What our faculty members have been learning, doing and presenting

from Bulletin: The Miss Porter's School Magazine, Spring 2023

Bulletin: The Miss Porter's School Magazine, Spring 2023

In November, Dean of Curriculum and Instruction Nelle Andrews P’22 and Chief Academic Officer Tim Quinn presented “Moving to Mastery” at The Association of Boarding Schools’ annual conference in Washington, D.C.

History teacher Katrina Council attended the New England Museum Association’s Annual Conference, which will help her to increase students’ understanding of the concept of public history.

Alexandra London-Thompson participated in “Curtains Up!”— a Juilliard School course that explored the shows recently featured in Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, including an exploration of new trends and themes.

Math teacher Eileen Mooney’s paintings were featured in 60 Main Street’s Gilbert Gallery last fall. Ms. Mooney is the Elsa Parker Armour 1905 Teaching Chair.

Sophie Paris, director of the Institute for Global Education and the Porter’s Center for Global Leadership, has been elected to serve a three-year term on the Global Education Benchmark Group Board of Directors.

Sophie Paris and Lesley Skenderian P’18 presented “Global Seminar Series – How the Pandemic Spurred a Global Program” at the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools conference last summer. The Porter’s seminar series has reached more than 450 girls in 27 countries.

Science teacher Christine Scanlon now holds the Independence Foundation Teaching Chair for distinguished teaching, demonstrated excellence over time in the classroom, and leadership within an academic discipline.

“We can be champions of the school within our community in Asia, we can get more people to know about Miss Porter’s, get their daughters to attend Miss Porter’s, and then hopefully this results in them donating to the school.”

Newly appointed English Department Chair Melissa Schomers now holds the Pauline Foster Reed Teaching Chair, which goes to a distinguished member of the English Department.

History Department Chair Lisa-Brit Wahlberg P’23 now holds the Lucile Thieriot Walker Teaching Chair for distinguished teaching, demonstrated excellence over time in the classroom, and leadership within an academic discipline.

Head of School Katherine G. Windsor was honored by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in December 2022 with a service award. It recognized “individuals who have demonstrated their commitment to promoting high quality education for all students through consistent and generous involvement as a volunteer with NEASC.” In addition to serving on the organization’s Visiting Teams, she recently completed two three-year terms and a one-year extended term as a commissioner on the Commission on Independent Schools.

Kelly Woodbury attended a Latin Pedagogy Workshop offered by the National Louis University (NLU) & Illinois Classical Conference (ICC). This conference helped Ms. Woodbury to retool her units so they are better, more engaging, and more effective for students. The conference also introduced teachers to diverse authors and voices whose work can be used in the classroom.

Esther and Harvey Lee

Many ways to be philanthropic

Hong Kong residents Esther and Harvey Lee both attended U.S. boarding schools and universities, so it was only natural that their two daughters would do so, too. Their younger child, Tiqa Mae Lee ’25, is a sophomore at Miss Porter’s School. Due to the pandemic, the family wasn’t able to visit Farmington before Tiqa enrolled. Since she started school, the couple has witnessed the team spirit and tight bonding of the Miss Porter’s community, Ms. Lee remarked during a visit to campus last fall. “I really treasure that unique girl power, girl spirit within the school that is rarely seen in other schools,” she said. “We’ve found that the sense of pride and camaraderie is very strong. And we’ve also witnessed how Tiqa has blossomed in the past year. She’s truly turned into a very confident and eloquent young lady.”

The couple has donated generously to the school’s annual fund, but they see philanthropy as more than just giving money. “We look at things we can do as parents to support the school that go beyond finances,” said Mr. Lee. “We can be champions of the school within our community in Asia, we can get more people to know about Miss Porter’s, get their daughters to attend Miss Porter’s, and then hopefully this results in them donating to the school.” Last November, the couple and two other Porter’s parents hosted a reception for Ancients, parents and prospective parents at the Hong Kong Club.

Ms. Lee, a successful entrepreneur, and Mr. Lee, a former investment banker, are well positioned to advocate for Miss Porter’s abroad. She is founder of Prestique, a prominent Hong Kong public relations and events management company, and also serves on several boards in the United States and Hong Kong. The couple is looking forward to getting to know Miss Porter’s better in the coming years, said Mr. Lee. “I’ve been telling Tiqa that yes, she’s studying at Porter’s, but she’s not the only one who gets to experience it,” he said. “We as parents get to have that experience as a family, too. We really want to be part of the Porter’s community.”

THE CLASSROOM OF Grier Torrence P’21, ’23

Paint-smudged wooden easels. High ceilings. Five hundred square feet of northwest-facing windows. A thicket of potted plants. Olin 213 is where creative magic happens, overseen and encouraged by Art Department Chair Grier Torrence.

Mr. Torrence, who came to Miss Porter’s in 1998 to teach painting, drawing and printmaking, is the school’s longest-serving faculty member and the Margaret How Wallace ’27 Teaching Chair. When he’s not teaching, he can usually be found working in the corner of the classroom with oil paints and brushes ready on a shelf behind his desk.

Although he holds degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design and the Yale University School of Art and has been a working artist for decades, Mr. Torrence wants students to see him wrestle with his own challenges while he paints. Even if you’re a pro who has been featured in 36 group exhibitions and 23 solo shows, as he has, it’s still difficult to make art.

Students are welcome in the studio classroom anytime, and being there with them is always the high point of his day, said Mr. Torrence, who advises the Art Club. He calls the students “bright and inspiring and courageous” and fondly recalls the year when his advisees gifted him with self-portraits they made for his birthday.

“A lot of what try to do is have every student feel loved and treasured,” he said about his approach to pedagogy. “I try to help each person grow, like the plants I brought from Brooklyn all those years ago. Give them everything they need. Sunshine and good nutrients, which for an educator are special attention to the particular person and their needs.”

01 RAW MATERIAL

When I’m not working, I’m painting. Oil paint is intrinsically beautiful.