Faculty Corner

Elisa D'Angelo, Director of Alumni Relations and Major Gifts, relates this story about her outreach experience:

"This past year, I was a Women's Mentor through the Junior League of Baltimore. It was a wonderful program. The women consisted mostly of teen mothers that attended the Waverly Family Center. We had a speaker each week and discussed everything from goal setting and mind/body wellness to resume building, dressing for an interview, and conflict resolution. My month was mind/body wellness and I had a nutritionist come in one week and a yoga instructor come the next week. All the women absolutely loved the yoga class and kept asking when the next time the yoga instructor was coming back to teach. It was a great program and I loved my mentees! Zanita (18, two children Marcus and Dymond) got her GED and now she is working on getting her driver's license. At the end of the program we had a ‘graduation' and two of the women were placed in internships at The Wise Penny - the Junior League thrift shop. It will be great for their resume as well as for them to learn to handle cash and customer service."

To find out more about the Junior League of Baltimore and their peer work click on http://www.jlbalt.org/

Many of our faculty and staff work in community outreach in capacities where their skills will benefit the most people. David Clapp, Assistant Head Master, Kerry Johnston, Director of Development, Dina Glorioso, Accounting Manager, and Nicole Webster, Middle School Admissions Director & Upper School Placement Director, are great examples of this.

They all work with My Sister's Circle, Inc. (MSC). MSC is a comprehensive, relationship-based program designed to mentor girls from disadvantaged Baltimore neighborhoods during their challenging transition to middle school, throughout high school, and into college. MSC helps to positively transform the lives of our "sisters" by: matching each girl with a mentor; providing one-on-one tutoring; organizing cultural, educational and recreational events and trips; soliciting summer camp scholarships; offering testing and counseling to guide girls and their families through the challenging middle and high school application process; and connecting students with college preparation and placement programs. Dina is the Treasurer of the MSC Board and David is the President. Nicole has helped with testing the girls and with admissions advice and Kerry has presented to the Board and served as a consultant regarding fundraising.

David has passed on two pictures below from the most recent MSC celebration held in the Middle School Atrium at Calvert. One is a picture of a recent Calvert graduate who was a part of My Sister's Circle working the reception table.The other is a picture of Heather Harvison, the Executive Director of MSC, with a student who was part of the first class of MSC girls who now are graduating from high school. The event celebrated the first graduating class of MSC girls and the wonderful work of the mentors and support of the donors.

Check out the My Sister's Circle website if you would like to learn more about this organization.

Calvert School has supported the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure annually since 2003 with teams of faculty, staff, and students participating.  Joe McGraw, Director of Finance & Operations, was the Treasurer of the Maryland affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure for 4 years from 2002 through 2006.  During his tenure, Joe was instrumental in moving the race "online" with registration and donations being accepted over the internet.  As a result, revenues for the affiliate more than doubled from $1.1 million dollars to $2.6 million dollars.  In the past two years, the Race has moved to Hunt Valley, over 33,000 people participated in the largest single day fundraiser in the state of Maryland, and the affiliate has generated enough revenue to provide grants and research funding of more than $2 million dollars.

The promise of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.

For more information on Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Race for the Cure check out the links below:

General Information: http://www.komenmd.org/

To Register for the 2008 Race: http://2008rftc.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=262076

Mollie Williams, a Ninth Age girls' teacher,  is involved with Maryland Special Olympics, which conducts fund-raising special events throughout the year around the state to ensure that our mission of providing sports training and athletic competition for all children and adults with developmental disabilities is achieved.

The Polar Bear Plunge provides an opportunity for individuals, groups, teams, etc. to make a difference in the lives of these special athletes by soliciting pledges, making a personal donation or creating their own event.

For the last three years Mollie and her husband have led a team of about 25 people, including her colleagues, students, and their families. Along with thousands of others, they gather each January at Sandy Point State Park to plunge into the icy waters of the Chesapeake Bay in honor of this fundraising event and all of the Maryland Special Olympics athletes.

Shannon Frederick, Technology Coordinator, shares her experience working with the Komen Foundation:

Cancer has affected and continues to affect the lives of many people that I love.  Six months before my wedding, my grandmother died of throat cancer and my mother-in-law (to-be) of breast cancer.  I wanted to find a way to honor them, a chance to participate in something bigger than me, feel like I was making a difference, if even in a small way.  A very dear friend of mine asked me if I wanted to participate in a 2 day, 39.2 mile walk for breast cancer.  I enthusiastically agreed .  I am always amazed how I make my fundraising goal each  year.  Unfortunately, the names I include on my walker's bib continues to grow over the years.  However, I am happy to say, I have many more in the "In Honor of" column that the "In Memory of."  I walk for many women, from my mom's college roommate to several of my colleagues, from longtime family friends to my best friend from college's mom, all of whom have fought the fight with pride, dignity, grace, and most suprisingly, a sense of humor.  These women are my inspiration when my feet hurt, when I'm tired, and my blisters are screaming!  They amaze me.  I'm so honored and proud to walk for them.  Over the last four years, our team has grown.  We are now about eight strong.  This year, 2008, we dedicated our walk to a friend's 18 year old daughter who lost her battle with cancer 4 months before our walk.  Although, the walk is dedicated to breast cancer, we walk for all cancers. We hpe that if we do our share to find a cure for one, and we're bound to find a cure for all! 

Susie Silberstein, 10th Age Girls Teacher, shares her experience working with the Paul's Place Camp:

I have been the Camp Director for Paul's Place Camp at St. Thomas' Church for the past two summers. The camp is an outreach program for the church.  This rewarding camp for children ages six-twelve is always during the week of July 4^th.  Most of the campers are involved with Paul's Place after-school program.  I recruit local high school students (several have been Calvert alums) as counselors.  The teens have a fabulous time while being excellent role models with the campers, and complete their community service hours.  This year's over-all theme was "The Olympics", with daily theme focusing on different continents-Asia (the campers made kites and candy sushi), Europe (piggy banks were decorated while the campers learned about currency), Africa (the craft was African masks and preparing African dishes) and America (campers constructed flags, had their own Olympic Field Day which ended with an all-American picnic lunch). Included in the daily schedule is an academic hour.

Mary Ellen Nessler, one of our 5th grade girls' homeroom teachers, has been involved in an outreach program focusing on the advancement of women in the world. She says:

"For the past three years I have been an active member in Chapter E of PEO, a philanthropic organization, founded in 1869, where women celebrate the advancement of women; educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans, and stewardship of Cottey College; and motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations. Local chapters meet monthly to sponsor higher education students through the following five national programs:

1. Program for Continuing Education funds a need based grant for educational expenses for women whose education has been interrupted and find it necessary to resume their studies.

2. Educational Loan Fund provides student loans based on financial need.

3. International Peace Scholarships support graduate students from students from around the world in their studies at an American university.

4. Program for Scholar Awards supports doctoral level or postgraduate studies or research. Cottey College, a fully accredited liberal arts college for women in Nevada, Missouri, has been owned and operated by the P.E.O. Sisterhood since 1927."

Terri Merwin, the Middle School counselor, visted Nogales, Mexico on an outreach trip this summer. Along with her son, Mrs. Merwin worked to help the town build essential infrastructure. Her story is below:

During the second week of July, my 17 year old son Josh and I worked with a team of 25 Americans and 10 Mexicans in the outskirts of Nogales, Mexico. There is no running water here so right after the roosters crow and the dogs begin barking, the drivers of the water trucks honk their horns as they make their way up and down the steep dirt roads hoping to make their living by filling up the cisterns that sit on many roofs. This water source makes for an extremely cold shower!

Squatters Rights is the real estate law of the land. Typical homes have walls made of wooden pallets (cast offs from shipping) and floors of dirt. One of our projects was pouring cement floors (the teenage boys did much of this labor) and waterproofing the walls. Waterproofing was accomplished by nailing a layer of tar paper and then a layer of chicken wire to the outside walls. Then they were covered with a coat of stucco. Sometimes we simply “painted” the plywood homes with used motor oil from the States to make them water tight. I helped to prepare a mid day meal for the approximately 90 children that make their way (some with their moms) to the “Kid’s Café” 3 days a week. I also attempted some Spanish with the moms over a couple of crafts, but mostly I just smiled. The divorce rate in this area is about 80% and mothers are in the tough position of having to choose between leaving their children to earn some money and staying home without financial resources. Many of them have built store fronts on their homes so that they can do both.

While the poverty was painful to experience, I was so inspired by the spirit of the people. They are friendly and extremely resourceful. Nothing is wasted: not used tires, which are filled with gravel to make steps, and not “scrap” paper from the crafts, which was collected to be used for decorations. Most striking is their love of beauty. A house may be made of slatted wood, but inside is a beautiful flowering plant. The breathtaking sunrises, sunsets, mountains and cloud formations seemed to keep their hope and inspiration alive. The beauty helped to sustain me too.

To each of us, peace can take on a different meaning, but, in the end, it all comes down to a simple definition: "a state of calm and serenity, with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people." On September 21st, schools throughout the country participated in a program called "Pinwheels for Peace," which promotes a visual message for peace. The program was started in 2005 by two Art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, who teach at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida.

Larisa Kamp, Calvert's Middle School art teacher, created pinwheels with some of her students and then displayed them on the grass outside of the Middle School in the shape of a peace sign.

For more information, please visit pinwheelsforpeace.com