Spotlight on Art Teacher, Ms. Jacki Cantor

Encouraging, Questioning, Working with Students to Achieve More

By: Sarah Ravenfeld

An Employee Spotlight - Jacki Cantor

This fall, Jacki Cantor began her 23rd year of teaching art at Malvern Prep.

“I’ve taught both Middle and Upper School art classes during my time at Malvern, but the Photography class has always been the one constant from year to year,” she shared. “This year I will be teaching Photography and Graphic Design for the Upper School students, as well as helping out with Middle School art from time to time.”

Cantor attended Bloomsburg University for her undergraduate degree, where she was a Studio Art major and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and Sciences, with a concentration in Photography. She then went to Moore College of Art and Design for her teaching certification.

Following her graduation from Moore College, Cantor spent two years with the Peace Corps, serving in St. Kitts, which is located in the Caribbean. While there she was an art teacher, working with the students in the local community.

“I first heard about the Peace Corps in 11th grade, so it was something I was interested in participating in once I had graduated,” she said. “I have always wanted to travel, but learning about new cultures has always been of interest to me. It seemed like a good fit at the time.”

When Cantor started at Malvern in 1998, the Art Department consisted of herself and one other teacher, Jackie White, and they were located on the second floor of Tolentine Hall.

“The arts have grown tremendously while I’ve been at Malvern,” she said. “The building of the Duffy Arts Center in 2008 really changed how we can work with art. I was able to assist with the designing of the Photo and Graphic Design Studios and it was such an awesome experience to create our workspaces.”

“Watching my students work on their pieces and when they finally grasp the concept it totally makes my day,” shared Cantor. “In addition, seeing them display their work and be so proud of it during the Arts Festivals is amazing. The Arts Festivals are one of my favorite memories — it’s such a cool atmosphere, and they’ve just become bigger and better through the years.”

Cantor believes that art classes lend themselves to developing necessary skills for later in life. “Art class allows the boys to work on their creative thinking and problem-solving skills, but also helping them slow down, be patient, and think about things. These are important skills to cultivate whether or not they become artists,” she said.

One thing she always encourages her students to do is to keep learning and improving, which is an inherently Augustinian way to teach.

“Augustine continued to ask questions, and I ask the students I teach to consider ‘what if’. Additionally, I’m always encouraging them to keep learning. Augustine wanted to keep learning and improve, and that’s one of my takeaways from him — you can always learn more and achieve more. Do the best you can, but you don’t want to compare yourself to another student, you want to compare yourself to the piece -– did I do my best on that piece of art?”

“Malvern and my colleagues in the Art Department have helped me become the teacher I am today. With their support, I believe that I have become a better teacher,” shared Cantor. mp

Malvern Opens for 2020–21 Academic Year

While many schools and school districts opted to begin the 2020–21 academic year virtually, Malvern Prep opened campus in September, gradually increasing the number of students on campus as it was safe to do so. This school year has been unlike anything Malvern has ever experienced. Welcoming faculty, staff, and the gradual return of students back to campus was a huge undertaking and great accomplishment of those members of our community who worked hard over the summer to make it happen. During the summer months leading up to the opening, the school took great care to transform the campus so that faculty, staff, and students could more easily observe social distancing. In classrooms, desks and seats were positioned six feet apart. The dining hall was redesigned not only for seating, but also for food service and payment. Hallways and stairwells were reconfigured to control foot traffic. Additionally, many outdoor learning spaces were created, including the addition of four tents. St. Rita’s Hall was repurposed into a health center where the school nurse is located. There are isolation rooms in the building for students/employees who may exhibit COVID-19 symptoms. While many changes have been physical, we have also created new wellness and safety protocols,

and trained faculty, staff and students. When faculty, staff, and students arrive on campus health checks are required before the day begins. All of these changes were made to ensure the safety and wellness of everyone on campus. The gradual reopening allowed faculty, staff, and students to learn the new health and safety protocols that had been implemented. It also allowed the school to test the protocols to ensure that the school community was remaining healthy. By mid-October the school was at full capacity. Students are genuinely happy to be back on campus. While much depends on COVID-19 positivity rates, and CDC and state mandates, Malvern’s goal is to remain open as long as it is safe to do so. Compliance with our health and safety protocols is one of the factors that has directly influenced our ability to remain open. In true Malvern form, our students, faculty, and staff have embraced these protocols in the spirit of cooperation and respect for each other. Our campus community is living our Core Values of Truth, Unity, and Love like never before — keeping self-care and the care for one another as top priorities so that Malvern remains open and the safest place it can be. mp