NO BLES Bul le tin - Noble and Greenough School

The Averill family,
clockwise, from top
left: Sarah, Jordan,
Chris and Kristie.
In his fourth and final
class of the day, Averill
hands each Sixie a
laptop with which to
conduct research for
their endangered species
project. He presents
some project guidelines:
each student must detect
the mythical significance
and cultural influence
of creatures such as the
Komodo dragon or the
panda bear.
9:20 a.m. – The Middle School teachers
convene in what is called a “Core” meeting,
with topics of discussion ranging from student
performance to interdisciplinary-project
plans. Averill, for example, is working with
geography and technology teachers for the
Sixies’ Endangered Species project, which
involves a paper and an iMovie public service
announcement, both of which also tie
into the ’Round the World project.
10:45 a.m. – After another class, Averill
heads to the Castle for lunch. “You get used
to it,” he says jokingly of the unconventional
Middle School lunch hour.
12:10 p.m. – Averill sits on the Middle
School Afternoon Program committee.
At their weekly meeting, the group, led by
Middle School Athletic Director Rob Feingold,
discusses a new Middle School athletics
Mission statement. This statement “is
intended to go up on the Nobles website
and in the Guide to communicate the Afternoon
Program philosophy of the Middle
School,” Averill says.
1:05 p.m. – The next hour is spent offering
extra help to a student. “I like to leave my
free periods open for things like helping
students who are struggling,” Averill says.
1:50 p.m. – In his fourth and final class
of the day, Averill hands each Sixie a laptop
with which to conduct research for their endangered
species project. He presents some
project guidelines: each student must detect
the mythical significance and cultural influence
of creatures such as the Komodo
dragon or the panda bear.
3:00 p.m. – After answering emails at his
desk, which displays—in addition to family
portraits—a sheep’s brain preserved in formaldehyde,
Averill heads home to spend
some time with his family. “This is where
living on campus pays dividends,” he says,
as the next hour of his day would have been
spent commuting home to Easton, where he
lived during his first eight years at Nobles.
When he doesn’t work out at the gym, he
treats his basset hounds, Stella and Stanley,
to an extra long walk around campus.
4:15 p.m. – Jordan and Sarah have attended
dance lessons for “as long as I can remember,”
says third-grader Sarah, and it’s their
favorite thing to do. Averill drives his girls
to their dance instruction in Needham.
5:00 p.m. – While the girls are perfecting
the “running man” and the “shuffle,” Averill
heads back to the Middle School to meet
with another student. They spend half an
hour going over a recent test.
6:15 p.m. – During his final car trip of
the day to pick up the girls from dance, all
Averill can think about is dinner (remember,
he ate lunch at 10:45 a.m.). Around
6:45 p.m., he, wife Kristie and their children
walk over to the Castle for chicken
and beef stir-fry. The Averills sit with
the Clark family.
7:30 p.m. – Once home, Averill sits down
with his kids for “homework time,” which
he spends grading tests and preparing the
next day’s lessons. After the kids go to bed,
Averill enjoys a few minutes of the Winter
Olympics with his wife. —Lauren Bergeron
12 l THE NOBLES BULLETIN l SPRING 2010