The Episcopal Academy honored five outstanding teachers in the fourth class of D'Ambrosio Fellows for the 2020-2021 academic year. The Fellowship was created through The D'Ambrosio Fund for Extraordinary Faculty and recognizes outstanding EA educators who have a transformative impact on their students and inspires teachers to achieve the highest level of work.
This year's Fellows include: Lower School Science teacher Marilyn Kistler, 5th Grade teacher Quincy Hyson, Upper School World Languages teacher Christele Furey, Upper School Science teacher Jennifer Jones, and Upper School Math teacher Ashley O'Connor.
Established in 2016 by Lou and Kim D'Ambrosio P '17 '18, The D'Ambrosio Fund for Extraordinary Faculty seeks to inspire teachers to achieve the highest level of work with its Fellowship program and by funding professional development activities. This year's class of Fellows joins seventeen others who embody the transformative impact and extraordinary efforts our teachers make every single day at Episcopal.
Mrs. Marilyn Kistler has a calm and thoughtful presence. She is always striving for excellence, constantly researching ways to make learning more fun and engaging for her students, and collaborating with LS faculty to develop special lessons.
Mrs. Kistler is also behind the impressive LS STEAM curriculum, developing lessons and projects in engineering, coding, and technology. For her curious students, she helps to develop our youngest students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills, helping them learn how to come up with creative solutions to problems.
Mr. Quincy Hyson is a creative teacher who inspires his students and his fellow teachers. Mr. Hyson's classroom is one of our students' favorites, filled with the energy of students buzzing away while learning and working in groups. His colleagues share that he always has a positive outlook, is easy to work with, and is known as a team player.
Over the years, Mr. Hyson has introduced new technologies into the classroom and is always happy to help other teachers utilize new tools. During emergency remote learning period, Mr. Hyson discovered his passion for remote learning, using of Google Classroom, and implementing technology in creative ways. His love of teaching extends beyond his classroom into his role as the Lower School Yearbook advisor and as a swim coach for varsity swimming and diving teams and EA's Aquatic Club.
Madame Christele Furey is full of boundless, contagious energy. She inspires students to learn at the highest level. She is open-minded and generous in her motivations of students and seeks out every opportunity to help her students think and learn regardless of their demonstrated interest in the subject area. Students leave her classroom better, brighter, and kinder people. They discover talents they never knew they had because this teacher identifies and cultivates previously undiscovered attributes that are brought forward in the positive environment she so purposefully and artfully creates.
Madame Furey's commitment to the French program and the development of the AP French course has helped our students to elevate their abilities in French to the point that French professors in college are astounded. She has an inexplicable gift; a gift of knowing how to push and demand, but never intimidate. A gift of making students feel loved. Likewise, she is a trusted colleague and an example of excellence in our community.
Jennifer Jones is a devoted, enthusiastic, and present educator. Her lessons are interesting and original and cultivate a strong connection with her students. She dedicates time and energy to get to know and celebrate each students' strengths and to support them in their areas of growth.
Mrs. Jones consistently shares new approaches, activities, and resources that she has uncovered with her colleagues. She has served as a valued mentor-partner for new faculty in her department and was instrumental in the development of the new science semester courses. Beyond her classroom, Mrs. Jones is invested in the life of the school and recently assumed a new role as the Vestry faculty supervisor - a job she has embraced with heart and soul. She is invaluable as a teacher, colleague, and community member.er colleagues say she is tireless in bringing her subject "alive" for her students and is always looking to take her courses to the next level.
Ashley O'Connor is an outstanding teacher and mentor. She has high expectations for her students and encourages the development of grit and resilience by pushing them outside of their comfort zones. She is described by students as kind, helpful, and approachable. Whether meeting with students for extra help early in the morning or coaching them late into the afternoon, Mrs. O'Connor demonstrates a genuine commitment to the teacher/coach/advisor model.
Colleagues count on her as an integral part of the department and share that she is the teammate who will do whatever is needed to best support the school and the students. She seeks out opportunities to grow and challenge herself and this year has expanded her classroom experience into the Middle School. Mrs. O'Connor is a collaborative, collegial utility player who is actively engaged in making the EA experience outstanding for all students.
D'Ambrosio Fellows are selected based on the level of positive impact they have on the lives of their students and the incredible work that they do. A portion of the fund, a substantial stipend, will be distributed to the Fellows in recognition of their extraordinary efforts. Additionally, the fund will be used to support the Fellows in completing an excellence project for the school and to support professional development activities.