endearing and so sweet!" Lucky for Sascha, his parents, Beau Pirghibi and Sanam Esmaili, lead his way. His mom is gracious and sets a personal goal to be a good friend and better person each day. Twice a room parent and having other roles, Esmaili has served for six consecutive years on the Spring Benefit design team. She also co-chaired and raised record-breaking funds during the school's 2015–2016 RUN.GIVE.SERVE. event. Like his mom, Sascha’s positive, caring attitude is a gift to the Pegasus community. “It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.” –Dali Lama

This may only be Nicol e Roady’s third year teaching at Pegasus, but this first-grade teacher has a forthcoming smile and generous spirit that shows she is a true Pegasus teacher. If you’ve ever wondered whether anyone really knows when they are young what they would be as an adult, just ask Mrs. Roady! At the impressionable age of six, she had decided. She would contribute in a meaningful and productive way while having fun. Roady’s kindness and curiosity eventually led her to Teach for America, a program directed at serving the country’s lowest socioeconomic areas. She strengthened her resolve and resiliency teaching kindergarten and first grade in South Los Angeles, while concurrently working toward a master’s degree. After two years, her diligence was rewarded with an M.A. in Reading Instruction from Loyola Marymount University. Later, teaching third grade in Bellflower, she sought a closer knit, stronger community of colleagues and students. Looking for a change, she searched and found Pegasus.

As is common among Pegasus teachers, Roady views her students as if they were her own children. She believes in the whole child approach to education, providing her students with diverse learning opportunities. Mrs. Roady also believes in students learning from failures and celebrating one another's successes in what she describes as a "second home" environment. Roady also believes exposure to diverse experiences and cultures informs one’s decisions and builds character and understanding. In her pursuit of connecting with numerous people on multiple levels, she generously shares celebrations of Vietnamese Lunar New Year, to dirt biking and camping with members of her family, to the excitement of planning her wedding last summer. Fellow first-grade teacher Christine Olson considers Roady a wonderful friend and colleague, who is gentle and kind but also gives her students clear expectations. She is a superstar teacher and a problem solver with a wealth of knowledge. Roady’s commitment to her students and their education is infectious, and her students reap the benefits.

Tita Nguyen Le is an attorney and a veteran criminal prosecutor who also served on Sen. Barbara Boxer's Judicial Advisory Committee. Tita and her husband Michael are the parents of Isabella (’22) and Victoria (’25). Contact: titamichael2004@gmail.com