Why We Support The Center: The Ament/Gilman/Nachman Family
and their children and grandchildren
Not every CEE family boasts a recent PA President, Alumni Council President, and Grandparents’ Council President among their ranks, but such is the case for the Ament/Gilman/ Nachman family, whose deep involvement in and affection for the school stretches back three decades.
Alumni parent and grandparent Colette Ament shares that when her daughter, Morgan Gilman ‘91, started at The Center, “I fell in love with the school, and Morgan blossomed there. When our son (Nathan Ament ‘98) came along a few years later, it was a very easy choice to send him to The Center."
“I started to get really involved when Nathan was in preschool. Reveta and the head of the Parents’ Association approached
“The Center’s diversity really made me happy as a parent and now grandparent. The values of inclusion that are so intrinsic to The Center are a big piece of what keeps us all involved.”
Nathan agrees, reflecting on how “my closest friends to this day are my friends from The Center–and so I was already interested in keeping up with the school when I initially got involved in the Alumni Council, showing up to more meetings and eventually serving as president. I think we had a really special class of ‘98, so being able to reconnect with people I hadn’t seen in years was a really rewarding experience."
“When I talk about the Alumni Council, people are often surprised that it is for my elementary school, not my high school or college. It’s not something that many people understand, but for me it is the people, the memories, the nostalgia: walking onto campus brings back these amazing emotions and memories.”
As parents of two CEE students now, Morgan and her husband, P.J. Nachman, feel that “so much of the school for us is the community. Wanting to contribute our time and financial resources happens naturally when you love a place so much and want to nurture the environment as much as possible.”
choosing programming for the Council, I hope to help the grandparents understand and get excited about what their grandkids are doing in school, in a way that we were as parents.”
Jerry echoes these sentiments, noting, “It is really exciting to have our grandchildren there now since we were so involved as parents. Twenty-five years later and we can truly see the throughline–The Center has expanded, but it is still like a small community of people who know each other and who care about the education of their children and the community that they live in.”
P.J.’s parents, Center grandparents Linda and Fred Nachman, are relatively newer to the community, but are also enthusiastic supporters, admiring the school “for its superb academics, leadership, faculty, and spirit.” Linda shares, “We are especially impressed as we witness the development of deep thinking and self-confidence in our grandchildren. Living in Arizona, we are most grateful to stay in touch through school emails and the excellent virtual Grandparents’ Council presentations!”
The extended family's many contributions to the school have helped shape its culture and ensure that future generations of students will have the same opportunities. CEE students are lucky to have dedicated community members like them!
me to chair the school carnival, a yearly tradition back then. I signed up and I am dear friends with my parent co-chair to this day." The school was my home away from home.”
Colette reflects on how “The Center’s diversity really made me happy as a parent and now grandparent. The values of inclusion that are so intrinsic to The Center are a big piece of what keeps us all involved.”
For Morgan, following her mom’s example and staying in touch with the school as an alum was a no-brainer. “Nathan and I both participated on the Alumni Council over the years, and Nathan served as Council president. We always kept in touch with the school that way, in addition to my friends who kept me connected. Then, I moved back to LA and had our first child within a year, and we were thrilled to have the chance to send our children (now in first and fourth grades) to The Center.”
She continues, “We want people coming into the community with a variety of different experiences and supporting financial aid is such a big piece of that. We can’t do that without everyone’s support of the AFD. And that support also enhances all of the creative learning pathways for our children like art, music, library—all of these things that wouldn’t be here otherwise. You can’t help but feel it when you walk into campus–all that goes into the curriculum, the campus, and the student experience. It can’t happen without people showing up and participating in all shapes and forms. And for me,” shares Morgan, “that also shows up in participating in every volunteer assignment I can, and chairing the PA as I want to be there as much as possible.”
Being actively involved in the life of the school as grandparents brings a lot of satisfaction for Colette and Jerry, too. “One of the reasons I decided to sign on as chair of the Grandparents’ Council in recent years,” says Colette, “is because I think it's important for grandparents to understand the great gift that the school is for their grandchildren. In
