JUDITH MILLS

Judith Mills MILLS’ LEGACY LEAVES SYCAMORE STRONGER

“When I started at Sycamore 19 years ago, there was no

Theater, Gymnasium facility, Outdoor Lab, Middle School

Commons, Innovation Lab, or Quest room. I hope that

Sycamore continues to find ways to create a more eco-friendly and sustainable environment.”

Much of the magic that happens at Sycamore occurs in the classroom. Students who have been at Sycamore for many years get to experience many different teachers who put a lot of thought into how to connect with every type of learner. One person who has quietly but strongly made a mark on hundreds of Sycamore students and their teachers is Judith Mills. An engineer in her career before Sycamore, Mills has coordinated field trips and guest speakers. She has been the driving force behind the annual Girls Conference. She teaches Lower School science. She is the person behind the idea and implementation of the Outdoor Science Lab. There isn’t a student who graduates from Sycamore who hasn’t benefitted from the work Mills does. “I love developing and implementing new science labs or fine-tuning tried-and-true activities,” she says. “Kids thrive on the hands-on opportunities. Many students not only love to play and investigate in the Outdoor Lab, but it also helps them think beyond themselves.” Mills came to the school when she decided to bring sons, Ian (‘05) and Seth (’07), to

Sycamore when they were entering 6th and 4th Grades, respectively. In addition to having worked for Rolls-Royce for more than 20 years, she had then spent a year volunteering and substitute teaching at their former school and enjoyed it. She was eventually hired at Sycamore as the 1st Grade Assistant for Glenna Lykens, and she accepted the position of Science and Event Coordinator when it was offered two years later. Mills credits Lykens, also retiring this year from Sycamore, with guiding her down the path of teaching. “Sometimes it’s not until somebody leaves the school that you realize how much you enjoyed working with that person or how much they contributed. It takes everybody to create a unique school (but) I’ll make one exception to that rule— Glenna Lykens. She has always been my role model at Sycamore.” Through Mills’ leadership, the annual Curiosity, Confidence, Challenge STEM conference gives more than 400 girls from across the state the opportunity to experience speakers and hands-on activities with role models in the professional fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. “I am proud that I was able to provide leadership for the conference for middle school girls throughout Indiana,” she says. “Although it tends to fly under the radar, it is Sycamore’s largest outreach event. I’m glad that Sycamore will continue on with that outreach program under the leadership of Melissa Branigan.” As she gets ready to leave the job she’s had for two decades, Mills says she knows she will miss both the students and staff and their curiosity, humor, intelligence, and thoughtfulness. “I hope students will remember my love of nature. Over the years, kids have brought me my share of rocks, leaves, and insects to identify, seeds to plant, and injured animals to nurse. Sycamore also provided me with countless opportunities for innovation and imagination, whether it be developing geology labs for 4th Grade or creating fairy gardens in the Outdoor Lab. In retirement, I’m going to be searching for creative outlets. My husband might say, ‘Try cooking.’” •

JEFF EASTMAN

LEAVES TO TRAVEL THE US

After two different stints at Sycamore, dating back to 2013, Sycamore’s Maintenance Assistant, Jeff Eastman, is hitting the highway—literally. Eastman, with his wife and children, is setting out for a trip around the United States, to see the country via the road. They are selling their home and becoming the owners of a travel trailer. They will leave in July for the first leg of a trip that has a fluid itinerary with the goal of giving his children an opportunity to immerse themselves in hands-on experiences. They plan on leaving after the 4th of July and heading north up through Michigan where there is an Eastman family reunion that Eastman says he has never been to. “Before I got married, I traveled all the time with my older son. He and I would go camping. That’s part of who I am. Then I got married and settled down a bit,” he says. “I think this last year—for everybody—we took a step back and evaluated what was important to us. Our children and family are. I wondered how could we have the ability to take a trip, invest time with our kids, and show them the country?” Eastman hopes the trip can help all of them feel more connections and common ground with both his own family and people in general. “I know it sounds weird, but in the last year we have seen a lot of scattering. We really have the hope that this trip can help bring us back together, not just as a family, but also with friendships that have been severed for different reasons. We hope throughout this trip that we get stronger as a family and go from scattering to gathering, back to community. It is easy to put a screen in front of our kids and let them learn there. We are going to nix that as much as we can and let them have an adventure instead of watching another kid on a screen have that experience.”