CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF CIA “AGENTS” AT NA!

In 2012, as part of the June Term course “Leadership in the 21st Century,” students were tasked to identify an area of opportunity within NA and to propose an initiative to improve the school. Dan Eatroff ’13 and Alexandra Katz ’14 landed on strengthening intra-school ties among Upper School and Middle School students. Thus, the Classroom Internship Association (CIA) was born — a program in which seniors apply to be student interns in Middle School classrooms, acting as role models for their younger peers while gaining leadership and management skills from NA faculty members. Ten years after its inception, the CIA program is hosting its largest cohort of “agents” yet, with 18 student interns this spring. This year’s cohort includes seniors: Alex Atlas, Rahul Arora, Juliet Bu, Dylan Bulbulia, Lola Cantillon, Marina Chernin, Silas Epstein, Anna Jack, Angela Lagonigro, Pierce Malloy, Isabela McNeilly-Anta, Eleni Morin, Willow Palmer, Alyssa Rubin, Ashna Shah, Lauren Siegel, Jadyn Vichengrad and Olga Zhukova.

Ed Pursell ’02 Sixth-Grade English Teacher

“One of the greatest joys of working at a 6-12 school is the chance to watch kids grow up. It’s been seven years since Silas first walked into my classroom as a sixth grader, and over the ensuing years it’s been an absolute joy to see him become the person he is today. It’s a surreal experience and a real gift as a teacher to see your former student take charge of activities you once taught them. It’s a gift too to see him lead the sixth graders with such kindness, empathy patience and joy.”

Jadyn Vichengrad ’23

“CIA has been a great experience! In joining the CIA, I have made personal connections with Mr. Rezvani, in both a student and peer capacity that most others don’t have the opportunity to have. This experience has also been a great way for the Upper School to become involved with the Middle School, especially for those who did not attend NA in middle school like myself.”

Robert Rezvani Sixth-Grade Mathematics Teacher

“CIA is a place for students not to be graded, but to have an opportunity with trial and error and working with a teacher to observe your own personal growth, strengths and weaknesses,” says English faculty member Alexandra Mahoney, who heads the program. We checked in with seniors Silas,a CIA in Ed Pursell’s sixth-grade English class, and Jadyn,a CIA in Robert Rezvani’s sixth-grade mathematics class, to see how the program is operating 10 years after its inception.

Silas Epstein ’23

“It’s been a surreal experience. I am so thankful to have had amazing CIAs during my time in Middle School, and I hope I am continuing that tradition. I know that my CIAs helped me see the subject matter in a more approachable manner, and I aspire to break down students’ prejudices against the topics we study, like poetry or personal essays. I have gained an appreciation for the CIAs, and especially the teachers, who made that task look so effortless.”

“The CIA Program is a huge reason why I continue to love teaching in the Middle School at NA. The connections the seniors make with my students have been absolutely amazing, and of course it’s always special to have a former sixthgrade student of mine come back during their senior year to teach with me. Just as special are those seniors that never went through our Middle School program but take part in the CIA program. Jadyn has been absolutely incredible this year. Her devotion to help make the best experience possible for my students has been so much fun to be a part of. She did an amazingjob preparing lessons, teaching and creating meaningful connections.”