CATCHING UP: BONNIE DiCiLLO

During her 29 years of teaching at Gilmour, Bonnie DiCillo has seen it all. Since 1978, Bonnie has been involved with Gilmour, and her love of our school and our community has only grown since. We caught up with Bonnie, former coach, teacher and now substitute teacher, to see what she’s been up to!

Wow, 44 years involved with our school and community! Can you share a little bit more about your Gilmour journey? While teaching at Glen Oak (beginning in 1978), I was the JV cheerleading advisor for the GA football and basketball teams. When the schools merged in the fall of 1982, I continued teaching math and coaching cheerleading (for a total of eight years), but as the varsity advisor. During these eight years, the GA cheerleading varsity squads earned many individual and team awards at camp competitions! During my tenure at Gilmour, I taught mathematics – mostly geometry – and was Director of the Middle School for one year (1990-1991). I acted as department chair for a few years, mentored teachers seeking licensure, was inducted into the Cum Laude Society and was named “Teacher of the Year” by the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Altogether, I taught 29 years at Gilmour, from Fall 1978 to Spring 2007.

Throughout your time at Gilmour, what kept you here? I enjoyed the day-to-day contact with the many students who inspired me to create opportunities to maximize learning. Designing projects was both gratifying for me and seemingly enjoyable for the students. I can also vividly recall when the Tudor House was much

Catching up

WITH BONNIE DiCILLO

more spooky and a group of seventh and eighth graders approached me with an idea to convert the school to a Haunted School for Halloween. With much time and planning, the seventh graders escorted Grades 4, 5 and 6 from the Lower School through each room that the eighth graders had carefully prepared for viewing. The spectacle ended outside, where students enjoyed cider and donuts before boarding the bus back to the Lower School. All this took place during a 30-minute advisory period! The creativity of the students was incredible!

What have you been up to since your Gilmour days? I have been substitute teaching at both Gilmour and Mayfield High School since leaving Gilmour in May of 2007. I keep busy with proctoring SAT and ACT exams on designated Saturdays, hosting dinner on Tuesday evenings for my grandchildren and spending time with friends. At my house we make sausage – usually in February – and wine, under the guidance of my son, David, who has been making wine for 16 years. It’s become a fantastic family affair!

So you’re still involved with Gilmour after all this time! Do you miss the good old days full of cheerleading camps and geometry classes? Some of my colleagues remain at Gilmour, and I miss the regular interaction with students, but age has a way of dictating the degree of involvement!

Looking back, what was the best thing about Gilmour Academy? I don’t think I can quite pin down one thing. The community, the people, make it all worth it. The best way to sum it up is this: I just returned from a wonderful trip to Italy, and my luggage tags read: ”No matter where you travel, Gilmour is still your home.” Gilmour will always be my home.

Abby Barlett ’19

Abby was named to the "Five Under 25" list by The Business Journals. T he future is bright for Abby Barlett ’19, a senior finance major at Miami University. This past summer, she worked as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Goldman Sachs within the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) in Goldman’s Chicago office, and she has since accepted a full-time offer to continue with the firm as an investment banking analyst in Chicago after graduation this May.

During her internship this summer, Abby worked on a mix of live deals and client service projects for banks and specialty finance companies. At the end of the summer, she completed a case study, conducting a financial and operational evaluation of a bank. Abby shared, “I loved my experience at Goldman Sachs and in Chicago! The FIG team is a great community and I’m so excited to begin my career!”

Abby’s journey with the firm started during her sophomore year of college when she was selected for the Goldman Sachs Women’s Possibilities Summit, a program that had a six percent acceptance rate. After completing that program, she was offered two internship opportunities with Goldman Sachs - one in private wealth management and the other, the one she took, as an investment banking intern. Adding to her impressive resume, at the beginning of this semester, Abby was named to the “Five Under 25” list by The Business Journals. She was recognized for her work as the managing director of RedHawk Ventures, which is one of only a handful of undergraduate student-run venture capital funds in the nation. The fund invests in companies founded by Miami students and alumni, and Abby is currently working on raising a second fund to allow the group more financial flexibility. When asked how Gilmour prepared her for her future career, Abby said that without Gilmour, she wouldn’t be anywhere close to the position she is in now. “Gilmour prepared me in more ways than one. The collaborative, yet challenging, environment prepared me for the workplace as I am pushed to learn new things every day with each task. Knowing how to work with and learn from anyone was something that I learned very early at Gilmour through the group work aspect of my education. While it may not seem like it in those moments, the teaching style at Gilmour and the way students interact with one another and teachers is a great replica of the real world.” “Many Gilmour and Miami alumni were incredibly helpful and receptive to my questions while going through this process. I’m happy to return the favor and act as a resource for fellow Lancers!”

College Corner is a new column in our magazine. We look forward to spotlighting the great work our young alumni are doing at colleges around the world. Let us know about the exciting projects recent Gilmour graduates are currently working on at communications@gilmour.org.