Pegasus E-vol ves

Christopher Mahon

The Pegasus School was founded in 1984, with core values of educating children in dynamic and creative ways as unique as the children themselves. Over the past thirty-five years, the world has changed in profound ways, and the challenge is to evolve through those changes while embracing what the world offers.

Changes in technology impact students� learning, teaching, parenting and education. Ironically, the feeling that changes to technology are taking over our lives has existed for over a century. In his article, “Can Smart Wood Help You Log Off?,” published in the October, 2019 issue of The New Yorker magazine, author Andrew Marantz noted that, “George Simmel, a German sociologist, wrote that the sensory overload of modernity—‘the intensification of nervous stimulation...the rapid crowding of changing images’—might warp everyone’s personality. That was in 1903. Simmel was worried about streetlamps, murals and the occasional honk of a horn.” It is reassuring to know that as parents, our fretting about the over stimulation of technology isn’t new. Teachers at Pegasus mindfully incorporate these developments in technology while staying true to the school’s core values.

Stories from veteran Pegasus teachers best illustrate how respect for custom and zest for new horizons combine the best of the school’s legacy and its promise of a progressive

education. Pegasus teachers bridge traditional and contemporary teaching methods skillfully. Timeless traditions are preserved with a vital library and reading program as cornerstones. Michelle Carr, Lower School Reading Specialist, leads this effort and she explains, “Our team has created a balanced reading curriculum. It is very fluid, always evolving depending on the needs of our students. Our actual reading sources have evolved, from hardbacks to paperbacks to e-books all of which are actively utilized in our classrooms.”

The library preserves that smell and feel of the printed page which is not an accident. Carr explains, “I do value even more the use of the actual book when reading. Research has shown that you are able to grasp more emotion from the hardcover book, creating the wonderful and long-lasting hook for the love of reading. Observing a three-year-old trying to read a hardcover book feels priceless to me, rather than watching her try to swipe an e-book.” Reading tools are also employed in technology to add fun in learning. For example, lower school students use a Bee Bot, a programmable floor robot, to assist them in spelling, sentence structures and higher-level thinking. “We have an adorable gadget called a Bee Bot, a programmable floor robot. It gives students an opportunity to use their higher-level thinking skills to program the spelling of a word or to formulate a sentence.” Carr concludes, “I welcome technology, however, as it relates to reading, quite cautiously. Yet, the ultimate goal is success in reading and critical thinking through old and new ideas.”

The science curriculum at Pegasus continues to evolve, too. Jaime Kunze-Thibeau, Sixth Grade Science Teacher, explains that the science curriculum is “about the process; teaching students to learn, while also supporting them as they create, innovate, and think critically about the world around them.” The science curriculum is keeping pace with a generation for whom environmental issues are a real presence in their lives. “We were one of the first schools involved in the Ocean Institute Watershed Conference, one of the first to have students attend the POPS (Persistent Organic Pollutants) Youth Summit, the only Pre-K through Grade 8 school in the Blue Water Task Force, one of the first to have a school garden, outdoor classroom, an aquaponics system, and adopt a zero waste program.” These programs provide hands-on experiences for students who will carry that increased awareness as a critical survival tool for theirs and future generations. KunzeThibeau also leads the Algalita Environmental Science initiative at Pegasus which started out as a club and is now an elective in middle school. If you have not heard about Algalita, it is a marine research foundation launched to clean up the “plastic plague” in the Pacific Ocean. Their mission is to inspire the next generation of visionaries to believe in a better future.

Karen Hurst has spent many years in service to The Pegasus School. First, as a parent whose five children graduated during the years from 2002-2012. During that time, she was active in the school’s administrative governance, serving as PTO Board President for three years after various stints as a classroom parent.

When the swine flu swept through Southern California in 2009, Hurst, a nurse by profession, accepted the post as the first full-time staff nurse at Pegasus. Since her hire, “Nurse Hurst” gets visits daily in the Health Office. Whether it’s an upset tummy, twisted ankle or a parent seeking guidance on required immunizations, for example, all visits are treated with a professional and reassuringly deft hand. Although most visits to the Pegasus Health Office are for non-life-threatening complaints, the role is critical for a student population of over 570. Hurst’s position is an example of the responsiveness of Pegasus leadership to critical needs as they have presented themselves over the years.

These evolutions at Pegasus allow the school to grow and thrive while remaining true to its core values. Nancy Conklin, the school’s long time Director of Admission sums this up well: “While we have been innovative in computer science, engineering, robotics, and 3D printing, we do not want to omit how important, indeed vital, the social and emotional learning piece is. Be kind to yourself, be kind to others, be kind to your future self.” Today’s mantra blends seamlessly with Laura Hathaway’s seminal teaching that, “All the intelligence in the world is inadequate and unsatisfying when you lack integrity, sensitivity to others, respect for yourself and a commitment to making a difference in the world.” Dr. Hathaway’s guidance and core values continue to lead and inspire the Pegasus community navigating today’s world.

Christopher Mahon is a retired real estate executive and the father of Mei (’23). Contact: christopher.cbmahon@gmail.com

Knowing that there is a home away from home where our daughters are loved and nurtured academically and emotionally has been the greatest gift to our family.

–Carin Meister, Librarian

All in the Family Dr. Laura Hathaway founded Pegasus to give her own child an education she couldn’t find anywhere else. An intellectually challenging education that also nurtured her child’s sense of self. Pegasus faculty and staff with currently enrolled Pegasus students pictured here, are emblematic of that Pegasus community today.