FALL 2021 | The Philadelphia School Alumni News

THE PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL

FALL

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ALUMNI NEWS

THE FUTURE IS OURS TO SHAPE LOOK BACK AT OUTDOOR LEARNING, MEET OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF DEI, CATCH UP ON CLASS NOTES, EXPLORE TPS' VISION FOR THE FUTURE, AND MORE

Dear TPS Alumni, Welcome to this fall issue of TPS Alumni News! Within this and future issues, we plan to reflect on what made our alumni’s time at TPS so special, share more about the people and programs our students are experiencing today, and give you a peek into what the future may hold at TPS. If there is anything you want to share or more you want to see in TPS Alumni News, please call or email me or connect through our TPS Alumni Facebook Group.

All the best,

Liz Horvath Alumni and Community Relations Associate 215-545-5323 ext. 279 lhorvath@tpschool.org

In this issue, you will find: • Picturing the Past • Flavors of TPS • Welcome to our Newest Alumni, the Class of 2021!

• (Virtually) Visit Our Garden • Meet Gerald Dessus, Director of DEI • Alumni Profile: Amma Thomas ‘12 • Alumni Q&A: Emma Luckman ‘11 Alumni Q&A: Zach Klehr ’92 • Alumni Q&A: Dan Mozes ‘00 • Class Notes • A Vision for the Future of TPS • TPS’ 50th Anniversary

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Picturing the Past:

Outdoor Learning from Sycamore Farm, Shelly Ridge, The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, and Beyond As an ongoing feature, we will be diving into the TPS photo archives to share memories of past TPS experiences. Let us know the people, places, and years that you recognize in the outdoor education photos we have included on this page and the next, and send your own favorite TPS photo memories to share in future issues of TPS Alumni News to alumni@tpschool.org.

FLAVORS OF TPS APPLE PANCAKES This recipe, provided by TPS co-founder Lynne Berman to the City Country Kitchen: 25 Years of TPS Recipes cookbook, originated as a “blue ditto” recipe from the Carter Fussell era, and it’s a great way to turn fall apples into a weekend treat.

2 eggs, separated 1¼ cups flour 2½ teaspoons baking powder 3 tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons shortening, melted 1 cup apples, diced 1. Heat griddle or pan over medium heat and grease lightly.

2. Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks, milk, and melted shortening.

5. Slowly add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until combined. Stir in the diced apples, and gently fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.

6. Cook pancakes on the griddle. Flip the pancakes over when bubbles appear on the top.

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Welcome to Our Newest TPS Alumni the Class of 2021!

Congratulations! In the words at commencement from Division Director Grades 4-8 Yves Kabore “Where you will go with what you have learned and experienced this year truly has no limit!”

Here is a sampling of where the Class of 2021 will be attending school this fall.

Abington Friends School Carver High School of Engineering and Science Central High School Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) Episcopal Academy Franklin Learning Center Friends’ Central School Friends Select School Germantown Friends School Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP) 4

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Hill-Freedman World Academy Lankenau Environmental Science High School Lower Merion High School Roman Catholic High School Science Leadership Academy Science Leadership Academy at Beeber Shipley School Springside Chestnut Hill Academy West Catholic High School William Penn Charter School

(Virtually) Visit Our Garden Outdoor education is a cornerstone of the TPS progressive pedagogy, and The Garden at our Ellen Schwartz & Jeremy Siegel Early Childhood Education Center makes that possible every day for our youngest learners.

See their joyful learning for yourself by taking a Virtual Garden Tour.

Also, be sure to follow TPS on Instagram and Facebook to see what our teachers post about in a day in the life at TPS.

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A Q&A WITH

Gerald Dessus

TPS’ NEW DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

We sat down with newly appointed Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Gerald Dessus to talk about his goals and vision for DEI work at TPS. Before coming to TPS as a cultural studies teacher in 2019, Dessus worked at Mastery Charter Schools as a middle school ELA, social studies, and social justice teacher, and ultimately designed a social justice curriculum that continues to be taught across the 24 Mastery Charter Schools and other schools around the country.

How are you transitioning into your new role at TPS? My engagement with TPS teachers continues, but now with a focus on what they are working on that is related to social justice or social/emotional learning as well as what is happening on a daily basis throughout our school. Offering DEI strategies, resources, and professional development to other TPS educators will create a better experience for all of our children.

What do you have planned in the coming months and beyond?

I am considering ways in which I can elevate our school’s DEI work outside of TPS. For example, I am currently organizing a culturally-responsive professional development opportunity in which two TPS teachers facilitate a workshop for area educators who may not be familiar with TPS and our progressive education model.

The workshop will not only raise awareness around our program, but it will also help build a pipeline of progressive education-knowledgeable teachers.

In addition, I am thinking about redesigning our student affinity spaces to further build community, challenge stereotypes, and engage in positive identity development—not just for students of color or our LGBTQ students, but also for our white students who may be thinking about the different ways that they could fight against explicit and implicit bias and other injustices. I am also eager to work with our families to make sure that they are going along on this journey with us as well.

Gerald Dessus, Director of DEI, gdessus@tpschool.org

For longer term goals, I have two. One is to further cultivate our thoughtful, collaborative, and reflective community. I want to make sure that the racially diverse voices are centered so that our families, students, and faculty of color are supported, mentored, retained, and feel a strong sense of belonging. I also want to make sure that we are recruiting strong and diverse talent to our school teaching community and supporting them once they are here. The same is true for our students, especially in the upper grades—we want to make sure that we are identifying and mitigating microinequities and continue to foster a positive learning environment.

My second goal is to develop more DEI integration with our programming. You do not need to have a separate social curriculum to encourage students to think deeply about the different ways they want to lead and serve in our society when they get older. That can be embedded into our literacy curriculum at different grade levels, our outdoor education, or in spaces like Student Diversity Council or Student Council.

What part of this job is most compelling for you?

I first heard about TPS from eighth grade math teacher Nicole Seltzer. When she described the school to me, Nicole radiated such joy, that I just knew I had to check it out. I was just blown away when I met the students and heard their conversations in class. So much magic happens in this school every day.

I am so excited to work with our faculty and our students.

I am excited to work with our board members on our practices and our policies at TPS. I am excited to tap into our alumni community and hear about their experiences over the years and how TPS has shaped their lives. And, I am excited to work together to create a community that is inclusive—a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

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ALUMNI PROFILE

Amma Thomas ’12 Since graduating from TPS in 2012, Amma Thomas has been around the globe and back again. Her travels have taken her from India, where she met the Dalai Lama and Karmapa, to the quaint streets of Amsterdam. One trip in particular had an especially strong influence on who Amma is today. Between high school and college, Amma spent a year working for the Environmental Ministry of Ecuador, where she lived among African diasporic farmers” to “the Afro Ecuadorian community and learned about traditional agricultural practices. It was during this time that Amma deepened her lifelong passion for botanical culture and history around the world.

As the child of natural health brokers, Amma came by it from an early age. Traveling with her family to wellness centers across the East Coast, Amma was well aware of the healing powers of plants. Over time, however, she began noticing inequitable access to these amazing resources.

These centers that focused on the intersection of wellness and plants were, almost without exception, located in the suburbs—far from most communities of color. This inaccessibility troubled her.

After returning from Ecuador, Amma moved to New York to pursue her bachelor’s degree at Sarah Lawrence College. While her education was multidisciplinary, her main areas of academic interest were history and African diaspora studies. Amma believes it is important to learn history so we can better shape the present.

“There is so much to learn from the past,” she says.

“TPS taught us to ask a lot of questions. We were taught to think creatively and be imaginative.”

Today, Amma is back in West Philadelphia, where she and her mother, Cherron, opened the plant nursery and wellness center Plant & People (plantandpeople.com) in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. They saw a need for a relaxing and rejuvenating space for Black community members in particular to heal. Amma and Cherron are operating the kind of center Amma had always hoped to see as a child, and they took visual inspiration from Amsterdam shops in designing it.

As for how her TPS education has impacted her, Amma says, “TPS taught us to ask a lot of questions. We were taught to think creatively and be imaginative.” And that’s the advice that she encourages current students to follow beyond TPS: “Ask a lot of questions. Even if you feel uncomfortable, those feelings do pass.”

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What is your favorite TPS memory?

An earliest memory is singing “Strut Mr. Turkey” as a preschooler entering the Thanksgiving Feast (when we all fit in the gym!). I would have to say my favorite memories came from our all-school Shelly Ridge Days, when the whole school spent the day in Family Groups. One year, we did a huge scavenger hunt! My older brother went to TPS three years ahead of me, and it was fun to run into him on those days.

Which teacher, staff member, or other TPS mentor had a particularly important impact on you?

My teachers at TPS were the ones who inspired me to become a teacher. My Primary Unit teachers, Barbara Stanley and Allison Kirshner Oz, created a warm, safe, and welcoming environment in our classroom that left a lasting impression. More recently, I completed my own student teaching at TPS with Jane White and Jennifer Giampetro, who have greatly influenced my own teaching.

Are any of your teachers now your colleagues? If so, what is it like to work alongside them?

There are a bunch, and I love it! One of my favorite full circle teacher-tocolleague experiences is working on the third grade team with Miriam Harlan.

You mentioned feeling inspired by your teachers. Were there other reasons why you became a teacher?

I often reflected and looked back at my own school experience and remembered how it felt to be a learner in an environment where I could be curious and take risks. I wanted to offer my students a place of learning where they could construct their own knowledge through my guidance. What continues to inspire me is how much I learn from my own students and colleagues! Another inspiration is my mother, who switched her career and received her Master of Education degree when when I graduated from the eighth grade. I learned from her what it means to be a progressive educator who truly places the child at the center of the learning experience. She helped me understand that progressive education comes from the head, hands, and heart. Thank you, Mom! What drew you back to TPS? I deeply value the education I received here, both in and out of the classroom. As a student, I was encouraged and guided by my teachers to take ownership of my learning. The TPS experience helps students nurture their curiosity while shaping their identities as citizens of the world. Majoring in education in college allowed me to reflect on my own TPS experience and provide a progressive educational lens in our discussions about a variety of topics. It was through this reflection that I felt drawn to return back here to teach.

What would you say is the best part of your job?

Every once in a while, something sparks during a lesson or moment in my current classroom that leads to a story of my life as a TPS student.

I get so much joy from sharing these memories and stories with my current students. I also value serving on such a collaborative and creative team of teachers. Some of our most meaningful lessons or pieces of curriculum stem from the impromptu conversations we might have in the hallway or popping into each other’s rooms. Although this last year we were all flying solo in the classroom, I was happy that we have been able to stay true to our TPS roots and continue to inspire each other professionally.

A Q&A WITH

Emma Luckman ’11, TPS THIRD GRADE TEACHER

Where did you go to high school? College?

I went to Friends Select School for high school and Miami University (of Ohio) for college.

Any highlights from your high school or college years you would like to share?

Yes! I ventured to Ohio for college to be a part of the only NCAA Division I Synchronized Ice Skating program in the country! I started skating in the third grade, competed for Team USA in my senior year of high school, then skated for Miami University, where my team and I won our 15th consecutive national title for Collegiate Synchronized Skating.

What advice would you give to students who graduate from TPS? You learn so much at TPS. It is more than just math, writing, science, reading, etc. Take the experiences you have had with your classmates and teachers, and bring those interpersonal skills wherever you go.

Your time at TPS has taught, and prepared, you to be unapologetically yourself and to stand up for whatTHE is right in this world.SCHOOL | 9 PHILADELPHIA

What have you been doing since graduating from TPS? It has been a while since I graduated—almost 30 years. I still keep in touch with most of my classmates, especially those in and around Philly. I have spent my career in finance, first in New York and now in Philadelphia. I am married with two boys, and we live in Center City.

Can you talk about your current relationship with TPS? What inspired you to join the board?

Our two boys are currently students at TPS. One is entering middle school, and our youngest is going into the fourth grade. I moved back to Philly in 2005 for graduate school, and the TPS board president at the time asked me to serve as the board’s alumni rep. This was before I had kids (or was even married). I have been involved with TPS ever since. It is really great seeing the school from different perspectives—as an alumnus, a board member, and for the last seven years, as a parent. This is my first year as board president, and I am excited to serve as the school approaches its 50th Anniversary Year in 2022-2023.

A Q&A WITH

Zach Klehr ’92, TPS’ NEW PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD

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How did TPS make a difference in your life and/or the way you see the world? How did TPS impact who you are today?

I always loved the school and cared deeply for my teachers; however, I do not think I truly appreciated TPS until I came back and joined the board—and that appreciation is even deeper now as a parent. My first year on the board, Sandy Dean was still the head of school. I remember she walked board members through the school’s approach to education. It was only then that I realized just how intentional and thoughtful a TPS education truly was. Sandy explained the importance of experiential learning, both in terms of student engagement and as a superior method for reinforcing lessons and retaining skills. I remember she used the terms “whole child” and “engaged citizenship” to stress TPS’ focus on social and emotional development as well as academic skills, and how students move beyond learning facts and figures to understand how they can contribute to and improve society. When I reflect on my time as a student at TPS, these three overarching tenets that Sandy described—experiential learning, focus on the whole child, and engaged citizenship—really came through in the projects, lessons, and curriculum we received. As a kid, I just did not realize it at the time! As a current parent, I can share that those same tenets are still present at the school today.

Do you have a favorite TPS memory you could share?

It would have to be the Thanksgiving Feast. There was just something truly special about gathering for lasagna with your Family Group!

A Q&A WITH

Dan Mozes ’00 TPS GRADUATE AND PARENT

When did you graduate from TPS? June 2000, as a member of the first class to graduate in the “new gym,” which I suspect is not so new anymore but remains the first full-sized gym at TPS. Where did you go to school after TPS, and what do you do now?

After TPS, I went to high school at William Penn Charter School. After graduation in 2004, I went to the University of Pennsylvania and then moved to Washington D.C. After two years working as a consultant in D.C., I returned to Philadelphia for law school at Temple University and have been here ever since. I am now a corporate lawyer at Dechert LLP. Can you talk about your current relationship to TPS? In addition to staying in touch with lifelong friends from TPS, I have remained connected to the school over the past few years, including as an alumni member of the Steering Committee as TPS formulated its 2017 Strategic Vision. More importantly, I am excited to have become a TPS parent this fall! Our older son, Henry, started preschool in September 2021, and his younger brother, Max, is excited to tag along as soon as he is old enough.

Dan as a kindergartener.

How did TPS make a difference in your life and/or the way you see the world? How did TPS impact who you are today?

TPS was a formative experience for me and my brothers, Eric and Jon, both members of the Class of 2004. TPS gave me ownership over my education and helped shape me into an independent learner and person at an early age.

Do you have a favorite TPS memory to share?

Hard to choose just one! From days spent at Shelly Ridge to Thanksgiving Feasts, there are a lot to choose from, but I think the most memorable was Michael Zimmerman and the Junior Unit’s simulated space program. We all chose different roles for a simulated mission to Mars, including engineers who built the spacecraft, flight surgeons who helped train the astronauts for the months-long trip in zero gravity, and more. It is difficult to imagine too many other fourth and fifth grade classrooms running a project like that!

From left to right: Dan, his son Max, son Henry (TPS ‘31), and wife Julie

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One of The Philadelphia School’s greatest strengths has always been the donation of time, talent, and treasure from our close-to-50-year-old community.

This community turned an idea for a pioneering new school in 1972 into a beloved leader in progressive education and the nurturing home for generations of TPS alumni.

How can you help TPS?

Volunteer for The Alumni Society!

Share your stories and let us know about your life after TPS. Help us reach out to fellow alumni and plan fun and informative activities. Come back and speak with students about your field of expertise and how TPS shaped who you are today. We are grateful for whatever time and talent you can share. Please contact alumni@tpschool.org if you are interested in getting involved in any of these ways.

Honor a TPS Teacher Through The Annual Fund for TPS! Every year, the largest part of the Annual Fund supports those at the very heart of TPS: our teachers.

Honored teachers receive a special tribute card telling them who has thought of them with their kind support of our school. Honor a teacher today at www. tpschool.org/donate.

Spread the Word on Social Media!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Join our TPS Alumni Facebook Group. Share our posts with fellow alumni, friends, or those who may be looking for a school like TPS for their own children.

Support Tuition Assistance Through the EITC/OSTC Programs!

You already know TPS believes in the power of a diverse school community and that tuition assistance plays a critical role in making this commitment a reality. But did you know that through the State of Pennsylvania’s EITC and OSTC programs, you can receive a 90% tax credit for tuition assistance support? For example, a $10,000 contribution, all of which directly funds tuition assistance, would only cost you $1,000 or less. Learn more by contacting advancement@tpschool.org.

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CLASS NOTES

Your TPS classmates want to hear from you! To share your latest news, please write to us at alumni@tpschool.org.

As of August 15, 2021

Case Western University professor and legal scholar Jonathan Adler ’83 testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary in March 2020, defending the balanced view of the Supreme Court. The University’s magazine profiled Adler and his impact as a high-profile conservative public intellectual. In the feature, he mentions the influence his years at TPS had on his connection to the outdoors and his deep commitment to environmentalism.

Aubrey Sherretta ‘06 is on the founding team at The Rounds, a sustainability startup based in Philly that delivers homegoods in reusable packaging.

Congratulations to Daniel Spielman ’84, who won the National Academy of Science’s 2021 Held Prize for finding an answer to the notoriously challenging Kadison-Singer problem in mathematics. The accomplished Sterling Professor of Computer Science at Yale University has won the Rolf Nevanlinna Prize, Fulkerson Prize, the Godel Prize, and a MacArthur Fellowship for his work.

Sudan Green ’09 had quite a busy year. Not only did the Philly-based musician and activist develop the Spirits Up! Series, a six-day protest through yoga and meditation for people of color in the city’s public parks, and Spirit Wake, a weeklong yoga and meditation event, Sudan is also featured in a newly unveiled mural on the city’s Municipal Services Building honoring Black activists.

In Memoriam Aaron Hirschhorn ’92 (1978-2020) A Philadelphia native who launched a successful entrepreneurial career after a bad experience kenneling his dogs, Aaron founded DogVacay and Gallant.

Aaron is survived by his wife, three children, parents, and brother.

Lauren Bach Kent ’86 (1973-2021) Born and raised in Philadelphia, Lauren attended TPS and Central High School before getting her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from George Washington University. Lauren enjoyed a successful career in marketing for a variety of health and wellness businesses and was a fiercely loyal and devoted wife, mother of two daughters, daughter, sister, and friend.

Major Van Winkle ’08 (1994-2020) Hip-hop artist and songwriter, Major passed away in September 2020. A documentary is being made about his life and work.

KEEP CURRENT WITH

THE PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL WWW.TPSCHOOL.ORG

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Ours to Shape: A Vision for the Future LISA SUN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

As we approach our 50th Anniversary Year in 2022-2023, it is clear that TPS was ahead of its time in 1972. Our guiding principles of experiential learning, educating the whole child, and engaged citizenship are now regarded as best practices in education, and we have seen them widely adopted around the world. Indeed, they are more relevant today than ever before.

In 2020-2021, we also saw our mission statement unfold in real time and how difficult it is to predict future events that can drastically alter our day-to-day lives. As such, we must continue to do what we do best—prepare students to handle this changing world and its challenges with the best possible tools we have. We must prepare them to be better listeners, better thinkers, better dreamers, better doers.

Building on the Strategic Vision school stakeholders created in 2017, Ours to Shape takes those same core goals and priorities—which are in keeping with the school’s original mission and guiding principles— and puts them into action with investments in programming, curricular enhancements, professional development, and capital improvement.

I chose the vision title of Ours to Shape intentionally, both as a reference to the school’s mission statement 14

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and to the idea that this vision asks for community involvement—this is the direction we will be taking TPS in the coming months and years, and together, we will all shape this future.

The vision consists of three pillars: Expand Experiential Learning, Broaden Place-Based Learning, and Lead the Way in Progressive Education. There are many components to the vision, but at its core, it includes the following: • Engage in hands-on service learning • Implement a comprehensive technology (e.g., Robotics) and enhanced science program • Establish long-term, curricular-based partnerships in the city • Build a distinct learning and leadership experience for Middle School students • Embrace the city of Philadelphia as a classroom • Build transformative learning and community spaces • Deepen outdoor learning • Proactively share our best practices in progressive education as TPS colleagues, regional mentors, and national leaders

See below for some examples of how we envision our campus of the future.

The programmatic and physical enhancements that make up the Ours to Shape vision will rely on philanthropic support to bring them to life,

and I will keep our community apprised as our work continues.

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 50th Anniversary Celebration With the approach of our 50th Anniversary Year in 20222023, we are starting to plan now for an exciting, yearlong celebration, with special tributes, community events, alumni reunions, national speakers, and more. If you have any thoughts on what you would like to see or if you would like to become involved, please reach out to alumni@tspchool.org.

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