Spring 2017 Vol. 34 The No. 3 Magazine of The Learning Project Elementary School INSIDE Alumni Profiles The LP 'Teach-In' Spring 2017 3 Headlines from Michael McCord FEATURES 5 Alumni Profiles 13 Alumni Voices 14 Spring Auction 16 International Women's Day 19 LP Milestones 20 Emily Melia Fund/Report of Camilo's Trip 22 Around The LP LUKE BOELITZ, '02, teaches the first grade about 'cyanotypes' Winter and Spring happenings at The LP! before having children complete their own. 25 Comings & Goings News from Alumni, former faculty, staff, past parents and friends. COVER PHOTO: Sara Ziel- The LampPost is published EDITOR: inski, '01, teaches the third three times annually by Justin Hajj grade class about the art of The Learning Project CONTRIBUTORS: printmaking. Elementary School. Camilo Chao Mikah Farbo 107 Marlborough St. Katrina Goldsaito Boston, MA 02116-1901 Justin Hajj John Krewson tel: 617.266.8427 Michael McCord fax: 617.266.3543 Karen Torres email: [email protected] DESIGN: Caroline Buttner, Four Feathers Studio.com Javier Amador-Pena, Pluma2.com 2 • | Magazine of The Learning Project Our Learning Project Alumni from MICHAEL MCCORD There are some remarkable schools in this country ly working in the arts—as visual artists, actors, and abroad that work with broadly disadvantaged film producers, videographers, dancers, musi- students whose life paths they routinely and dra- cians, and writers. Another cluster are in educa- matically change. Most schools, however, cannot tion ranging from pre-school teachers through make quite the same claim because their pupils graduate school professors. Most in education start out comparatively quite advantaged. Privi- seem to have chosen elementary education, but MICHAEL MCCORD lege alters the equation, and this second group of in addition to the college professors, off the top The Learning Project schools—and I include The LP here—needs to be of my head I can think of two graduates who are Headmaster far more modest in claiming credit for the achieve- teaching in high school. Others of our graduates ments of their students and for the subsequent are social workers, lawyers, journalists, architects, accomplishments of their graduates. city planners, engineers, software developers, That said, every school has at least some and consultants. Some are employees of various influence, for better or worse, on the children who non-profits, e.g., museums, social service agencies, attend, and if that is true, then every school bears environmental groups, etc.; and some are in health some responsibility, for better or worse, for the care—as doctors or nurses, research scientists, or outcomes of the education it provides. Personally, physical therapists. Some have entered the trades I know that the schools I attended—and most or construction, or retail or work in ‘the service in- especially my elementary school—profoundly dustry.’ We also have graduates in a wide variety influenced my academic career and the course of of business positions—in banking, investing, pub- my life. lishing, broadcasting, internet commerce, public I frequently hear the same story from other relations, marketing and real estate. Some have people, and, indeed, from many of our LP grad- started their own companies, others work for large uates who often reference the importance of their corporations, some work for small ‘start-ups’ and LP years. There is, of course, a distinct possibility some work independently. We have several who that these graduates are simply humoring me, but have been in the Peace Corps, or the military, or I suspect generally not. The shape shifting mo- are employed in city, state or Federal government; ments that they recall, combined with the thought- at least one graduate is a police officer in a large fulness of their reflection about the importance of city. And I am sure we have graduates who are those moments, give considerable credibility to ‘homemakers,’ raising children, which brings to their positive comments about their LP years. mind that we also have had alumni who, in time, I am clearly biased, but LP graduates are an have become LP parents—two in Kindergarten extraordinary collection of people, and this issue this year, a lovely turn of the wheel. of The LampPost contains several profiles to Years ago, an alumni parent, using a term I illustrate that point. Virtually any of our graduates hadn’t before heard, described the school as being of any age would have made interesting material a ‘sticky’ place, by which he meant, a place that for a profile, but we had to be selective and we people didn’t easily leave or forget. And so it is: decided to focus on graduates in different types children, and parents, often describe enduring of careers and from different eras of the school’s emotional and philosophical attachment to The LP, 44-year history. even after many years away, and perhaps many We now have over 500 Graduates of The miles between their current homes and #107. Learning Project, and uncounted scores of alumni I suppose there are several reasons for the who attended for a year or two. A quick survey of school’s ‘stickiness’—and each having a different what they are doing—at least those old enough to hold for different people. The school’s small size have jobs and to be paying bills—reveals that their and the interpersonal closeness of the community career choices are almost as varied as they are. But is one that graduates talk about the most. Anoth- there are some common threads: er, clearly, are the friendships they established A sizable cluster have worked or are current- here—and this is also true for the parents of our | Magazine of The Learning Project • 3 graduates. The curriculum is another piece of the seriously committed to academic learning, as school’s stickiness. The continuity of curriculum well as social and emotional learning, and a place over the grades and years means that students of where who you are as a person counts more than many generations have learning experiences in what you know and infinitely more than what you common. Returning graduates sometimes ask: Do have. And, yes, many remember the school as a the first graders still learn phonics from the ‘Mac tad ‘quirky.’ and Tab’ series and do they still ‘do’ Mexico? Do What all of the profiled graduates have in com- the second graders still study Ancient China and mon is this: At one point, each was an LP child the third graders Ancient Rome? Do they have who grew up, graduated, went to a new school, Medieval Day in fourth grade, Greek plays in fifth grew up some more, and eventually became an and Shakespeare in sixth? Do children still do IRS adult making choices about how to spend the sin- projects, ERB’s, Science Fairs and learn cursive? gle lifetime each of them was given as the greatest (The answer to all of these is, “Yes.”) of all gifts. And each, I might add, seems to be And then there are the routines that graduates spending that lifetime in accordance with the idea remember: trips to the BPL, the Esplanade, the so famously expressed by Winston Churchill that, Common, or the particular field trips repeated “We make a living by what we get, but we make a each year in each grade. Certainly the D.C. Trip is life by what we give.” considered the ‘mother of all trips.’ Other recalled routines include: All School Meetings—and the ringing of the chime by sixth graders; Perfor- mance Fests, Lunch Week and Pencil Pals. They sometimes ask, too, if the children still ‘shake out’ (shake hands at dismissal) and if the Headmaster still prohibits hats in school? (Again, the answer to all is, “Yes.”) Our big traditions, most definitely, are another source of the ‘stickiness:’ Halloween and Zoodio, Field Day, the Winter Concert, Stuffed Animal Day, Adventure Trips, Olympics, Mayfest and Graduation—all deeply entrenched even in the minds of our youngest children, and surely not up for discussion. And then there is the emphasis on character, and the values like integrity and responsibility; hard work and perseverance; loyalty and grat- itude; kindness and empathy, which graduates recall as powerful and as ‘fixed points’ in an LP education. Many also remember our value state- ments—or mantras: “It’s okay to make a mistake, but learn from it and make a different one the next time”; or “We’re a school where it’s not okay to say, ‘You can’t play’”; or “There’s a lot you cannot control in life, but you can make choices about your attitude and your effort”; or “Expect the best of yourself (and others) and very often you will get it.” Finally, a certain amount of ‘stickiness’ con- nects to what is elusively referred to as ‘The LP Way’—the manner in which we actually do things. Alumni regularly recall the school as strict and kind; creative and deliberate; serious and zany, non-competitive (dogmatically so!) and yet a place that teaches ‘friendly competition’ where win or lose games and board games, chess especially, are played a lot. They also remember it as a place 4 • | Magazine of The Learning Project Alumni Profiles BUSINESS by JOHN KREWSON In early April, the Learning Project had the pleasure of catching up with class of 1980 alumna, Marianne Lancaster. Marianne shared her journey after graduating from The Learning Project, and her experi- ence as president of her self-started company, Lancaster Packaging. Marianne Lancaster, '80 fondly recalls special events and holidays that The LP celebrates. Halloween, with the fun of Upon graduating from dressing up, coupled with service learning, left The Learning Project, an impact on her that has remained to this day.