One of the four strands of Town's Long Range Plan is "Teaching and Learning Excellence," and our faculty and staff are always striving to be at the top of their game in service of our students. This includes professional development, completing advanced degrees and certifications, being appointed to boards and conference committees, and showcasing their work outside of school. Below are just a few examples of the recent professional accomplishments of our faculty and staff.
Joe Badion (4th-8th Grade Music), assisted Grammy and Tony award winner Bryan Carter on the world premiere of his jazz oratorio "Rustin in Renaissance," dedicated to the life and work of influential Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin, at Jazz at Lincoln Center alongside the Jazz at Pride Orchestra. Additionally, along with Madison Conkle (Upper School Math), Mr. Badion performed at Radio City Music Hall for the sold-out run of "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – In Concert" with the MasterVoices choir, alongside the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Congratulations to Carlos Berihuete Pichardo (Team in Blue), who became a US citizen in April!
Douglas Brophy (Head of School), was recently elected an officer of the Board of the Guild of New York City Independent Schools, after having served two years on the Board. Additionally, he was on the Hosting Committee for the May 29th NYC Independent School Summit on Confronting Antisemitism and delivered the Summit’s welcoming remarks. See the Summit's press release here.
This spring, Meghan Carter (Dance) earned a Master of Arts in Dance Education and a New York State Teaching Certification from Hunter College's Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program. She was also honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award by Professor Ana Fragosa, the programs director, and Jody Arnhold, the program's main benefactor.
Ava Collins (N4–4th Grade Math Specialist) has been working with K–4 educators on a series of rich professional development experiences focused on building students’ computational fluency—the ability to solve math problems accurately, efficiently, and flexibly—while also supporting teachers in deepening their math pedagogy and instructional practices.
Kori Ginzberg (Upper School Latin) finished coursework for a Masters in History from Brooklyn College and has been awarded the Rose Goldstein Memorial Scholarship in recognition of achieving a 4.0 GPA.
Juliette Guarino Berg (Lower School Science) delivered one of the keynote speeches at the "Celebration of STEM Teaching and Community" at Lehman College, hosted by STEMteachersNYC, the Science Council of New York City, and the City University of New York. Additionally, she co-led a virtual workshop called "Exploring Science Through Stories: Elevating Your Science Teaching Through Interactive Read Alouds" for Science Friday.
Bradley Levantin (Lower School Associate Teacher) graduated from Bank Street College of Education with a degree in General and Special Childhood Education.
Viorica Morris-Stan’s (Lower School Art) artwork will be part of this year's Saugerties Artists Tour, featuring 45 artists who are eager to welcome visitors into their private studios to see completed work and works in progress in a wide array of mediums and styles. You are all invited to visit August 9th-10th.
Janie Vance (Academic Dean) was selected to participate in the NAIS Institute for school leaders around the country that began this April and will conclude with presenting at a national conference next February.
Marjorie Vereen (5th & 6th Grade Science, Director of Sustainability) presented at the National Science Teachers Association conference in New Orleans in November 2024. Her topic was, "Highlighting Marginalized Voices: Women in Science" and explained how she does the Women in Science Project with her 6th graders each year.