Greetings From Epiphany!
Dear Friends,
As we launch into what promises to be an excellent school year, we have so much to report, a fraction of which we are able to share with you here in this edition of Always Learning. Please take a moment to look below and learn more. What happens here inspires so much hope, and we are proud to share the good news.
What happens at Epiphany makes a real and lasting difference, and you make it all possible. God bless you, and thank you for all you do to help.
Your Grateful Fan,
The Rev. John H. Finley IV
P.S. Please mark your calendars for our Annual Spring Gala on Friday, April 17, 2020 at the Westin Copley Place. We hope to see you there!
Corporate Partner Spotlight: Definitive Healthcare
Three cheers for Definitive Healthcare, an Epiphany corporate partner and a sponsor of the 2019 Annual Spring Gala: Reflecting On Our Future. Definitive Healthcare’s charitable organization, DefinitiveCares, has supported our students in a number of ways, including cooking dinner numerous times, and helping maintain our gardens.
Since its inception in September of 2015, DefinitiveCares has committed hundreds of service hours and raised thousands of dollars for community efforts to improve the lives of hundreds of children and families across Boston. What an inspiring example! We are so grateful to have their continued support. Thank you, DefinitiveCares!
Epiphany Stars: Graduate Profile
Ryan Toussaint ‘15
This month’s Epiphany Star goes to... Ryan Toussaint! After graduating from Epiphany in 2015, Ryan went on to Cathedral High School but has remained an active member of the Epiphany community. In 2018, he travelled to Rome with a group of other graduates as part of The Icarus Project. He has also worked with our current students as a summer counsellor during the Epiphany Summer Intensive at Groton School. Teachers here remember him fondly as a deep thinker and a true philosopher. One particular moment that stands out is when he performed exceptionally well at our annual poetry slam. When he wasn’t weaving together powerful poems for his classmates, Ryan said some of the happiest times at school were, “When we spent time in 7th Grade on the sailing trip to P Town, Nantucket and other places. The class learned about marine life as well as the life of a ship crew, and I remember it being so much fun.”
After graduating from Cathedral High School, Ryan moved on to an exceptional HBCU (Historically Black College & University), Morehouse College. He is currently studying software engineering with an eye toward graduation in 2023. The future is certainly bright for Ryan. With talent like his, he can dream big and Ryan currently holds two aspirations for the future, both impressive. The first is to join the team at Microsoft and put his engineering skills to good use in developing software. The second, even more ambitious, is to write his own coding language to be used globally.
All of us at Epiphany are incredibly proud of you, Ryan, and will be cheering you on all the way.
Learning is Cool: Epiphany Curriculum Highlights
Students in Mr. Harvey’s 7th Grade class are using Epiphany’s new greenhouse and garden to review their understanding of mathematical sequences and attempt to find them in nature. The lesson doubled as a chance for students to learn more about the flowers in which they were searching for Fibonacci spirals. At Epiphany, we always find ways to apply students’ knowledge in the real world and see examples of mathematical concepts outside of the classroom. Our garden provided the perfect place for this. Students were surprised by what they saw, saying “It is easy to walk past flowers every day and not notice the details. Looking more closely at these flowers helped us see that math is everywhere!”
Early Learning Center Corner
September marked the first anniversary of the Epiphany Early Learning Center’s (ELC) opening! That first class of infants are now toddlers, and a second class of infants will arrive in October. The pictures below show just how much they’ve grown over the year!
This fall we held our first ELC open house to show our wonderful facilities to prospective parents and look forward to filling our two infant classes in the coming weeks. Epiphany is thrilled to have the continued support of our partners Codman Square Health Center, Jewish Children & Family Services, Neighborhood Villages, Parenting Journey and Room to Grow to provide children and families with the best start to life.
Epiphany News
Gordon & Robyn Hayward at Epiphany!
On September 5th, a visit from the Boston Celtics’ very own All-Star Gordon Hayward sent Epiphany into an excited frenzy. Alongside his wife, Robyn, Gordon sat down to answer questions and offer Epiphany students some advice on motivation, the importance of hard work, and choosing your goals. With keen ears, the children soaked up every word before receiving the school supplies that the Haywards donated to start the school year off right.
Although a little starstruck at first, the students soon found themselves playing video games and basketball with Gordon and Robyn as well as posing for dozens of pictures! The Haywards even brought in a team of barbers who gave many of the students haircuts.
Epiphany would like to thank Dave Hoffman, Vice President of Community Engagement at Boston Celtics, our Principal Dr. Sanchez and, of course, Gordon & Robyn Hayward for making it a very special afternoon and for ensuring that our students have so many the necessary supplies.
Climate Change Protest
On September 20th, Epiphany students joined millions of people around the world to demand action on the climate crisis. The Boston protest was part of a worldwide, youth-led initiative called Fridays for a Future which calls for school strikes and a global week of action to coincide with the U.N. Climate Action Summit with the hope that it will push world leaders to take the climate emergency seriously.
Over 10,000 people converged on City Hall Plaza in Boston to demand that the adults entrusted with their futures take bold action on climate change. Epiphany students held signs, sang songs, and listened to powerful speakers at the rally. It was incredibly inspiring to take part in this global movement! Teaching Fellow, Ms. Kotner said “the students spoke passionately around the issue of climate change, and I was pleased that so many other Boston students chose to act as well.”
Graduates Barbecue
At the end of the summer, graduates flocked backed to Epiphany for our second annual Graduate Barbecue. The event was a great opportunity for graduates and their families to catch up and learn about the exciting new changes to the Graduate Support Program, as well as pick up school supplies for the academic year ahead. Beginning this month, the Graduate Support Center will be open longer, and there will be events on two Fridays every month. In September, we offered “Fun Friday” where graduates sang their hearts out during a karaoke contest.
A big thank you to Erika Forrest, Sabrina Correia, and Meri Winter for their work organizing the BBQ! It was a joy to see so many graduates in attendance.
Barbara C. Harris Retreat
The eighteen year tradition of a whole-school retreat to the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center continued this year, and it was yet another triumph! The children arrived and immediately got involved in activities where new friendships were forged; old friendships were made stronger, and our new 5th graders were welcomed into the Epiphany family.
Our students spent their time running around Greenfield State Park, cooling off in the lake, and then singing songs and telling stories around the campfire at night. The new Teaching Fellows soon found themselves in the thick of the action, bonding with all the students during a sing-a-long session. One highlight in particular was the tug o’ war between the boys and girls, where the girls were thrilled to be crowned as the winners!
The journey home was a great deal quieter than the trip up with plenty of tired students reflecting on the wonderful experience they had just had.
Upcoming Events
Please mark your calendars for our Annual Spring Gala on Friday, April 17, 2020 at the Westin Copley Place. We hope to see you there!
