2010–2011 Annual Report - St. Francis Episcopal Day School

In 2010–2011, the Sarah W. Woolrich Fund for Faculty celebratedits seventh year by providing four more St. Francis facultymembers with extraordinary learning adventures. Theseclassroom-enhancing opportunities ranged from tours of classicalGreece and ancient rainforests to workshops designed to improvefaculty instruction in language arts, athletics and Latin Americanculture. We are grateful for the example these faculty members setfor our students as they demonstrated scholarship through lifelonglearning by pursuing their dreams.Faculty Member: Betty Babendure, Kindergarten TeacherAdventure: Language arts workshops and tour of VancouverLocation: Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British ColumbiaBetty Babendure’s summeradventure took her first to Portland,Oregon, for three languagearts workshops and then on visitsto British Columbia’s natural andhorticultural wonders. Taught byearly literacy expert Nellie Edge,the workshops provided Ms.Babendure with fresh ideas forher literacy and writing instruction,while adding a new dimensionto her classroom througha look at a kinesthetic “signing”SARAH H. WoolrichFund for facultyapproach to songs. The trip also enhanced the way she teachesscience—especially benefiting the gardening project her kindergartenclass tackles each spring—by exposing her to the ancientrainforests of Vancouver Island and the man-made majesty ofButchart Gardens.Faculty Member: Maria Capecchi, LowerSchool Spanish TeacherAdventure: The Zumba AcademyLocation: HoustonMaria Capecchi’s two great passionsare dancing and teaching, and she usedher Woolrich Award to combine them!By attending two courses at the ZumbaAcademy, she became a licensed Zumbainstructor, with an emphasis on teachingZumba to kids between the ages of4 and 12. Since then, Ms. Capecchi hasused what she’s learned to introduce herLower School students to Latin American dances, choreography,and music.Faculty Member: Don Hicks, Associate Head of School andDirector of Physical Education and AthleticsAdventure: ISM Summer InstituteLocation: Wilmington, DelawareAfter four decades in physical education, Don Hicksbelieves there’s still more to learn. That’s why he attendedthe 2011 ISM Summer Institute “Directing the Athletic andPE Programs,” which covered a multitude of topics fromimproving programs and managing personnel to raising16 St. Francis Episcopal Day School