CSG kicks off school year with Big/Little Sis event

In September, CSG took advantage of the warm, sunny weather to get our girls outdoors together for a Big/ Little Sis event and Pep Rally. There was music, dancing, cheering, and more as students had the opportunity to share in the celebration of school spirit. We had a strong showing from both Team Red and Team Gold. Our Big/Little sis tradition, initiated in 1904, is an important way to facilitate community between older and younger students.

Ping Wu participates in summer professional development programs

Upper School faculty member Ping Wu , who teaches Mandarin, this past summer participated in the International Forum on Language Teaching, where she learned about the Forum’s ADI coaching model and developed her own lesson plan, presentation techniques, and coaching ideas. This summer, Ping will attend the STARTALK Cape Cod Chinese Teacher Retreat on Cape Cod in Massachusetts where she will coach other teachers.

Tracy Kessler earns Women in American History award

On October 8, Form IV teacher Tracy Kessler and her former teaching partner, Charlotte Stiverson ’76, served as keynote speakers at the Ohio History Museum for The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution. They were awarded for their efforts with the CSG classes of 2018, 2020, and 2021, in conjunction with the Ohio General Assembly, to designate the Adena Pipe as Ohio’s official state artifact. In honor of their educational work and success with this bill, the DAR presented them with The Women in American History Award.

Leisan Smith presents at LeaderLink Summit

Chief Equity Officer Leisan Smith on October 26 presented at the LeaderLink Summit hosted by the Ohio Urban Community Action Network (OUCAN). Her presentation Do You See What I See? explored centering cultural competence from both personal and organizational perspectives.

presents at Ohio conference

In mid-October, Operations & Facilities Director Brian Botzman presented at the Ohio Association of Administrators of State & Federal Education Programs Conference. This OAASFEP conference provides effective leadership, professional development, and legislative information on state and federal education programs to serve all Ohio students. This two-day conference brought together leaders and educators from all over the state of Ohio for training, presentations, and collaboration.

Director of Lower School Betsy Gugle interviewed for ICGS podcast

On October 24, Dr. Emily Krichbaum , the Director of the Center for Girls’ & Young Women’s Leadership, and Dr. Meghan Hattaway, the Upper School Dean of Students, attended the ICGS Educating Girls Symposium. The event gave both Emily and Meghan the opportunity to participate in discourse surrounding the best ways to teach and work with girls. Emily also gave a talk entitled, Community By Design: Leveraging Student Leaders As Partners to (Re)build a Community.

Betsy Gugle , our Director of Lower School, in November joined Trudy Hall, the host of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools podcast On Educating Girls, to discuss how our faculty members work to affirm introverted students in and out of the classroom. The episode, Girls Who Embrace Their Introvertedness, also featured CSG students Emma Kim ’23 and Abigail Gugle ’27.

Angie McLarty ’94 appointed as Director of the Program for Young Children

In November, CSG announced the appointment of Angie McLarty ’94 as Director of the Program for Young Children. Angie had served since July 1, 2022 as Interim Director of the PYC. A lifelong Unicorn, Angie first arrived at CSG as a kindergarten student. After earning her B.A. in Psychology from Wittenberg University, Angie worked in the Development Office here at CSG as the Assistant Director of Development. Most recently, she served as an Assistant Director of Admission. Her work with prospective PYC and Lower School families helped her develop a deep understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach to education, and she fostered strong relationships with the PYC faculty, families, and students. While her roles at CSG gave Angie the opportunity to develop a keen sense of understanding about the PYC program, she also gained vital early childhood education experience in her wider career. Prior to joining the admissions team at CSG, she spent five years as an early childhood educator at the Childhood League Center. As an alumnae and a longtime employee, Angie has been a fixture at CSG and is loved by faculty, staff, students, and families.

Michael Tyler joins CSG as Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications

At the beginning of December, CSG welcomed Michael Tyler II as our new Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications. Michael most recently served as the Director of Marketing at Columbus College of Art & Design, where he managed a team to oversee marketing and brand management for the college.

Prior to his work at CCAD, Michael served in marketing and communications leadership roles for the American Red Cross, McGraw-Hill Education, and in other local nonprofit organizations. An Ohio native, Michael graduated from Central State University with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Media Studies. He holds a Master of Humanities degree in African American History from Wright State University.

Dr. Emily Krichbaum recognized with international research fellowship

Dr. Emily Krichbaum , Director of the Center for Girls’ & Young Women’s Leadership, was selected as a 2023-2024 Fellow for the Global Action Research Collaborative on Girls’ Education (GARC), a program of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS). Emily joins educators from 35 schools in seven countries to participate in an 18-month program composed of training and action research that will culminate in a conference presentation in June 2024 at the ICGS conference. This year, Emily and her peers will conduct research inspired by the prompt: Engaging the Power of Many Voices: Leveraging girls’ collaborative spirit toward courageous and joyful learning. Emily was also recently mentioned on the ICGS podcast On Educating Girls, which featured clips from her TED talk. In February, Emily also presented at the Educating Girls Symposium.

Faculty members awarded CSG travel grants

Two CSG faculty members were awarded grants to allow them to undertake immersive research trips in their respective fields. Each year, faculty members can apply for the opportunity to earn these grants, which allow them to gain invaluable experience they can then apply in their classrooms. Upper School faculty member Joseph Danielewicz , who teaches Latin, received an award in response to his proposal titled Carpe Aestatem: Immersive Pedagogy in Roman Italy. His grant will fund his participation in a two-week program on Horace’s poetry as well as guided visits to art and archaeological sites in Rome, Pompeii, and Florence, Italy. Jessica Fries-Gaither, Lower School faculty member and Department Chair of Science, received an award in response to her proposal titled Watching for Whimbrels. Her grant will fund a two-part trip: In March, Jessica will observe and collect data on migrating whimbrels at Deveaux Bank in South Carolina, and in May, she will participate in the Sea Island Shorebird Festival and experience peak whimbrel migration.

PYC faculty attend conference

In March, Kindergarten faculty members

Kasey Neer, Devie Hiller, and Ally Gaurino along with Program for Young Children Director Angie McLarty ’94 attended the Ohio Summit on Dyslexia, a professional development opportunity where educators share methods and findings on how to support and transform learning for students with dyslexia.