Blog

Salute to Don Riesett!

The Creative Writing Seminar could just as well be called Creative Thinking explains teacher Don Riesett. This weekly group session followed by another weekly one-on-one session provides an opportunity for the students to dive deeply into their thinking and creativity. They produce a fresh work each week for topics that can be extremely personal and self reflective to those that challenge the imagination. Each student’s take is unique and often surprising in the approach taken.

All of this is possible because of the inspirational and engaging teaching of Mr. Don. He has been developing student’s skills and talents for 16 years now at The Community School. Don’s class has a central role in the personal development of each student and the cohesion of the class.

We are so grateful for you Mr. Don!

Salute to Leandra Laird!

Breaking Adult Code was the theme of the last set of art classes for the term this year.  The students have been learning the art of  cursive and developing their fine motor skills in this course. Our weekly art classes ended the year today.  We are so fortunate to have Leandra Laird as our teacher and guide for this class. Leandra brings her calming presence, considerable talent and over 25 years of teaching experience at Loyola into our classroom.

Among the offerings for this year, Leandra taught two point perspective drawing and carved stamp printing. Some of the students’ work will be on display at the End of Year gathering on June 8th as well as gracing the walls of their homes.

We are deeply grateful to Leandra for expanding our students talent and creativity while teaching technique and art appreciation.

Salute to Eduardo Viana!

Today was our last weekly Physical Education Class of the year! This student favorite is taught by Eduardo Viana who not only is a first rate teacher, but an excellent mentor as well. In addition to such regulars as gymnastics and soccer, he has introduced the students to nontraditional sports such as cricket and the Afro-Brazilian cultural art of Capoeira from his native Brazil.

Though today was the last official class, the students look forward to helping out with The GreenMount School school Field Day fun and festivities this Friday. We welcome this opportunity to give back and help Eduardo and the younger students.

These classes take place at The GreenMount School who have kindly enabled our physical education classes for over a decade now. Our thanks to The GreenMount School community with special appreciation to Eduardo for his dedication to our students and engagement as a key member of our TCS team.

Salute to Peggy Lashbrook!

Peggy Lashbrook just wrapped up teaching her American Sign Language courses for the year. Peggy has been coming in every Tuesday to teach two different level courses in ASL that cover not only the language itself but also takes an in-depth look at deaf culture.

She brings her lifetime of dedication to the deaf and blind communities that has included many roles from direct service and teaching to consulting and administration. Peggy has coordinated deaf-blind programs for the State of Delaware and also taught at the College of New Jersey. The students are very fortunate to have this breadth of experience brought into their classroom every week.

For nearly twenty years Peggy has been a cornerstone of The Community School from her dedicated work in grant writing and resource development to preparing our case to become a state certified high school. She is also quite famous among the students for providing her weekly home cooked lunches every Tuesday.

We are so appreciative of having Peggy Lashbrook as a vital part of the TCS community and for all she does to enhance the educational experience of our students!

Conversation with Artist Ernest Shaw, Jr.