Roffman

In November, the BEF heard from Teacher Grant recipient Chima Ikonne, a special education teacher at the Hayes School and the beloved instructor of a popular after-school baking class. This summer, Chima spent ten days in Paris studying authentic French baking techniques, strengthening his French language skills and deepening his appreciation for France’s culinary traditions and history. His goal was to bring baking into more of his teaching—using it not only in his cooking class, but also to make lessons in his special education classroom more engaging, hands-on and connected to the real world. While in Paris, Chima took three intensive baking [...]

During our October meeting, the BEF had the pleasure of hearing from Jill Arnold, a recent Idea Lab Grant Winner and recipient of the Elizabeth Ascoli Award for Innovation in Experiential Learning. Jill is a speech language pathologist at Pierce School and her goal was to infuse theater, reader’s theater, puppetry and pretend play into speech and language therapy for K–4 students. This Idea Lab Grant enabled her to bring her lifelong love of theater into her therapy sessions, a dream she had always hoped to realize. After taking a "Making Puppets from Nothing" course at the Puppet Showplace Theater in [...]

Teaching about Roland Hayes in Brookline Music Classes In our May meeting, BEF Board members heard from music educators Meredith Huntley (Hayes), Melodie Linhart (Lawrence) and Becky Vinci (FRR & Lawrence) about two grants from this year, a Collaborative Grant:  Teaching about Roland Hayes in Brookline Music Classes, and a Teacher Grant: Indian Music Immersion. Who is “Roland Hayes” of Hayes School? Roland Hayes was a trailblazer in Afro American choral in the early 1900s, but his influence is ever present in music and social justice today. “The beauty of what could be done with the voice just overwhelmed me.” – [...]

Runkle Middle School Spanish teacher Colleen Doyle participated in the 'Classroom in the Real World' program at the University of Alicante last summer. Thanks to a BEF grant, Colleen spent three transformative weeks in Spain during June 2024, immersed in language and culture.  Colleen developed valuable insights that continue to shape her classroom approach. She particularly valued the program's emphasis on peer collaboration, cultural context and creative teaching methodologies. The intimate cohort size created meaningful professional relationships that extend beyond the program, providing an ongoing support network for curriculum development and teaching practices. Colleen, along with a cohort of teachers from all [...]

At the March BEF Board meeting, members learned about a Collaborative Teacher Grant that was awarded to Lucy McNeil, Pierce 6th grade Science teacher, and Stephanie Goodman, Pierce 6th grade English teacher. The goal of the grant was to explore conservation centers in Greece and learn more about conservation efforts to protect biodiversity in the Aegean and Ionian Seas. The teachers traveled to Athens, and the islands of Zakynthos and Paros in Greece to learn firsthand from local educators and conservationists about their efforts and the realities of conservation in an age of increased tourism. Their main takeaways were: The impact [...]

At our February BEF board meeting, members of the Board were treated to a presentation by Julia Mangan about the grant she and Melissa Nixon, both educators at BHS, received and participated in over the summer. With 12 years of physics and chemistry teaching experience, 10 of which have been at BHS, Julia explained how she has seen AP physics change over her career. Over the last 20 years the way physics is taught has changed dramatically, as research has supported a more inquiry-based approach focused on deeper conceptual understanding. As accessibility has expanded, so has AP physics at BHS – [...]

At our December Board meeting, the BEF Board heard from Lawrence art teacher Abi Robichaud about her recent BEF grant. Abi traveled to Mexico City this past summer to study all forms of Mexican and indigenous art, including murals, sculptures, contemporary art and the legendary works of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Her travels inspired several lesson plans for students in grades K through 8, which she has shared with art faculty all over Brookline, and which include interdisciplinary projects with math and science teachers. Thank you for an inspiring presentation,  Miss Abi!