GOOD READS

good reads THREE HIES FACULTY/STAFF MEMBERS PUBLISH BOOKS IN 2020 >>>

The Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School community is proud to announce that three faculty members have published books this year.

Director of Enrollment Management Beth-Sarah Wright has completed her latest title, “DIGNITY: Seven Strategies for Creating Authentic Community.” This is her fifth book. Wright has written about developing the courage for transformation and change, in our communities, our institutions and in our lives in authentic ways. Her latest book, as well as the other four, provide inspiration not only in the work force, but in regard to life in general.

Coach Dunn Neugebauer has released his third book, “Wits, Wisdoms, and Wonders for Navigating This Thing Called Life.” Written in a “Life’s Little Instruction Book” style, it was inspired by writing notes to graduating seniors regarding life advice before ‘taking on the world.’ His previous books “Funny Conversations with God – an Uncalled Dialogue” and “Rock Bottom Then Up Again” were also both big hits in the community and at large.

Upper School English Department Chair Christopher Swann launched his second novel, “Never Turn Back,” on Oct. 6. Two years ago, “Shadow of the Lions” was released to local and national acclaim. Dr. Swann was nominated for several Georgia awards and both his works can be found in bookstores. His latest title is also a mystery and, like the first one, will leave the reader in suspense until the final chapters.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

a thousand words GREENBAUM GRANT RECIPIENT PATRICK PILKEY EXPLORES THE STORY OF JULIETTE, GA >>>

by Christina Mimms,

MANAGING EDITOR

As a recipient of a 2020 Greenbaum Grant, Upper School visual arts teacher Patrick Pilkey spent this past summer working on his project and has created a unique photojournalistic display of his work. Venturing to Juliette, Ga., a town of about 3,000 residents near Macon in Monroe County, Mr. Pilkey’s primary goal was to document the effects of the Robert W. Sherer Power Plant on the town and its residents. The Sherer plant, which covers 12,000 acres, is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide in the United States, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents in Juliette have documented illnesses that are linked to the plant’s effects, and water sources in the area have been found to contain unsafe levels of toxic chemicals – such as hexavalent chromium and arsenic – seeping from the plant’s coal-burning operations. Mr. Pilkey made multiple trips to Juliette, sometimes camping overnight in his truck to capture early morning or evening light. He took an “old-school” approach, shooting with a Mamiya 7 camera and Kodak Portra film. “I wanted to keep it more natural and challenge myself somewhat,” Mr. Pilkey said. “Shooting with film keeps you in the moment because you can’t check your screen while shooting.”

The situation with the water contamination in Juliette is similar to the story of “Erin Brokovich,” a 2000 movie about the town of Hinkley, Calif., where residents also dealt with hex chromium contamination in their water from Pacific Gas & Electric’s power plant. In Juliette, Georgia Power has purchased the homes and land of many residents, allowing them to relocate out of town but that is not an easy solution for all, Mr. Pilkey learned. Some homes, which use well water, have belonged to families for several generations. Other residents work for the power plant and relocating would result in job loss. Those who have stayed have relied on purchasing bottled drinking water. Residents who accepted a buyout from Georgia Power also signed non-disclosure agreements and declined Mr. Pilkey’s requests for photographs or interviews. Some residents – some characters among them – spoke openly about the situation. He met a 15-year-old who recently had surgery for cancer in his breast tissue. One of the church’s preachers lost his mother to cancer; his daughter is an environmental activist in the area. Mr. Pilkey took photographs of children and families swimming in Lake Juliette, homes in the area, items left behind by residents who have vacated, the power plant and other scenery in and around town. “I felt very lucky to photograph something like this,” Mr. Pilkey said. “It was a wonderful experience and a really good lesson. My hope is to make work that highlights the issue.” Mr. Pilkey is crafting a photographic display that will be on campus later this year. Endowed by the Greenbaum Family, the Greenbaum Grants are designed to promote teaching excellence by providing teachers with resources to undertake special enrichment activities beyond what might otherwise be covered by the school’s professional development budget. Grant applications are reviewed and awards are approved by a committee consisting of the director of institutional advancement, the associate head of school and the recipients of the award from the previous school year. Middle School Spanish teacher Eliza Suarez ’99 also received a 2020 grant. Her plans to travel and study in Mexico were postponed due to COVID-19.

national merit semi-finalists

Lane Estes

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School is proud to announce that seniors Lane Estes and Robert McDonald have qualified as National Merit Semifinalists this year. More than 1.5 million high school juniors in 21,000 high schools enter the program each year, and they will now compete among 16,000 students to become National Merit Finalists and receive one of 7,600 scholarships totaling $30 million.

Both students have outstanding academic records and are involved with a variety of activities. In the 2019-2020 school year, Lane received the academic award for AP Calculus B/C. He is copresident of Model UN, president of Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society and a member of the Science National Honor Society, National Honor Society, Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society and the Honor Council. He volunteers at the Atlanta History Center and works at Mathnasium as a math tutor. He is a peer tutor at HIES and his favorite subject is history. Lane is applying to several colleges, including University of North Carolina, Columbia University and University of Georgia.

An Alpha-Omega student, Robert is a team leader for varsity wrestling and runs varsity track. He is a member of the Round Square leadership team and traveled to Bolivia in summer 2019. He is president of the Coding Club, a leader in Science National Honor Society and a member of National Honor Society; he also serves as a Golden Bear Guide for admissions. He works at Chick-fil-A on Roswell Road. His favorite class to date is Data Structures. He is applying to Georgia Tech, University of North Carolina and Harvard University.

Lane and Robert join a nationwide pool of Robert McDonald semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, that includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. Semifinalists are selected based on their academic record, school and community activities, leadership, employment and honors and awards.

Karen Greer

IN MEMORIAM

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Karen Greer, former teacher and HIES parent, on August 31, 2020. She served the school as a fifth-grade assistant, a Middle School history teacher and the first seventh-grade dean when the dean program was launched. Her children Patrick Greer ’96 and Brooke Greer Zimmerman ’04 both were Alpha-Omega HIES graduates. She is survived by her children and husband of 49 years, the Rev. Ron Greer. A private family funeral was held.

farewells WISHING THE BEST TO RETIRING FACULTY

by Dunn Neugebauer,

WRITER

TIM McCLAIN Twelve years ago, then-Middle School Principal Theresa Jespersen took a chance on an untrained and untested ex-exec to fill a last-minute vacancy. Tim McClain not only went on to make Mrs. Jespersen and the History department look good, but added 10 years of coaching a state champion cross country program to his resume as well. Mr. McClain’s first year in 2008 saw him teach three U.S. History classes, one World Geography class and a girls’ English class. “I was learning right beside my students, which turned out to be a bonding experience,” he said. “Whenever administration would drop in to assess my progress, the class would prop me up by pretending to be fascinated with whatever it was I was babbling about. We got a kick out of that, especially since one of the conspirators was Mrs. Jespersen’s son, Andy.” Needless to say, Mr. McClain passed the audition before eventually narrowing his focus to U.S. and World History in addition to his cross-country duties. History remains one of his passions, and he reports with a smile that “every one of my students loved history. Not all of them knew it at the beginning of school, but I made it my business to convince them. Perhaps it wasn’t the history of Martin Van Buren’s relationship with the National Bank, but the history of baseball, rock and roll, fashion or science has a fascinating history, too. And once you pull on any thread of history, lots of other stuff comes with it and becomes interesting.” Out on the running courses, Mr. McClain spent years as an assistant before taking over the head job for Gary Klingman four years ago. “I was lucky enough to be a part of 10 consecutive state cross country championships at HIES, coaching and running with the team (or, to be more precise, behind most of them). Three things I’d like them to remember – first, we won as a team and the trophies we hoisted in October were a result of training in the heat and humidity in August. Second, we committed to each other, ran for each other and celebrated each other. It was family. And third, always run facing traffic.” Looking back over the years, Mr. McClain can’t help but remember his initial feeling when standing before a group of Middle School students back in 2008. “I thought to myself – this will either kill me fast or end up being one of the greatest adventures of my life. I’m happy to say it turned out to be the latter." JANET SILVERA When you think of Middle School science, it’s hard not to think of Janet Silvera – who has retired after 40 years of excellent service at Holy Innocents’. Ms. Silvera leaves a legacy that includes memories of smiles. When the yearbook was dedicated to her in 2007, it brought to light her “wacky science experiments, her healthy dose of enthusiasm and spontaneous group hugs that qualified – and continue to qualify her – as one of HI’s all-around favorite teachers.” Her passion for science and her curiosity about nature were evident from childhood. One of her early classroom memories were pictures showing the metamorphosis of a frog, which inspired her to do experiments with her microscope and chemistry sets at home. Besides following the bouncing ball in the science world, she also played the piano and now gardens and grows orchids as her hobbies. Spending most of her early years in Jamaica, she and her husband, Max, moved to New York in the mid-1970s. There, she taught at The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine. One of her advisory students was none other than Ben Stiller. “This made for some interesting parent-teacher conferences with his famous parents,” she said. At HIES, Ms. Silvera taught sixth through eighth grade science. She served as the sixth grade team leader – before we had deans – and as Science Department Chair from 2007 to 2010. In addition to her classroom success and warm personality, her leadership also came through in the Science Olympiad program which she took over in 2003. The squad made it to the state competition every year. In 2011, with the help and dedication of all the science teachers, Max Silvera and many parents, the team advanced to the national competition in Michigan. Her children Stephanie and Gordon went to HI; Gordon graduated from HIES in 2004 as an Alpha-Omega and star soccer player who went on to play in the collegiate ranks. Janet has been described as “a chemist, zoologist, teacher, mother, wife and friend who works hard each day to enrich the lives of others and inspire us all to go far in life.” Her approachable style was always a hit, not only in the classroom, but in the hallways and around campus, and her contribution to Holy Innocents’ has been immeasurable.