Faculty Enrichment

Faculty Enrichment

At Episcopal, we are building lifelong learners, and our faculty members are no different. The school has a deep commitment to their continuous growth and development and a number of endowed funds and established programs allow our teachers to broaden their expertise and hone their craft through programs such as these this past summer:

Andy Hayes -- Upper School Science and Head Boys’ Lacrosse Coach

Andy writes: “The Notre Dame University Men’s Lacrosse Staff hosted a Coaches Clinic in South Bend, IN last weekend. After arriving on Friday morning, I was able to meet with Head Coach Kevin Corrigan and his staff about current Episcopal Academy Sophomores and Juniors. In addition, I was able to sit in and watch a team breakdown and review of film from their game against Team USA. After practice, Coach Corrigan and I went to dinner to discuss recruiting, offense, and team management. It was extremely helpful to have this kind of intimate conversation about lacrosse!

“On Saturday, we started the clinic with a film session and then listened to a presentation about lacrosse specific strength and conditioning from Notre Dame’s Strength and Conditioning Director. About 125 high school coaches then watched Notre Dame’s Mens team practice in evening as they prepared for their dual scrimmage the following morning. After practice we were able to address specific position concerns with the Notre Dame staff. On Sunday morning, we had full access to the Notre Dame staff in their two scrimmages against Denison University and Robert Morris University. The clinic concluded with a final question and answer session with the Notre Dame Staff.

“Overall, the weekend provided an intimate look into one of the top college lacrosse programs in the country. The Notre Dame University staff was incredibly generous with their time and the discussion about current EA lacrosse players will certainly aid our boys as they begin the recruiting process. In addition to the recruiting discussion, I was able to continue my command of team offense and team management. I greatly appreciate Episcopal Academy supporting such an event, it was a fantastic opportunity.”

Jenn Tierney (3rd Grade), Grace Na (2nd Grade), and Jen Lutz (1st Grade)

North Carolina Outward Bound Educator’s Initiative

The teachers write: “During the final week of June, the three of us travelled to North Carolina to participate in the week-long Outward Bound Educators’ Initiative program. While we were all quite excited to attend, we had no idea what we were truly in for! This was an incredible and enlightening week for us. We spent seven days in the woods learning how to navigate our way, work alongside complete strangers, and go beyond what we believed were our limits - physically, mentally, and spiritually. Days were filled with long, strenuous hikes through unfamiliar terrain, all the while, carrying everything on our backs. We learned to trust each other and trust ourselves through challenges and new adventures. We pushed ourselves physically, working to meet goals, complete a high-ropes course, and even climb some mountains! We learned about the importance of intention in our actions, being resourceful, and recognizing and applying our own personal strengths. Other things, such as compassion, engaging and embracing others, leadership, collaboration, safety, and courage are all words that come to mind when describing the experience. The Educators’ Initiative is a program that demonstrated experiential learning as an effective tool in fostering professional and personal development of the teachers that take part in the program. We are excited to see, as the year unfolds, how we will be able to transform our teaching practices and use it to positively affect the learning journeys we take our students on in our classrooms.”

George Wattles – Middle School Math and Social Studies

Half-Year Sabbatical

George writes: “The half-year sabbatical I was granted was a wonderful time for reflection, research, and learning more about Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Addiction. Through the generous support of the Caron Foundation, I was able to visit their treatment facility on a routine basis. I was privy to valuable information regarding adolescent addiction and treatment. The Caron Foundation offers needed support to many schools and has curricular material for all ages. As well, I benefited from sitting in on several days of their Student Assistance Program (SAP) which helps educate school counselors in a variety of areas. There is a wealth of material available on the topic of drug and alcohol awareness and the time off allowed me to get some of this valuable material to help students make better decisions as they progress through the ranks. I met many wonderful and supportive people in the ‘recovery’ field and I am thankful to have had this experience. I shall look forward to the other half year sabbatical in the not too distant future!”

Jen Maier (Upper School English) and Rob Maier (Upper School History and Art History)

Crawford Hill Fund for Faculty Enrichment

With help from the Crawford Hill Fund for Faculty Enrichment, Jen and Rob Maier traveled to Los Angeles for six days in July. To support Rob’s course in Art History, he captured 1,000 images from Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall and L.A.'s fabulous museums, including the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Rob was also treated to behind-the-scenes tours of the Getty Center and Villa by his best friend, Jack Ludden, the head of web development at The Getty. In support of her senior English seminar exploring the evolution of the hard-boiled detective novel, Jen visited many sites from the novels her students read, all set in L.A., and took a bus tour of Raymond Chandler's gritty, seedy Los Angeles.

Susan Cannon (Middle School English and History), Andy Hess (Upper School History and Director of Study Abroad Programs), and Wei Yang (Middle and Upper School World Languages)

EA-in-China Summer Program supported by the Faculty International Fund

Sue Cannon writes: “Wei Yang, Andy Hess, and I planned and chaperoned the first EA student trip to China since the 1980s. After sightseeing for three days in Beijing (touring the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Olympic venues, and climbing the Great Wall), we traveled by overnight train to Shenyang. We were met by an enthusiastic, warm group of parents and students—our host families of Yucai School. Our students have countless stories to share about their eight days of fantastic food, school visits, ping pong and tea lessons, karaoke, the underground water cave (and subsequent water fight, gardens, shopping, and other ways they enjoyed the abundant hospitality of our hosts. When we left Shenyang (with tears and memories for a lifetime), we headed for the beach at Dalian, then onto Shanghai, where we joined 553,500 of our closest friends at the Shanghai Expo. We also appreciated the beauty and serenity of Suzhou, “Venice of the East,” before flying home after 16 glorious and busy days. Parents of our incoming Yucai exchange student (Bella) spoke warmly about the courage of EA’s kids in stepping out of their comfort zones to meet friends from the other side of the world, learn about new cultures, and try to make the world a better place of understanding and cooperation.”

Alex Pearson –  Associate Director of Technology

Half-Year Sabbatical

Alex writes: “In the very near future, educational content will shift away from paper books to digital media: online subscription content, e-books, wikis, open-source content and similar inventions. During my sabbatical I explored how schools and creators of educational material will adapt to this media shift and how traditional notions of intellectual authority will be affected.” You can follow Alex’s work on his blog (http://blog.alexandriaonline.org/) and his Web site (http://www.alexandriaonline.org/).

Sherry Forste-Grupp – Upper School English

Kulp-Oxbridge Fellowship

Sherry writes: “Thanks to the support Kulp-Oxbridge Fellowship, in early July, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to the University of Cambridge in England to study, learn, and be inspired. I met other teachers from all over the world and the United States. When we were not participating in our various study groups – mine was the “Visual Experience: Art in History and Literature” – we were talking, exchanging suggestions for new books to read, visiting various colleges at Cambridge, and sharing ideas for teaching. When I returned to Philadelphia, I knew I had made new friendships with other folks who love teaching and I was already planning new lessons for my students!

“If you would like to learn more about my experiences at the Cambridge Teacher’s Seminar and also my four days in London, you can read my blog at: http://dr-sfg07-08.blogspot.com/”

Angela Miklavcic, Upper School Science

Klingenstein Fellow, Teacher’s College at Columbia University

Angela (shown at far right with her classmates) writes: “I could feel my heart start racing when she announced, ‘you will be telling your story to the group, tying it to something you are passionate about and you will be videotaped as well.’ I didn’t believe I was capable of telling my embarrassing story in front of 25 people, let alone tie that long-ago high school afternoon to a love of learning. However, when the three-hour session was up, I wished I had the opportunity do to more. Working with Allegory Training Company was only one of the many ways in which I further developed my understanding of leadership this summer. My courses were incredibly practical, yet motivating. Classes on topics such as law, marketing, faculty evaluation, cognitive learning, and private school leadership were enlightening and inspiring. I am bursting with ideas to incorporate in my classroom in order to help my students better understand their own learning. I am also eager to complete my coursework this fall by shadowing the Head of School at Hathaway Brown, one of the leading-edge schools in math and science education for girls. Although squeezing a semester of coursework into six weeks is exhausting, I am returning to the school year rejuvenated and re-energized.”

Naomi Knecht, Middle School Art

Crawford Hill Fund for Faculty Enrichment

Naomi writes: “Through the Crawford Hill Fund for Faculty Enrichment, I was given the opportunity to write a ‘recipe/instruction book’ about Middle School ceramic projects I have done over the years with my students. The working title is ‘The Joy of Middle School Ceramics.’ I have found that Middle School student-artists are passionate about working with clay and are usually imaginative risk takers. Knowing specific, hand-building methods frees young artists to find more creative fulfillment and success with their projects. In college, I was taught certain sculpture techniques, but over the years, have modified these procedures so Middle School artists could be more successful. I have also developed methods for students to design ceramic projects using computer software, which seems to be unique. In April, at the 2010 NAEA Convention in Baltimore, I presented a workshop about how to design ceramic project with computer software and the book is an extension of this presentation. My goal is to ultimately write a user-friendly ceramic instruction book for art educators and students, with lots of photos that illustrate these evolved sculpture and computer methods. Ultimately, I would like to create DVD’s demonstrating the projects as well. I have found writing a book to be an inward journey that is a challenging but worthwhile undertaking.”

Alan Duprez, Middle School Spanish

Oxbridge Teacher Seminar

Alan Duprez writes: "This summer I was fortunate enough to attend the Oxbridge Teacher Seminar in Barcelona, Spain. The course consisted of two morning workshops accompanied by an afternoon cultural excursion. I was impressed to find Barcelona more than just a single city, but rather a collection of multicultural and diverse cities. From the maze of streets that make up the Barrio Gotico to the architecture of Guadi, our group explored the not only the city but central issues in Catalonian history and politics. I was amazed to find the intensity that surrounded Barcelona’s national identity and sense of regional pride. While most of our lessons where conducted in Castilian Spanish, I was fascinated by the local Catalan language. My time in Spain gave me a renewed sense of excitement for Spanish culture that will most definitely enrich and enliven my class. I look forward to sharing my experiences with the students and faculty."

 

 

Rev. James R. Squire, Chaplain and Religion Teacher

Crawford Hill Fund for Faculty Enrichment

Jim Squire writes: “Through the Crawford Hill Fund for Faculty enrichment, I was able to spend an adventure in learning in Greece and in the Holy Land of Israel during July. I traveled through the Greek islands on a working sailing ship. Throughout the trip there were daily lectures of the history and significance of the island that we would visit the next day. The lecturer was from Sweden and was one of the most erudite and knowledgeable teachers that I have encountered. He brought to life the history of sailing and the history of Greece. We spent three days in Athens where we spent considerable time in museums and the Acropolis which could be seen from the roof of our hotel and then traveled to Delphi to learn of the unique importance of that area.

“During the second half of the month I took a course at St. George’s College in Jerusalem on the ‘Palestine of Jesus.’ The course focused on the places where Jesus walked, so we traveled throughout Israel seeing every area except for the desert south of Jerusalem. I was moved to tears standing in the place where Jesus had the last supper and the places along the Via Dolorosa that led to the place of his death and resurrection. The course also covered issues in the Middle East Crisis. Our class was housed at a hotel in the midst of the Palestinian section of East Jerusalem. What we learned there through experience was as valuable as anything that we learned in the safety of other places. Living there gave me a beginning understanding of the complexity of the issues in the Middle East.”

Sarah Baker Perkins, Upper School English and Form Dean

Corrigan-Beinkampen Faculty Enrichment Endowment Fund

During the 2009-2010 school year, I pursued a Master of Science degree in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. The degree focused on independent school leadership and addressed issues surrounding school mission, student support, curricular design, faculty development, financial management, and community interaction. In addition to completing our coursework, my classmates and I were fortunate to participate in evaluations of curricula and programming at Northwood Academy Charter School, The William Penn Charter School, The Haverford School, and Sidwell Friends School. My masters thesis investigated the role of the adolescent peer group in defining gender roles at coeducational schools and the effects of these roles on female students’ behavior and self-esteem.