ALUMNI
ALUMNI PROFILES you’re talented or passionate about something, they really encourage to you pursue it. I was into poetry and reading and always felt very supported. In fact, my passion for writing songs started at VS because of one of my teachers. What teachers or traditions do you remember?
Claire Nordstrom has fond memories of Village School where she began her lifelong love affair with music.
Claire Nordstrom On December 2, 2021, Danny Kramer caught up with the uber-talented and charismatic Village School Alumna Claire Nordstrom ’09. Claire recounted her memories from Village School, what she is up to now, and her future plans. What do you recall about your experience at Village School?
Village School was the BEST. While you hear about cliques and bullying at other schools, that was not the case at Village School. I always felt very comfortable with everyone there because it’s a small enough school to get to know everyone really well. The Palisades was a cool place to go to school because of all of the fun places to walk to after school with my friends. I also loved the music program, which was especially great for me because I was a particularly 20
VILLAGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE | WINTER 2022
shy kid. The teachers always pushed me out of my comfort zone by giving me the confidence to sing solo. The confidence that I gained as a child at Village School has stayed with me to this day. What from Village School did you bring with you to middle school and beyond?
Lifelong friends like Tyler McMorrow and Sydney Mason. They are still two of my closest friends. Something so special about the teachers at Village School is that if they see that
Keith Johnson was my 5th grade teacher and he was the best! He was scary to everyone who wasn’t in his class because he always wore a suit and was very stern looking, but when you were in his class, he was a great ally. As for traditions, I loved the talent shows. Everyone was encouraged to perform and felt that they truly had a talent. Some of my other favorite Village School memories from 4th and 5th grade: In 4th grade, we had to choose an historical figure for a project. I was obsessed with Galileo and Stephen Hawking, but other classmates chose them first. I ended up choosing Louis Braille and loved it! I learned how to read and write in Braille which was awesome. In 5th grade I remember playing the Godfather theme on the piano during intermission at the 5th grade play. What are you up to now?
I currently work in the TV/Music department at Lionsgate, helping to hire all of the music composers, supervisors and editors for TV shows. My dad really got me interested in music, TV and movies and Village School definitely played a role in that passion. I also perform at the Draycott in the Palisades which has been really rewarding. When I was 13, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and now I work with children in the Palisades who are also diagnosed. I help mentor them and show them that they can live a
