At the
Heart of Pegasus
Carin Meister
Finding Our Motherboard At the pandemic’s onset, eighthgrade English teacher Nancy Wilder asked students to draft a “Lost and Found” list to mourn the moments lost to quarantine, but also to acknowledge the potential gains of found time and strengthened familial relationships. If The Pegasus School collectively made such a list, Technology Coach CORINNE YEAGER would be at the top of our “Found” column. Her fortuitous arrival at Pegasus in a time of a massive shift in educational technology is something her colleagues continue to exclaim gratitude for well into this school year. BJ Crabtree shares this sentiment: “I have never seen faculty members embrace a colleague so
quickly. I think most of us are asking ourselves, how did we get by without her? In her short time, Corinne has changed the technology culture and landscape for many years to come.” While the pandemic highlighted Yeager’s gifts of collaboration and teamwork, she has positively impacted students and teachers for years. Raised in Newport Beach, she worked with children in Harbor View’s summer camps in high school and while attending University of the Pacific. As a Bay Area classroom teacher, she discovered the power technology has to transform teaching and learning. The influence of her science and technology-minded parents coupled with success integrating technology in her fifth-grade classroom prompted her to pursue a master’s degree in Educational Technology and to accept a coaching position in Emery Unified, where she designed and implemented a 1:1 program. This role afforded her the opportunity to become a touchpoint for all community members: students, teachers, and parents, an aspect of her job that she relished. Knowing that she wanted to be closer to family, Yeager moved back to Southern California in 2019 and accepted a job at Pegasus, where she continues to be a touchpoint for our community. We are so grateful she has found her way home.
The Brilliant Butterfly Effect To hear SARAH HURWITZ speak about her pre-Kindergarten “Butterfly” class would bring a smile to anyone’s face. She wholeheartedly adores them—how funny, imaginative, genuine, and kind they are. She speaks about them in the same way you might talk about your most beloved, cherished family members. And although it took her some time to get used to the unique psychology and pacing of pre-Kindergarten after teaching Kindergarten at Pegasus for over a decade, she has found true joy in teaching our youngest students. Even in this historic year of teaching during a pandemic, Hurwitz has found ways to focus on the positive and deliver content that matters. Worrying over how she might help our four- and five-year-olds express love in a year without hugs, Hurwitz has reenvisioned her program where she helps students focus on the verbal expression of their emotions, something Hurwitz says the Butterflies are mastering. The ability to turn a negative into a positive, to shift a mindset, is something she 6
THE PEGASUS SCHOOL
does for her colleagues as well. Michael Pourciau considers Hurwitz a “bright light on a dark day” while Shelly Ward shares, “Sarah is resilient, always making me laugh when I am having one of those days.” Now in her twentyfourth year of teaching, Hurwitz is doing what she has wanted to do since dressing up in her mom’s clothing for Kindergarten career day. Her chosen profession? Teacher.
