Creativity and Connection
The 43-Year Oldfields Legacy of Dori Reigner P’03 By Director of Stewardship Anne Ragland Finney P'97
The year was 1978 and the time was 10:30 p.m. when Director of Studies Taylor Smith telephoned Dori, a young teaching candidate, to ask if she'd like to come to Oldfields for an interview the next day. The first thing Dori thought was, "What is the Director of Studies doing at his office at 10:30 at night?", which piqued her curiosity. Dori was looking for "an environment where I could have an impact on my students," where she would be able to "make a difference." She immediately fell in love with Oldfields. "It felt like home—the environment, the rolling hills, the horses… It felt like the perfect place for me." Of course she was hired, and in her letter thanking Taylor for the opportunity, she told him she "felt I'd be here for a long time." She was right. Dori began her life at Oldfields teaching both theatre and English, in addition to studio art, working with the Head of the Art Department Wendy Rogers P'82 GP'12, 17, wife of Headmaster Hawley Rogers P'82 GP'12, 17. She jumped right in as a dorm parent in Sturgis. And what a dorm parent she was! She lived on campus for 26 years, sharing "It was a great place to raise a family." Throughout her 43 years at Oldfields, Dori wore many hats, from advisor and assistant librarian, to Director of Studies, May Program Coordinator, and Visual Arts Chair. As a drama teacher, she produced the first musical at Oldfields in many years (Alice in Wonderland, with Diana Chaplin '81 in the leading role). She developed and taught a study skills course. She brought the art curriculum to life, growing it and adding courses to suit the interests of her students.
Dori (along with Wendy) introduced the Ceramics class in a studio in what is now the Old House copy room and the Head's Office. Inspired by Emily Acle Cardwell '09's passion for fashion design, Dori utilized one of the multiple summer McColl Grants she was awarded (The McColl Teaching Award was established in 1984 by the parents of Jane McColl Lockwood '86 to recognize outstanding teaching) to develop an Applied Design curriculum. Student enthusiasm for a May Program called Laptop Drawing was so strong that Dori introduced a Digital Design class. Another McColl Grant resulted in Art and Culture, a more globalized version of the traditional Western-oriented Art History course, highlighting the art of different cultures from around the world. "There was so much autonomy at Oldfields, so I could build my program around the students." A prolific practicing artist herself, one of her most memorable ideas was the 365 Day Challenge she did with her students. For an entire year, Dori produced a piece of art every single day—a drawing, a small painting, a collage. The goal was to prove to her students that "work ethic is important. Everyone is creative, and creativity takes lots of forms. Art-making is a basic human behavior, and creative expression is an important part of your life." Dori feels the dominant theme at Oldfields throughout her years here is connection. "There is an indescribable feeling of acceptance and connection at Oldfields. It's the people here that
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