Faculty Retirements

RETIRING FACULTY TRIBUTES

KEITH CROWE Middle School Science & Math Faculty 20 Years at Ensworth

Consummate team player. Utility fielder. Jack of all trades. Multi-tasker extraordinaire. Master teacher. Champion for all students. Lover of all things Ensworth. Ernie to my Bert. And Renaissance man. While all these descriptors or monikers are apt or fitting, none truly captures the full essence of Keith Crowe.

Keith has selflessly served Ensworth in a variety of roles for more than twenty years: as a math teacher, as Network Administrator, as a science teacher, as the creator of the Florida Keys Adventure, as Science Department Chair, as Out West Trip sustainer, as the Belize Trip founder, as the leader of multiple Washington Trips, as the STEM Program developer, as the robotics tournament director, and as Math Department Chair. During his career at Ensworth, he has worn multiple hats, and they have all fit him well.

And while this catalog of Keith’s various contributions highlights the broadly talented, creative, and dynamic educator he strives to be, this list also reveals the core values, the totally personal code of beliefs that make him the singularly unique school person that he is.

First off, Keith is selfless and modest and humble….. almost to a fault. It is never about him. Instead, it is always about what is best for the school, what is best for the kids. He works tirelessly behind the scenes, leaving no detail untended to. Anyone who has ever thumbed through one of his Out West trip spiral bound notebooks, complete with van groupings, tent groupings, daily itineraries, driving directions, grocery lists for Wal Mart, hiking groups, and gourmet plans for dinners has some idea of his attention to detail. He has such high standards, he is such a perfectionist, and he is so intent on making sure that everything goes well.

Secondly, Keith is steadfast in his devotion to and love of each and every one of his students. Though I can vouch that he has no favorite student, each of Keith’s students thinks that she or he is Keith’s favorite student. He loves them all unconditionally. Whether he is offering character guidance to the perceived “bad” boy, helping a weaker or less confident student with her work in another teacher’s class before school, lending a hapless eighth grade boy his jacket and tie for school pictures, or loaning an anxious student who cannot find his wallet some money on a school trip, Keith is always there for his kids. Without any fanfare, without any public acclaim, Keith has always proven himself to be a trusted, beloved, and caring adult in the eyes of his students.

Finally, Keith’s love of and loyalty to the school and all things Ensworth know no bounds. Who else would spend the better part of two weeks this past summer decorating his classroom with two lovingly crafted, amazingly Ensworthy electrical tape murals adorning adjacent walls: one portraying the students in his and Sarah Biddy’s homeroom engaged in a heated battleball game, Oranges vs. Blacks of course; the other a huge panoramic view of Red Gables covering almost the entire front wall of his classroom.

Keith, thank you for all you have done for and given to Ensworth. You will be dearly missed by all.

RETIRING FACULTY TRIBUTES

BRUCE LIBONN Head of Lower School 15 Years at Ensworth

How can I best share the impact Bruce has had on Ensworth? The Lower School has grown with more students and more teachers under his care. The curriculum has been enriched by the adoption of Singapore math, the addition of the Teaching Fellows program, the Language and Math faculty leaders in Lower School, the fifth-grade end-of-year celebration assembly, and the commitment Bruce has always had to his students and to the Lower School faculty. Throughout this school year, I have had conversations with a number of current and former Lower School parents who have shared their thoughts about Bruce’s years as the Lower School Head. One family shared with me that the oldest of their two sons remembers with great fondness that whenever he saw Mr. Libonn anywhere in school on campus, he would hear his name. Mr. Libonn always acknowledged him and it made him feel special. Likewise, it became tradition for the two boys in this family to shake hands with Bruce at the end of every school year and say thank you. Their oldest son said that he looked forward to this every year because, “I knew when I looked in Mr. Libonn’s eyes that he had loved us for the whole year.”

Last summer their third-grade son, anxious and chatty over the class and teacher placement, stated to his parents that HE knew how Mr. Libonn made these big, big decisions. Of course, the parents asked how. He said with complete certainty that Mr. Libonn goes to the beach with flip flops and his Hawaiian shirt and a big drink that looks like a slushee. He sits in his chair, spreads all the names of the kids in the sand and then takes out teacher names and “works his magic.” Then, he watches the sunset when it is over. There was no hesitation in his voice as he told his parents. The visual was priceless, and still is. So was the explanation by a nine-year-old.

Bruce: your unflagging support for what is right, your focus on the things that are most important, your faith in all of us, and your care for your students and faculty have always remained strong. Thank you for that.

Finally, I want to share a poem from a book of poetry that might be familiar to some of you. I share this as a way of saying thanks as it explains so well why I have appreciated the chance to work with you, Bruce.

The Contract: A word from the led

And in the end we follow them –not because we are paid, not because we might see some advantage not because of the things they have accomplished, not even because of the dreams they dream but simply because of who they are: the man, the woman, the leader, the boss standing up there when the wave hits the rock, passing out faith and confidence like life jackets, knowing the currents, holding the doubts, imagining the delights and terrors of every landfall: captain, pirate, and parent by turns, the bearer of our countless hopes and expectations. We give them our trust. We give them our effort. What we ask in return is that they stay true.

by William Ayot

I hope you look forward to the years ahead with joyous anticipation, with hope, and with appreciation for your years spent with students and teachers. I feel fortunate to have you as a friend and colleague. We will all miss seeing you at school each day.

Written by Sarah Buchanan, Associate Head of School

RETIRING FACULTY TRIBUTES

DEE DEE LITTLE Middle School English Faculty 31 Years at Ensworth

DeeDee and I came to Ensworth 31 years ago, in 1989. She must have been 12 at the time, I believe. And here’s a little-known fact: DeeDee and I went to the same school in Knoxville when we were kids and had the same eighth-grade English teacher, Betty Friedman. Not the same year, though; I am, of course, much older than she.

I arrived as the new English department chair, so that role gave me the opportunity to drop in and observe DeeDee’s classes. We would always laugh that I only seemed to show up for her fascinating grammar lessons, as if I needed to make sure she was teaching compound nouns or infinitives properly. What I really wanted to be there for was DeeDee running a book discussion. She was a master at leading discussions—encouraging students to pull details from the text, make connections, and think their way through the books she taught. DeeDee led students from discussions into writing with the details they had so carefully garnered, guiding them, draft by draft, into polished papers.

DeeDee’s devotion to teaching and her kindness, humor, and caring will be missed, of course, but I hope to see her return often as a substitute teacher and to, I hope (selfishly), help me schedule my ERBs on the test calendar, something that became an annual test of friendship.

So, thank you, DeeDee, for all you have given to me and to the whole Ensworth community as a teacher, a friend, and a model of commitment, kindness, humor, and graciousness. We will miss you, but we hope to see you soon and often, and hopefully not just remotely or from six feet apart.

Written by Dean Schneider, Middle School English Faculty

RETIRING FACULTY TRIBUTES

CAMY SANCHEZ Kindergarten Faculty 22 Years at Ensworth

22 years! How did you do it? I read some facts for the year you joined the Ensworth faculty in 1998. Here are a few hot items that year: A little search engine called “Google” was born. “Furby” was famous. Nokia made the IT phone. Titantic was the highest-grossing movie. And you were the new first grade teacher from Florida who was still single, but on the path toward marriage and a future with two beautiful boys. Soon after, I was privileged to join the first grade team and to have you as my mentor. You showed me the ropes. You taught me how to talk with students so they’d remember and how to talk to parents so they’d understand. I gained a lot of experience and a few tricks teaching next door to you, but mostly, I gained a friend. Fast forward 18 Pet Shows later, when I used some of your tricks to convince you to join me in kindergarten. “But they can’t READ,” you said. “We TEACH them,” I said. And you did – with your special blend of enthusiasm and encouragement.

Camy, it doesn’t matter what classroom you’re in. Children, families, and colleagues all love you. You are loved for your kindness, patience, dedication, willingness to forgive, and contagious sense of humor. As all great teachers do, you showed us the recipe for great teaching. For more than two decades, you’ve had the joy of watching your students grow- from their tiger bags to the clock tower. You’ve also thrown wedding showers, baby showers, surprise parties, and many more excuses we could make up to celebrate. You have earned a break. So now, we celebrate YOU. Congratulations! Good luck! We’ll miss you and always be grateful for you.

Written by Sukey Johnson, Kindergarten Faculty