DEVELOPMENT(1997-2000) AND ENGLISH (1999-2001)
Other than teaching English, working as a Development Associate was the best job I had at Graland.
Other than teaching English, working as a Development Associate was the best job I had at Graland. Originally, I applied to be the first Director of Alumni Relations at the school. Given the infernal luck of this Irish guy, I did not get the job. However, Ben Duke and Marilyn Foster created a 50% position for me, a position they maintained I would love. The question you might be asking yourself is one I asked, “What exactly is a Development Associate?” A little bit and a little bit of that: alumni “stuff,” archive organization, proofreading publications, and to quote Ben and Marilyn, “And anything else that comes to our minds.”
Later, I refined that sentence: I was the all-purpose person to whom Ben, Marilyn, and Sue Hall would assign a task. Later, I worked with Karin Jonas, Serena White, Leslie Trento, and Suzie Latendresse. Those were days filled with joy and hard work.
In addition, I taught Latin to eighth and ninth graders; we began an experimental program for seventh graders as well. The morning classes continued. I missed teaching English-- there was no time to mourn.
The most memorable part of the job was serving as a member of the Alumni Board. Ruth Gorham always wanted to involve the alumni more in the school; finally, her dream had become a reality. There were events off campus and on campus to which alumni were invited. Etched in my memory was the pleasure that Alumni Back to School Night brought to me, among others. Teachers-- and some very special guests-- would volunteer to teach classes-- everything from wine tasting to flower arranging plus some academic classes ( English, art, music, history, etc).
In the spring of 2002, Exie Harvey, the Head of School, provided me with a challenge of sorts: to teach English again and to continue teaching Latin. I taught two eighth grade English sections in 2000-2001 and one eighth grade English section in 2001-2002. Some of my fondest and most sentimental memories stem from those two years. I owe Exie Harvey my thanks.
In the spring of 2003, Rob Stein introduced the concept of pods-- no, it was not Graland’s answer to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. There would be a core team-- later called MESH-- for each grade; in essence, part-time teachers were being eliminated. I found myself teaching Latin-- full time-- in the fall of 2002, that is.
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
