welcome good afternoon it it is with great pleasure uh that I welcome you to EV welcome everyone to celebrating teachers Brookline education foundation's annual event where we honor and celebrate brookline's exceptional Educators my name is Elizabeth asaly and I'm the executive director of the Brookline Education Foundation at least until the summer celebrating teachers is one of the highlights of our year when we can show public appreciation and thanks for the important work that happens every day in Brookline classrooms to all of our Educators here today we warmly welcome you I want to welcome the administrators parents and students who are here this afternoon I'd also like to thank our generous donors and others from the Brookline Community who have joined us today I would like to acknowledge all past cavarly winners who are in the room could those of you who are here please stand [Applause] up I'd especially like to welcome our superintendent of school Dr lonus gillery Who will say a few words of [Applause] welcome good afternoon everyone so great to be here with you this afternoon welcome to the annual bef celebrating Teachers Program honoring the exceptional individuals who embody the essence of teaching Excellence within the public schools of Brookline Today We Gather to celebrate except ctional Educators whose unwavering dedication passion and Innovation have left and continued to leave indelible marks on the lives of their students today we will conclude with our Earnest caval award e and what a treat that will be as we recognize and appreciate our teachers for sharing their extraordinary gifts and talents with students each and every day let us reflect on and cherish the Prof profound impact that they have in shaping the generations to come they are not merely instructors of subjects but architects of Dreams mentors who guide Inspire and nurture the flame of curiosity within each young mind they touch today we applaud their achievements and celebrate their contributions thank you for joining us in this celebration of Excellence and education and thank you to the brook line Education Foundation and Community for your laser focus on supporting the educational Endeavors and achievements of our teachers [Applause] welcome thank you Dr Giller I'd also like to welcome members of our school committee and other elected officials and I ask that you please stand so that we can Rec we can all thank you for your time energy and service in helping Brookline remain committed to [Applause] education the work of the bef would not be possible without the tremendous efforts of the members of our board of directors and Advisory board I would like to ask all current board members and members of The Advisory Board who are here to stand up and be [Applause] acknowledged I also want to acknowledge our associate director Jenny rofman for the terrific work she has done in helping to arrange today's celebration and for her work throughout the year [Applause] and I want to thank our board president Jen Rothstein who assumed the responsibilities of President about a year ago and has done a tremendous job so far thank you Jenny and Jen Brookline Educators have a curiosity about the world and a passion for learning they are committed to inspiring and challenging young minds and they possess a lifelong love of learning the bef's grantmaking approach supports facilitates and encourages the pursuit of those qualities all of our grants are teacher-driven meaning that the teachers themselves know what they need and want write their proposals and have received funding bef ideal lab grants Provide support for experimenting with creative and innovative ideas in the classroom with an emphasis on Hands-On experiential learning teacher grants provide opportunities for teachers to deepen their knowledge in their field or to explore new areas collaborative grants promote Cooperative efforts across disciplines across grade levels and across schools systemwide grants provide opportunities for Innovative thinking around issues that impact the entire system it is my pleasure now to introduce Devin Powell chair of the ideal lab grants committee and collaborative grants committee and Diane P Corney Wilson chair of our teacher grants committee who will introduce this year's Grant recipients Devin hello good afternoon uh my name is Devon Powell I'm a longtime board member parent of a junior at the high school um and a unle sixth grader right now and I'm so happy to be here today to announce the 19 idea lab recipients that were awarded um in the fall of this school year also on behalf of the bef I would like to say thank you to the many members of our grant committees and a special thanks to Michelle Herman and Gabe McCormack for all of their work in assisting our grant committees this year so we will be acknowledging our 19 idea lab recipients after I read all of your names I will ask you to stand to be acknowledged uh Rachel craigan and Andrea schoer from beep Ben Burman from Brookline High School Nikki Fairington from beep Juan Wang from Brookline High School Kem kemu Armstrong from Baker School Lindsay Anderson from the Hayes School Sarah O'Shea from the hay School Allison whitebone and Talmage nardy from Brookline High School Maryanne Beal from Lincoln School Abby Rashad from Lawrence Nicole chassis from the Florida Ruffin Ridley School Olivia ra from Driscoll Emily Manning Bingle from the Florida Ruffin Ridley School Amy Bayer from Brookline High School Jennifer Maloney from Florida Ruffin Ridley School Victoria kavana and Adrien Puchi from the Florida ruen Ridley School sukna valii from Brookline High School Jennifer Sanders from Lawrence School uh congratulations if can stand up and be acknowledged all of our IDE lab [Applause] recipients and now I'm introducing Diane Wilson chair of our teacher grants [Applause] committee hi I am Diane PNE Wilson I have been a board member of the bef for six years now and I have four kids that have all gone through Baker two that have graduated out of the system and two that are at the high school um this year the BF has awarded 25 teacher grants totaling over 108,000 and directly involving 35 Educators I'm going to announce the gr grants and then I ask you all to stand together to be recognized and I've worked on the pronunciations but if I mess it up I'll apologize in advance um Meredith Huntley North Indian North Indian music immersion Melissa Nixon and Julia Mangin AP summer Institute for AP Physics John Ferguson professional performer partnership project Ellen mullach Deborah traderman and Jan Janna young nurses restorative yoga Jasmine ha Spanish language and cultural IM immersion a journey to enhance service to underprivileged students Colleen McCormack Orton Gillingham plus training for the Learning Center Melissa moradian exploring Earth history and sustainability on Iceland's South Coast Jenna laib uh math education conference in Chicago Amy ostu and kju Armstrong exploring the Emirates a peak into the cultural and education system of the UAE Emily Manning mingle draw paint print at Oxbow School of Art Liz cook Orton Gillingham plus Laura Lauren Tavarez national black Association for speech language and hearing convention Tim hints Castle exchange Lenny lebenon the confer uh the nacac conference Julie boss truth and Justice pilgrimage and Community Building Kendall Jones Clifton Jones Jason montros black men educator conference Stephanie Goodman and Le Lucy mcneel exploring and conserving conserving the Igan and the medit Anan Seas Janette Sergeant breathe for change Katie Moy World music Olivia Ral and Anne Reed Turtles as inspiration for learning art literature and research Colleen Bo the Spanish classroom in the real world social networks the media and audiovisual resource resources in the teaching of Spanish Cari Espinosa and Michaela Dodge geography and culture of the American Amer Southwest Amy berer Ace Program Coordinator Julia James Spanish language study in support of student service trip to the Dr and abigal Rashad and Lily OD AR the Mexico can you all stand please congratulations and now Devon's coming back up for collaborative can't get rid of me okay we also this year awarded seven collaborative grants totaling over $551,000 and directly impacting about 40 Educators again after I announce the grants I'll ask our recipients to all stand and be acknowledged together our collaborative grants are the Roland Hayes collaborative research leader Meredith Huntley from the science of reading to the science of writing leader Angela Harvey BHS Pathways EX ex cutive function training leader Alyssa Parker the lgbtq plus collaborative leader Steven Easley the National Education Association lgbtq caucus conference 2025 leader David chayet the 2024 NCT in Boston Heart Hope and Humanity leader Marlene gonzalves and BHS School leadership proposal innovation in school leadership conference leaders Anthony Meyer and astred Allen could all leaders and participants in our collaborative grants please stand up to be [Applause] acknowledged [Applause] okay hello my name is Gavin Andrews I've been involved at the bef for about four years and I have two kids at Pierce Fifth and eighth graders so soon to be here at the high school um so in addition to awarding all of the grants that we just heard about the bef also has three awards given to teachers who receive teacher grants so first I'm going to talk about the gelfin award this award was created to honor the memory of Adam Russell gelfin a baker school student who died while in fifth grade Adam's parents established the award to honor and recognize the many teachers who were important to Adam during his life on behalf of the Brooklyn educ ation Foundation I'm honored to announce the recipients of the 2024 Adam Russell gelfin Fellowship Carly espanosa and Michaela Dodge fourth grade teachers at Baker school and they will travel to national parks and landmarks of the American southwest Cari and Michaela can you please stand up and be [Applause] recognized congratulations um the next award is the Charlie Baker Legacy award which was created by a generous donor in 2008 to honor Mr Baker for his quote extraordinary service in time of need this annual award provides additional funding to a bef Grant recipient for continuing education travel program development or other similar Pursuits focused in the areas of US History Andor World Geography the 2024 Charlie Baker Legacy award is presented to Olivia ralt and Anne Reed the Driscoll art teacher and librarian respectively [Applause] congratulations they will be traveling this is so exciting to Costa Rica to participate in their sea turtle research and kick off their year of the turtle at Driscoll so very excited um thank you all right the next one is the David e prell award announcement and so this is the fourth year the bef has been giving an award to an outstanding middle school teacher in memory of beloved Driscoll Middle School teacher David E prell this award is presented to a teacher of middle school students who stimulate students imagination and curiosity help students develop self- assurance and self-esteem and encourages student collaboration Andor instills an iding sense of social responsibility no big deal wow um this year there's a fabulous honorey um this is Colleen Bole from RL middle school Spanish teacher and she will travel to Spain to participate in a class designed to promote Intercultural awareness and provide ideas and resources to boost motivation and learning congratulations Colleen are you here yay all right so next is the Margaret metzer Fellowship Awards um every summer the bef fund six teachers who work together in a workshop format to write about their experiences in the classrooms in the classroom as Margaret metzer fellows Margaret meter taught English at Brookline High School for over 40 years before her passing in 2013 she influenced thousands of students and Educators through her teaching writing and mentoring these fellows continue Margaret meter's work thinking about the classroom writing about teacher and furthering the art of educating young people we are so thrilled to announce the latest class of Metar fellows who will work together this summer Alexa cuff Baker guidance counselor Matthew Degrace special education at Brooklyn High School Lily Glick glickstein fourth grade at Driscoll Daniel Lipton second grade at F frr Katie mcra a math specialist at Lawrence Matthew peard fifth grade at Hayes in the fall we will have a public celebration where you'll get to hear the teachers read some of their writing from the summer workshops and we will be able to honor them but for now if folks are here please stand up so we can recognize [Applause] you thank you we're going off program briefly and I can see the look of panic in lizz's eyes so I'm not unlisted on the program but very quickly before we heard from our cavarly winners I wanted to say a quick word on behalf of the entire board and staff to thank Liz asy okay I cry every time I do like the teacher things at the end of the year so I'm going to do this for her 10 years of service to to the bef and Brooklyn Educators it's her 10th and final celebrating teachers event as she is stepping down from her role as executive director after this year her contributions to the organization and to the public schools of Brookline over the past 10 years have been enormous I'm not a public speaker she has worked to build a board that is welcoming and representative of our diverse Community she has worked so hard to support Educators as they Branch out and try new things particularly related to experiential learning and growth and most importantly she embodies the bef core values I don't know why I'm crying so this is so embarrassing this is what I tell my kids to do she embodies the bef core values of elevating the craft of teaching and respecting the Knowledge and Skills of Educators as professionals Liz we are so grateful for all you have done and we wish you all the best [Applause] thank that was unexpected okay okay and now for the cavarly award which is what part of the reason we're here in 1984 the bef created the nnest r cavarly award to recognize Brooklyn Educators who have made outstanding contributions to Excellence in education the award is named after Dr Caverly a distinguished Public School leader educator and Brookline School Superintendent each year the bef asks Educators in Brooklyn to nominate fellow colleagues for this award the bef convenes a special committee composed of bef board members and prior cavarly winners who consider the wonderfully descriptive and inspiring letters submitted in support of each nominee by colleagues parents and former students on behalf of the Brookline Education Foundation we are delighted to to announce this year's cavarly award winners Olivia ra is the art teacher for every student student at Driscoll since 2015 Miss ra has been helping her students harness their artistic creativity in a safe and welcoming environment as one of the few teachers who teaches every student every year they are at Driscoll Olivia comes to know her students very well sees them grow up and gains such a unique perspective that teachers often come to her to hear her thoughts on certain students her dedication to making sure that the art curriculum integrates with what they are learning and ensuring that Arts Equinox is a success every year as well as just being a warm and welcoming presence in the school Olivia rail is well loved by students teachers and parents alike as an excellent all-around educator the bees is pleased to give Olivia ra this award it is my pleasure to introduce David ukis the principal of Driscoll school who will share some thoughts about Olivia thank you Liz and again I just want to say thank you for all the work that you've done for our teachers and for our community uh We've um many of our teachers at dris scho this year have received I think about five or six uh Awards and uh it really enriches all of our work as teachers and as Educators and it enriches our students and our community so thank you for all the work that you've done I am so excited uh and good afternoon everybody I'm so excited uh and and is my pleasure uh of working as an administrator with Olivia roel for the past nine years since 2015 Miss ralt has given her heart to the Driscoll Community by sharing her passion for art in so many ways the artwork that our students produce are absolutely amazing and they're a symbol of what we Val value at the Driscoll School individual expression and a true commitment to the Arts Israel can be seen hours after school sometimes into the evening making displays in our hallways or placing Pottery on our new display cabinets on the fourth floor mreal has livened up the top of the student cubbies in our elementary school's Wings by placing student created three-dimensional pieces on top of these units this type of dedication to making our school beautiful happens throughout the school year in in the art room Israel brings an energy and a passion to her work as a teacher she is always well prepared and provisioned for each class before they enter her space which is not easy when you have to prepare for nine grade levels there is always purpose and meaning behind each of the units that she teaches Miss Ral not only instructs her students on importance of using techniques like Shadow and perspective in their projects she spends time having her students share comment and appreciate each other's unique piece of work M Rael teaches her students to notice each other's expression as well as the nuances that make up a piece of artwork her teaching involves instruction on specific skills as well as attention toward building Community among her students M Ral is a true professional who gives countless hours to the entire K through a school community in March when it's time for Arts Equinox which is a unique event in Brooklyn msreel created a tradition where the day before this event she organizes all her students artwork and puts on an art show for the Driscoll Community this year it was housed in our new multi-purpose room which allowed families to come after school and into the evening to walk through and enjoy a series of displays containing collages paintings and drawings tables were placed around the interior filled with Clay products as well as a variety of three-dimensional artwork she even put together a magnificent display of student created jellyfish that was backlit with LED lights to make it look like a magical underwater scene it was awesome later in the spring M Ral helps our eighth grade play director produce realistic backgrounds and props for our eighth grade play students love to work on these project because M ral's passion for bringing our eighth grade play to life uh brings a passion for bringing our eighth grade play to life under the leadership of M Ral and the commitment to the play at Driscoll with its beautiful backdrops props and costumes the quality of our eighth grade play has been taken to another level Miss Rael brings so much passion for art education and she has a strong commitment to each student at Driscoll School she's a calm and positive presence in our middle school and at staff meetings she is always willing to go on field trips or help out at any school event she has even come up with a system where each morning when the bell rings you can see M raal holding her grade level signs to dismiss our students from the cafeteria in an orderly way to avoid a crush of students as they converge on the main stairwell to go to their classrooms and their home rooms we are so lucky to have a teacher like missal at the Driscoll school I am so so happy that you're being recognized for all that you've given to your students their families and to the Driscoll community over the years and it is my honor to introduce this year's k through eight a cavarly award winner Olivia [Applause] realalt you helps any minut [Applause] thank you all this is a little scary um David's gonna plug in um I wanted you guys to see the beautiful work that our students create all right here we go when the Cavalry team entered the Driscoll art room a few weeks ago I was confused shocked and very very nauseous such an incredible and unexpected surprise it is an especially supportive Village that enables me to be successful and happy in my job now this is when I start I could not manage working without all the people that bolster me in my teaching thank you Driscoll School teachers staff and administration who really value and understand the importance of Arts I so appreciate your invaluable support of me and my often scatter brain self you are an awesome team collaboration is a big ingredient to who I am as a teacher the dris scho teachers and the art teachers across this District Inspire and challenge my thinking which betters me as an educator and to the Brooklyn bef Brookline Educational Foundation all Educators and students are so fortunate to have you you encourage and support us to think outside the box to imagine something new and exciting to bring to our teaching and to our classrooms the bef has provided teachers with excellent individual collaborative Department school and townwide initiatives and has funded so many interdisciplinary projects in this town your work translates to Joy in our buildings my path as a learner is likely what led me right into a career in teaching my elementary experiences in the mainstream classroom were often anxious ones I traveled a very bumpy road where traditional teaching practices often did not compute for me in the academic settings I struggled to make sense of systems that seemed simple for my peers fortunately in the Arts there was a world of excitement Discovery and a feeling of competence see and joy students learning is full of emotions it's present in how to learn what to learn and most importantly how students feel about the learning at one point or another we all have been asked what's your favorite memory in school earliest memory or your favorite teacher when I look back over my most poignant memories of school the memories either have joy or anxiety attach to the emotion the truly joyous memory in school was when I was in fifth grade and I was a handed handed a clump of pooped yellowed sheep's wool I can remember the smell of the farm as well as the scent of the Sheep's lanoline the class was called Sheep to Shaw we were taught how to card the wool using what looked like two dog brushes as the bits of dried grass and poop fell away we were then ready to wash the fluffy wool over the weeks and then months we chose dyes to color our wool we were taught how to use a spinning wheel to spin our own yarn and then how to knit it three uh these Hands-On interdisciplinary learning projects engaged completely my finished piece was a scarf that I wrapped up in I gave to my mother for Christmas my mom wore the scarf on the coldest of days saying that it kept her whole body warm I actually don't doubt that because it was closer to being a rug than actually a scarf I remember putting it around my neck and talking about how itchy it was and my mom responding it's not itchy on my neck it also smelled like a farm but my mom responded I don't smell a farm mom was willing to cut me some slack and wear the smelly itchy scarf to prove my success this paints an accurate picture of my mother my first teacher I had no better Champion my mom's understanding of how excited I was by this project led her to rent me a spinning wheel to have it in my room at home the teacher and her helped me realize that if I worked the spinning wheel while she read my required School reading out loud my comprehension was nearly perfect my parents recognized that I was a capable student given to diving deep into areas of interest and processes that allowed owed me to control the pace and the scope to imagine more than one solution this was important to my self-esteem both my parents recognize that the Arts made me feel success and reflect on how and what I learned with learning not coming easily for me in most academic subjects I often felt anxious and inadequate in third grade my classroom teacher Mrs Frick Richards discovered that I really couldn't read through my first and second grade I worked hard to fake it and became really good at it I learned to memorize Mac and Tab books by listening L ing to neighboring kids read them out loud there clearly was no Fountain of simpel or Bas testing back then Mrs fck Richards explained to my parents that I had very early emerging reading strategies but that was about it this was the beginning of a long journey for my parents and myself to discover what kind of learner I was the art room the wood shop and the athletic fields became my sanctuaries at school when I was drawing painting or sculpting I felt challenged but relaxed art provided me a means of self-expression where I could communicate thoughts and feelings that were difficult to articulate verbally or in writing the Arts allowed me to escape from the challenges of the classroom curriculum expectations and immersed myself in a world where I felt capable and in control moreover art and Athletics offered me a sense of validation and acceptance from my peers thank goodness for this because as we know self-esteem and confidence is everything I've always loved the joy of Discovery for myself and early in my life I realized that children experien the discovery constantly as they explore their world working with children was a natural path for me when I was still a child myself I was always drawn towards babies and toddlers my face first babysitting job was when I was 11 for years I was clear that I wanted to grow up and have five children of my own luckily from my husband bill I outgrew that idea and my desire to surround myself with children morphed from having a large family to having a classroom surrounded by students my parents were my biggest cheerleaders throughout my schooling as I was a developing artist and athlete they encouraged me to consider applying to art school as well as a liberal as well as liberal arts school when it was time for college I was certain that becoming an elementary school teacher was what I wanted so I because uh to become so I went on to a liberal Art School majored in art and then went on to receive a masters in teaching my first job was at a second was a second grade classroom teacher I was hired in a school that was committed to creating collaborative interdisciplinary lessons for all grades our teacher meetings were spent pooling our resources and talents to develop thematic units such as one on the Boston Harbor in first and SEC the first and second grade teachers worked alongside the theater art music and gym teachers the students acted in a play about sea creatures that inhabited the harbor students wrote letters to legislator legislators to advocate for cleaner water we participated in Beach Cleanup in Riv and for the culmination of their studies uh we turned this area of the school into a vibrant Harbor with three-dimensional lighthouses boats and itical Flags the students had constructed papier-mâché animals and showed the devastating impacts of an oil spill after 8 years of being a first and second grade teacher I was fortunate to be able to hit the professional pause button for two years to have my greatest joys of my life my daughters Eleanor and Grace by stepping away from the classroom during that time I was able to pinpoint what kept my engine running as an educator the giant 3D 3D beehive when we study communities and social studies or the woven made from cardboard strips when we studied the culture of the Zulu peoples my students could crawl inside and let their imaginations wander these projects were what brought me and my students immense Joy the creeping pressure of meeting academic benchmarks for my six and seven-year-old students was challenging what I love the most about teaching in 2006 I returned to the classroom as an art teacher and it was the right decision for me teaching art fulfills my own creative needs watching the imagination of my students unfold so naturally with a paintbrush or a pile of torn paper is truly the best each time a student exclaims Mrs rail did you know that when you mix yellow and blue you can make green it is exciting being part of so many exciting discoveries is truly the best kindergarten Ella said out loud to her table group painting makes me feel amazing and yet another kindergarten student screamed I hate this stupid rabbit and tossed his artwork to the floor after his Sharpie Mar marker took an unexpected turn being able to then explore the various Solutions with a student where they can make a mistake into something artistically meaningful is truly the best the times are numerous over my 17-year career teaching art where I've heard you know what Mrs ra I'm going to be an art teacher when I grow up one of my former students was shocked to hear that I actually get money to do my job on top of being on on top of it being from their eyes to be so so fun students love crave and need this creative Hands-On expression as well as in music dance and theater recently a sixth grader shuttered sh shuffled out of my art room with his friends and peers and mumbled mumbled to one of his friends I just don't understand why we have art just once one day a week it doesn't make any sense I'm asked this significant question by my kindergarten through 8ighth grade students regularly and I I know my other art colleagues experienced the same question why do we have art only once a week depending on their age my response is always the same I totally agree with you you know you should ask Mr uas that question or for the other ones I say I totally agree with you you should ask Dr Giller that question sorry guys so my journey as a teacher continues I come to school every day knowing that having the Arts in our schools is critical for our students that the Arts boost self-confidence and reduce stress creating allows students to learn life lessons on failure perseverance resilience and rigor the creative process exercises students critical thinking and enhances communication skills the Arts encourage Civic engagement promote empathy and cultural awareness the Arts enrich the educational experience of all students no matter what their learning style is as they prepare to succeed in an everchanging world I'm grateful for my many college colleagues I have been part of uh sorry I am grateful for my many villages I have been part of during my teaching career teachers succeed when a vibrant Village works together where children gain confidence develop the skills to flourish and to be able to realize their hopes and dreams I look forward to being a student a novice a beginner this summer Beyond this unbelievable award I've also been given as you heard earlier a bef Grant this year I have the opportunity to travel with My Librarian colleague an Reed to Costa Rica this summer to start the planning and research Frisco's 2024 2025 year of the turtle the trip will allow us to participate in sea turtle research and learn from those who have devoted their careers to protecting and understanding these amazing animals our goal is to share our gain knowledge and ex uh excitement by bringing endangered baby freshwater turtles into the library Through the Zoo New England Turtle conservation program The Zo New England hatch program is referred to as the Head Start program for baby turtles students will become researchers researchers and become part of the local conservation efforts we plan to create interdisciplinary experiences at trisal school for our students where they will study turtles up close and of course create meaningful artwork inspired by these creatures and in September I will come to school fully charged Allin ready for the next chapter of my teaching career [Applause] you [Applause] Kira Flynn Carson an English teacher at school within a school at Brooklyn High School is the personification of an amazing English teacher Kira's enthusiasm for the subject love and respect for her students and desire to help other students and teachers is evident in everything that she does Kira encourages her students to find their unique voice to dig deep and push themselves guiding them in authentic learning experiences and moments of real growth among the core elements of the BHS program that Kira has had a hand in creating and sustaining are the advisory program the social justice class day of change the sharp Warriors and many beloved s SWS Traditions including monthly Lounge shows for faculty and students as a truly devoted compassionate Joy and impactful educator it is the bef's honor to present Kira Flynn Carson with the cavarly this year's cavarly [Music] award it is my pleasure to introduce Anthony Meyer head of school of Brookline High School who will say a few words about Kira hello everyone uh before I say a few words about more than a few words about Kira I want to take a moment to just thank the bef to thank the board uh to thank Liz and Jenny for Gathering us for this incredible event can we just take a moment and thank [Applause] them the atmosphere of this event is critical um this is a time to celebrate the people who do the most important work in our schools and that is our Educators I want to acknowledge that as many of You Came Upon the high school today you might have seen some police cars and it's not the atmosphere we would like uh there was an incident after dismissal um that we ended up handling um so um that's not what I want because I want us to be here making sure we're keeping our Educators front and center and I think that we're doing that I also want to acknowledge that when I sat up here I looked down at my shoes um which look like that and recall that I had a pair of dress shoes and so I'm wearing instead what Dan bresman termed my clown shoes in a moment of vulnerability I share that with you um so there are some professional ties I want to uh acknowledge um kir and I began in the same year so this is year 20 for Kira Flyn Carson really year 21 [Applause] yes and as she I recall she did her student teaching uh both at the peer school and at the high school I'm hoping I'm getting at least most of my facts right um and worked with a teacher named Barry Schuman and that could be a story in and of itself there we go Barry Schuman amazing oh my God that's so great and it is a story that you might hear um so 20 years of Kira Flyn Carson amazing and it's also not just professional it's personal um Kira has taught both of my daughters and um I'm going to say a few things about Kira I think one thing um I want to emphasize is that my 20-year-old who is away at College still has on her wall and her wall is very curated with very few things on it is a post card that Kira wrote to her about working with her who she saw her as and I if I were to read it here I would be weeping and so I'm not going to but I'm incredible incredibly grateful um to Kira's support of my daughters knowing that that's how she teaches and supports each and every kid at Brooklyn High School um and how is that um you'll hear more from so the I'm going to shift in a moment into a few uh short excerpts from the folks who wrote on her behalf because I think it's incredibly important to recognize them and to hear their bring their voices into this space but for my part I would say it is hard to imagine a Kinder more empathic and caring individual than Kira Flynn Carson who benefits our kids and our community uh our high school community and our larger Community um Kira is an incredible person um to have with kids I'm going to swear just a little bit and say she is also a facilitator of bad assness um and that is important for high school kids um to understand that you can balance that kindness that empathy with disruption with trying to work on systems that need work to try to work with kids who need to be encouraged and emboldened and Kira does it as well as uh anyone I've known that incredible balance so let's read a couple of excerpts um and you hear you heard a little bit of this but this is from Dan bresman who is the coordinator of s SWS Kira has been a devoted and beloved teacher serving at the peer school the high school and an SWS she has led multiple schoolwide programs initiatives and she has been the person that numerous students credit for their own intellectual Awakenings Kira has been a special education teacher in liaison an English teacher a co-founder and early leader of the BHS advisory program The Innovation fellow with the Innovation fund um the adviser to Sharp Warriors as you heard leading advocate for materials fee the leader of co-curricular programming in SWS the list goes on the resume is impossible to capture she has done so much in her 20 years uh now this from Dr Jen Martin uh our currently our social studies chair but a longtime colleague of Kira's uh both with advisory and in SWS Kira is widely known for her extreme kindness when I say extreme I really mean it she is the first person to bake cookies for her colleagues or an entire class of students she was someone who genu genuinely cares about the answer to the question Hi how are you she treats her students with the exact same care and kindness that she does her closest friends and family she is one of the most Humane people I know and she approaches every situation with care and curiosity there is a reason why kids simply hang out in her room just to feel close to someone who cares deeply about them as a whole person that bears repeating the power of that sentence there is a reason why kids simply hang out in Kira's room just to feel close I I would argue to be close to someone who cares deeply about them as a whole person that's what it's about um this from Ben Burman and Roger Grandy uh colleagues in various ways uh last May the SWS seniors were sharing their finales a final paper that ask students to reflect on their time in SWS before graduating it was getting late when a student stood up her hands shaking as she held her paper and shared a deeply vulnerable story about the time that she'd gotten caught cheating on a math test during her junior year she described her math teacher's disappointment in her and her own fears about the academic consequences but mostly she focused on the intense shame that she felt for having made such a horrible decision but she also described how in her lowest moment she walked up the stairs to Kira's room and to confess to what she had done and what it meant to have a mentor like Kira in that moment someone who would both hold her accountable for her mistake and still find a reason to believe in her someone who could help her separate what she done from who she was she finished reading her reflection crying through most of it then walked over to Kira and hugged her with all of her might it was one of those once in a-lifetime moments that you might expect to see on an ABC after school special or a Disney TV show except when you work with Kira llyn Carson you realize these once in a life time moment seem to somehow keep happening again and again and again and that is because Kira is a once-in-a-lifetime teacher who teaches the whole student um last uh from Karen Harris longtime English teacher at Brooklyn High School who retired in 2019 and is with us today it's titled rigor for all students Kira's special education background and experience raises everyone's game in her classroom she has s such deep deep pedagogical content knowledge this enables her to assess and meet students where they are and provide whatever scaffolding and encouragement and tough love and modifications and attention each St student needs to be a true scholar and scholarly presence in the classroom in s SWS the ex expectation is that students will be held accountable by other students that they will be engag for the sake of learning and for the good of the classroom community and they are responsible for the class as active participants and meaning makers teaching in a place like this and and in fact in a place like BHS requires the confidence to share some power with students it demands that teachers know students well in order to know when and how much to push them and when to back off a bit there's more but I think this is about hearing from Kira so I want to say thank you to the colleagues who wrote on her behalf for sharing those words with all of us it is my honor to introduce kirn Carson is the BHS Cav Award [Applause] winner already dropping things okay this is overwhelming in the most beautiful way possible okay one trait has remained consistent since I was 15 years old and that is my love of mixtapes and playlists I'd spend afternoons on the floor of my parents bedroom queuing up songs choosing just the right order holding two fingers down on the record and play buttons of my dad's double cassette decks and designing covers for the mixes that I give to my friends now I create Spotify playlists of the songs I fall in love with each season playlists are the way that I mark feelings important moments and relationships so here in this important moment for me is my cavarly mixtape songs and stories that shape who I am and why and how I teach track one teach your children by Crosby Stills Nash and Young is for my parents my dad says that when he was growing up Ireland raised its Sons for export he moved to Boston with very little and created a beautiful life he takes pride in the fact that as a carpenter he built things that lasted homes in Brookline public housing units in Dudley square offices and Labs at deonis hospital at night and on weekends as a drummer he was the BackBeat to people's weddings anniversaries and scores of Irish Cultural Events while my dad worked hard it was never about amassing wealth he worked in order to give us stability opportunity and memories he showed me that I like life with purpose involves finding out what you are good at and doing it with and for people you care about as for my mom I don't ever recall seeing her sit and watch a movie or TV show without doing something else at the same time bills sewing embroidery she was productive and useful in all of her minutes she wallpapered our kitchen climbed ladders to clean out gutters and mulched and weeded our backyard I watched her become empowered as she tinkered and to spiled she inspired the Fearless experimenter in me my mom taught me and my siblings that we are not special this was not an act of Cruelty it was a democratizing mindset no one is more special than you and you are no more special than anyone else it was also her defense against entitlement a perspective that made me grateful for what I got and shape me to invest in building character and connection rather than gaining status after I graduated from high school my mom got her associates degree and became a travel agent her clients were her own neighbors and community members she knew their lives and respected their budgets she cared so deeply about crafting these opportunities for her clients that even just a few days before she died of lung cancer she was in her office and on the phone trying to finalize the details of their trips she measured her success in the quality of the relationship she built my mom and dad priori ized purpose and relationships ahead of achievement and money in doing so they taught me that the moves you make towards power often come at the cost of connection their door was always op open to friends and Friends of Friends with a cozy bed and a delicious dessert waiting from them I learned that selfless care for its own sake is richly rewarding they did teach their children well okay track two reach out I'll be there there by the Four Tops is for Frank barbuto Frank barbuto my Mike do caucus look alike eighth grade math teacher was passionate about math coaching Sports and mtown he told us everything we needed to know about love we could learn from Smoky Robinson songs and taught us not just why the formula worked but why it was interesting and while I didn't love math I certainly loved him we felt seen and car for so when he pushed us we believed we could handle it because he was the deam high track coach he also spent the year casting us in our future roles on the team after class he would tell me what a great hurdler and high jumper he thought I could be no one would have taken me for an athlete never mind one with real potential but Mr barbuto saw me in the role and helped me see myself in it too I then spent four years on his team became the captain of indoor and outdoor track and even t hied the school record for the high jump all because Mr barbuto made me believe in the version that he saw he taught me the importance of encouragement and the fruitfulness of a mentoring relationship that grows over multiple years when the four toop sing I'll be there I think of how much he really was for five formative years track three the marriage of Figo from Mozart is for Huck Gutman when I walked into Professor Huck gutman's cont poetry class it was love at first listen when he read poems by John barryman Ethridge Knight or Maxine kumman he made us feel things the power of the words and the power of the writer controlling the rhythm of those words but in our first class he walked us outside took a photo of each of us under a tree and asked us to write down our hobbies and interests on a note card he stapled to our Polaroid he then spent the semester showing up to and asking about our games fundraisers and shows one night Hut Gutman showed up at Club metronome to watch me play drums in my Riot girl band this classical m music lover sat through my punk rock set with a smile on his face and congratulated me after the show with genuine Delight this solidified my teaching ethos a teacher who wanted to know students outside of the class as well as through the beautiful challenging and activist minded minded work of the course he taught us that poetry was about noticing for both the writer and the reader it turns out good teaching is essentially about noticing too Hut Gutman listened to punk for me so I offer one of his classical favorites in return track four Survivor by Destiny's Child is for my Germaine Lawrence School students one of my first teaching jobs was as a was at a residential treatment center for teen girls who had committed violent or sex offenses and who also had experienced considerable trauma I was 24 years old and my sheltered and optimistic worldview confronted the realities of the ab abuse and violence my students had experienced and also perpetuated I wanted them to see that books could give them opportunities to process their experience and feelings that Bea wolf was actually deeply relevant to their personal and therapeutic goals we had powerful discussions they hated The Bluest eyes Chie breed love and they had compassion for him they felt deeply connected to Chie because they too were simultaneous victims and perpetrators I got to watch as they found a book that helped them see their lives in challenging and healing ways that allowed them to write about and discuss their own situation through the safe distance of a text those kids taught me to shoot higher than just a skills-based classroom that while I wanted my students to learn to read and write well what I really wanted for for them was to see the systems and factors that limited them to see themselves as capable thinkers and change makers and to start thinking about how to advocate for and liberate themselves they were true survivors and we made each other stronger track five run the world's Girl by Beyonce is for my peer school work moms I started teaching at Pierce in 2001 and was given the gift of the most inspiring kind and funny work moms a young teacher could possibly hope for Piper Smith Mumford was genuinely interested in supporting and developing my growth even offering me my first English class when I wasn't yet certified Kim manasevit became my Confidant processing the daily interactions that would have kept me up at night if she hadn't skillfully counseled me in my anxious or self-doubting moments and Sally Schuman and Gail vanhan modeled the magical combination of openhearted love for kids and the tireless ability to fight for what kids especially the most vulnerable need their actions revealed that a good education should afflict the comfortable and comfort The Afflicted some kids do deserve more more time more resources and more opportunities equity and repairing and Justice was important work and they did it one student one class and one policy at a time peer school was infused with powerful love and care those women were badass School leaders Beyonce Worthy track six Close To You by The Carpenters for the S SWS staff joining the esto staff was less like starting a new job and more like being adopted by a loving family they welcomed me into their homes and families the beginnings of staff meetings were reserved for caring life updates and chatting about which former student someone had seen for a coffee date at a wedding or on a visit to meet their new baby I learned that the greatest joy of being an S SWS teacher was the legacy of connection forged in our Years Learning together and enjoyed over the course of a life past graduation past retirement I formed my lifelong friendship with my wise playful badass SS English colleague Karen Harris she would rest her head on my shoulder during Town meetings we would spoon each other on the S SWS overnight on the air mattress she'd bring for us to share and she was the person I called to come to the hospital when my daughter aen was born and I was afraid to buckle her tiny premature frame into a car seat for the first time Karen's supportive friendship her insightful curriculum ideas her desire to share in my successes and also to be honest and direct when she sees me spiraling in self-doubt continues to help me evolve as a person and a teacher the entire esto staff are much more than colleagues to me I love respect and enjoy them so Karen Carpenter for the sweet closeness of my SWS family track seven the monkey versus the robot by py bald is for Dan bresman the chorus of this song joyfully belts we have the best job ever yeah we really got lucky this resonates so deeply for me and a major reason I feel this way is Dan bresman I remember sitting on a panel that Bob wi trob organized to identify what kind of leadership we sought in our new superintendent what came up repeatedly was the idea that servant leadership is the ideal When leaders go to their staff to ask what do you need and then take action to provide the support that allows teachers and leaders to sustain the demands of this job Dan bresman with his big heart vast skill set and giant toolbox acts like The Blindside tackle on a football team who Keith Thomas tells me always protects the quarterback especially from what they can't see coming Dan protects teachers from the frustrating bureaucracy that can bog us down he doesn't just allow me to be the kind of teacher I want to be he clears the path to make it happen I remember looking at him from across the crowded SS Lounge when we when he got hired and saying let's work together for the next 30 years and I'm so grateful that it looks like we really will Track eight Rooftops by Hot Water Music is for Jesse when I meet BHS 9th grade math teachers and they realize that Jesse Carson beloved eighth grade Pierce math teacher is my husband they always say my students speak so fondly of him or he's the name we hear most often about having positive middle school math experiences Jesse keeps his classroom stocked with Trader Joe snacks for the after school crew that hangs out in his room daily sometimes to do math sometimes just to be known and cared about he's an active Mentor in the Pierce partners program and he spends hours every night retooling lessons communicating with families and planning interventions his patience as I spend many nights at estos events or meet up with former students has allowed me the time to build the connections that are so enriching for me and I am eternally grateful the lyric in this song by one of Jesse's favorite band says we are making more old days after all of our years together reflecting on and reminiscing about not just our lives and parenting together but our Decades of teach teaching and our shared students is a gift track nine we are going to be friends by The White Stripes is for the bscc BFF parents my daughter's age just so happens to align with the children of some of the most caring dedicated teachers in the district Roger Grandy Danielle rabina and Lex and Keith Thomas when our kids joined the Brooklyn School staff Child Care Center I never imagined we would grow to become an almost communal family we sit over a fabulous Greek spread Lex lays out in Danielle's kitchen and discuss parenting but our Focus often turns to how to get our students out of the transactional culture of comparison and competition that leads to anxious perseveration about college gaming the system making decisions that sacrifice authentic learning and mean meaningful risk-taking and deteriorate students mental health as both teachers and parents in the Brooklyn schools thanks to the material fee and metco programs we are doubly invested in the education provided here our many years of experience give us enough context to have deep concern when we see the district value individual achievement over Collective responsibility and centering Equity Justice and ethics these are teachers with huge Hearts who dedicate themselves to making real change this song says I can see that we are going to be friends but in truth I had no idea how much I would grow to treasure This Crew track 10 magic Olivia Newton John you know I had to is for my SWS students in Bell Hook's book teaching to transgress she argues that a transformational classroom doesn't happen unless the people in it fall in love a little bit by my accounting I have fallen in love with the hearts and minds of over a th000 students and I have watched most of them fall in love with each other at least pedagogically sometimes also in love when I try to explain to my SS when I try to explain SWS to my friends I evoke the Great British baking show where everyone is genuinely trying to do their best yet they both support and celebrate each other's accomplishments s SWS is the Great British baking show of school programs students genu genuinely get to know each other wait I lost my place get to know each other's work they express pride in their peers when they see them improve in their thinking and writing they develop writer crushes on each other and feel inspired to revise and work harder in my 20 years in s SWS I have witnessed the absolute magic of watching strangers transition into groups that bravely vulnerably share ideas and papers cry and even ballroom dance together magic I recently read that a common trait amongst happy people is that they had to do a lot of chores when they were young because it taught them not just that they were capable but that they were meaningful contributors to their families I watch as my students make playful wise deeply intellectual and challenging in contributions to our SBS family when they do their chores in class and through their Community leadership I watch them develop their understanding that they are important here because they are in the song Magic Olivia Newton John sings you have to believe we are magic nothing can stand in our way this line makes me think about the open mic shows we have in our Lounge where I see kids work up the courage to sing or play a song for the first time time and then finish only to hear uproarious Applause even if they stumbled especially if they stumbled what might we all be able to achieve if we were surrounded by people who believed so sincerely in each other's magic do we do it perfectly all the time hell no but when we keep it as our North Star we are all the better for it okay we're about halfway there no that's I'm stealing Dan Fran's favorite graduation [Laughter] joke track 11 The Best Day by Taylor Swift is for Awin my daughter Awin has been my most profound teacher she has approached countless tasks with pragmatic diligence when she was 18 months old at the Cypress playground she examined the monkey bars with a look of determination Rial rivaled by a scientist on the edge of an important discovery she'd attempt to Traverse fall and unshaken dust herself off and ready herself for the next attempt seeming to know even then that the only thing between her and any goal she wants to achieve is effort practice patience and time though she is now only 13 she has designed and built a reading Nook starred in plays upholstered a chair run a fundraising Bakery and is a loving responsible babysitter she sees the best in the people around her celebrates her friends and thoughtful ways notices every baby and every cute animal and is brave enough to defend her friends or teachers when she hears someone criticized them in a way she sees as unfair when I need to explain things about our equal parts beautiful and broken world to her it reminds me that if I want the world to be better for her and to her my way to do something about it is inviting students to look beyond their individual needs and use their skills to improve their communities it is Awin who guides the ethics of my teaching now who drives me to create change in our school in our community and in our world in this song Taylor Swift thanks her mother for giving her beautiful moments of joy and support while other parts of her life are hard aw when you give me my best days especially when things are hard being your mom is my biggest inspiration so there they are 11 Tracks the earworms I never want to get out of my head I am so grateful for the Brooklyn Education Foundation for all they do to support teachers in Brookline and for celebrating teachers in this beautiful way seeing you all walk into my classroom with flowers is the joyful bonus track on my playlist and I can't thank you enough thank you so much [Applause] okay thank you so much thank you for coming uh thank you Educators for your teaching your mentoring for inspiring our children the book Brookline Community appreciates and values all that you do I just have to say CU it wouldn't be me if I didn't if you're in Brookline and you haven't voted yet please vote and please join us for a reception thank you [Applause] [Music]