11 minute read
FACULTY
Hans Holzen Blends Creativity & Science
What is your background? I was born in San Antonio but raised i n Na s hv i l le a nd g r a du a t e d f r om Brent wood High. My dad, a retired surgeon, was also a bluegrass fanatic. My two sisters and I grew up learning to play the fiddle and traveling far and wide for bluegrass festivals and fiddle concer ts. My mom beca me a music camp administrator. One of my sisters became a Zoo Veterinarian in Orlando, and my other sister, who is still in the area, is a CPA with Asurion. We all still play music together at family reunions. You’ve been seen playing music with the Middle School band groups. Tell us more about your musical background. I had a lot of exposure to Nashville's music scene as a young person a nd began playing professiona lly at age 16 on Music Va lley Drive. I majored i n m u s i c a n d t o u r e d w i t h b a n d s a nd song writers for about 10 yea rs. High lights were traveling through 4 8 s t a t e s , C a n a d a , a n d E u r o p e , a nd p er for m i n g on P r a i r ie Home Companion and Austin City Limits. Also, I got to live in New York for five years, which led to me meeting my wife and becoming a teacher. Where have you taught math and science before? I transitioned out of music full time and into education about six years ago. I was moving a lot when my wife was establishing her career and finishing her Ph.D. in Psychology. I have taught middle school math a nd science in Winder, GA, Omaha, NE, and Metro Nashville Public Schools. A r e t h e r e a n y p a r t i c u l a r advantages to teaching fifth graders? M o s t o f a l l , I l o v e t h e c u r i o s i t y t hat f i f t h g ra ders s t i l l pos ses s; it is wonder f u l for enga g ing them in science. It seems to be a sweet spot where they are developing enough to think about some big concepts, but still young enough that they haven't reached the "I know it all" stage. You can really see some lightbulbs go on in the classroom; it's a real pleasure to watch that.
The theme of this issue is “healthy, balanced lives.” In what way have you tried to live a healthy, balanced life? A s a h u s b a n d , a p a r e n t o f y o u n g children, and a committed teacher, it can be so hard to maintain a healthy and balanced life, for sure. Fortunately, my wife and I are great partners and enablers for healthy eating and exercise. We choose to eat a lot of fresh food, a nd she's good at sha ming me when she k nows I'm i ndu l g i n g i n sweet s too much! We realize that exercise is connected to a healthy mind, so we try to prioritize workouts when we can. It cer ta in ly helps to have facilities on campus for that and to have healthy and delicious options for lunch every day at Ensworth. Other things that help me keep a healthy mind and attitude are cooking for my family and playing my mandolin (even if it's only a few minutes at a time).
How do you see Enswor th as encouraging healthy, balanced lives for their students? E n s wor t h do e s a n exc el lent job of encouraging a healthy life for students. The physical education staff here is the best I've ever seen, and the students' involvement in PE and recess are seen as an important part of every day. The food is fresh, varied, made with highq u a l it y i n g r e d ient s , a n d e x p er t ly prepared. I also think it helps that the students know the chefs and the kitchen staff. The people feeding us are putting a lot of love and craft into what they do, and that can be felt by the students and teachers.
Gloria Kemp Keeps Balance through Athletics, Yoga, and Nutrition
High School Girls' Volleyball Head Coach and Fitness Instructor, Gloria Kemp, juggles many responsibilities at Ensworth and beyond as a coach, nutrition teacher, and professional athlete. Although focused on sports most of her life, Kemp considered a government career after committing to play volleyball at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in her home state of Florida. “Working for the CIA seemed like a really appealing job as a 16-year-old,” she says, “Because you don't know anything.” After years in athletics, she has discovered that nutrition and physical performance are a life-long endeavor. “It's definitely more intentional now,” she observes. “Even the workouts that I do are more of a holistic, whole-body approach rather than specific, explosive training. That's beneficial for the long-term sustainability of a healthy life.” Since joining Ensworth in the fall of 2018, Kemp has started teaching nutrition classes to students. “Nutrition has become a big part of my life over the past five years,” she explains. “It's definitely something I wish I knew about when I was younger because it could've taken me further in athletics. My performance would have been better.” Coach Kemp has switched to a mostly whole-food, plant-based diet, which leads her to spend a lot of time at the dining hall’s salad bar. Her creative, nutritious salads have piqued the interest of students and fellow faculty members who ask her to make salads for them. coach. Kemp remembers that her coach was calm, even when nine months pregnant. “She had this stillness about her,” she recalls. “I was intrigued by that." Kemp’s 200-hour yoga teacher training led her to an ashram on Mallorca, a Mediterranean island off the coast of Spain. This trip, along with the spiritual lessons of living in a monastery, inspired her to pursue new passions such as travel, rock climbing, and hiking.
During the 2018-2019 winter break, she traveled from Nashville to Los Angeles, stopping in iconic locations like the Grand Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, and Joshua Tree. It was on this trip that she began a creative project. “‘Warrior of the World' had been a phrase that I had been saying to myself. It seemed like it was getting louder and louder, so I decided to go to a new place every month and do the ‘Warrior II’ yoga pose,” she shares. To further her healthy, balanced life, Kemp is pursuing her holistic nutrition certification, which will also benefit the students. She’s thankful to be in a school that values mental and physical health. “I teach yoga and nutrition,” says Kemp. “The fact that those are available at a high school is amazing. And the emphasis that we put on community here is a huge part of having a healthy life. You just can't do it alone.”
Gives His Best Self to Students, Colleagues, and Family Jim Mann
Middle School math teacher Jim Mann leads a healthy, balanced life so he can give completely of himself to those entrusted to him. He has been in education for 20 years, the last five of which have been at Ensworth. He acknowledges the realities of our distracted culture, observing, “Staying present in the moment is a hard thing to do. I work very hard to make sure that when I am at school, all of my attention and energy is poured into the students, colleagues, administrators, and families that I serve.” When the school day is over, however, Jim says, “I make sure to leave it all behind and pour the same amount of attention and energy into being the best dad, husband, son, and friend that I can be.” Jim does enjoy spending time w ith his colleagues, even to the ex tent of organizing evening social gatherings at local watering holes. In the reminder emails to faculty and staff, his co-host, Middle School Latin teacher, Trey House, has given Mr. Mann a number of colorful titles such as “the Chief Design Curator of Faculty Health and Wellness” and “the Minister of the Faculty Health and Wellness Department.” A l t h o u g h M r. M a n n m a i n t a i n s a ref lective nature, refined through his practice of yoga and jiu-jitsu, he can be decisive and act when necessary. Just three weeks after meeting her, he became engaged to his wife, Maarika. The couple is nearing their 21st anniversary and has three children: Gabriella '14, Rhianna '18, and John. Ji m’s i nt ere s t s ex t end b eyond t he classroom, as well, having run hurdles at Bowl i n g Green State Un iversit y, achieving a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, writing numerous songs, and hosting shows at Nashville’s world-famous Bluebird Cafe and the Country Music Hall of Fame. He has lent these talents to his students at Ensworth by coaching cross country, teaching an audio engineering course in the a f ter school STEM prog ra m , a nd judging for the a nnua l robotics tournament. Above a l l, Mr. Ma nn is tha n k f u l to be in a school that supports hea lthy, balanced lives for everyone. He explains, “ Enswor t h does a n outsta nd i n g job of keeping the student ’s hea lth a nd wellness at the core of every decision we make. From offering an ever-evolving menu of healthy and tasty meal choices to implementing policies and support systems for helping students manage stress effectively, Ensworth sets the industr y standard on how to build a school community that is healthy, happy, and well-balanced.”
Paul Downey '92 Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications
Serves Healthy Meals Prepared with Love Angela Pursley
As the High School Kitchen Manager, Angela Pursley starts her day at Ensworth around 5:30 AM. She and her team serve breakfast to approximately 70 students each morning, followed by a lunch service that feeds more than 600 students and faculty. Preparation includes two hot bars, a 12-foot salad bar, sandwich bar, soup, and a grab-and-go station. Depending on the calendar, there may also be special events or dinners to help cater. “I don’t think there’s ever a day that someone hasn’t requested something special from the kitchen—there’s never a day the same!” says Angela. In her 15 years at Ensworth, Angela has seen many changes in the kitchen a n d i n t he a ppr o a c h t o pr o v id i n g healthy, balanced meals for students. “Several years ago, Ensworth brought in a registered dietitian and we worked t oget her on t he menu . We l i m it e d fried options and started purchasing hea lthier a nd higher-qua lit y meats, such as grass-fed beef and chicken that is free of antibiotics and other additives. And offering a 12-foot salad bar with additiona l options is a major plus in helping our community stay healthy. We probably have one of the best salad bars in Nashville!” Angela and her team continue to grow the menus ever y year to ma ke them healthier and more robust. At the end of each school year, they evaluate what’s on the menu and consider what has worked well and what might need to change, and they attend a food show with Sysco to learn about new products and items. They recently moved from a 5-week menu rotation to a 6-week rotation in order to offer more variety. Some of the new items this year include beef tips and noodles and a build-your-own-bowl day that offers quinoa and beyond beef, a plantbased meat alternative. Another change Angela has observed over the years is the growth of dietary restrictions and food sensitivities. “We have a handful of students who want our guidance in finding options that work with gluten, nut and dairy allergies, and others figure it out on their own. At the beginning of every day, we look at what is on the menu and consider what they can eat and decide if we need to make anything different to help supplement. We try to get as close as we can to what we have; we want them to feel like they are eating the same things other students are eating.”
In addition to nourishing the students’ appetites, Angela and her staff contribute to the hea lth a nd wel l-being of the students by supporting them in all their endeavors. It is not uncommon to see the kitchen staff in the audience at plays and concerts or in the stands at games, and often they are the ones clapping and cheering the loudest. “We are all mothers and we just love the students; it’s easy to be part of their lives. We like them as people—we aren’t just their cafeteria ladies. We are here for them. We have a lot of friendships we have developed with students that last beyond graduation.”
