Greetings From Epiphany!
Dear Friends,
There is so much good content in this issue of Always Learning—e.g., beautiful words on perseverance by Ruelys in the 8th grade, cool activities in our curriculum, our new open community library, an exciting partnership with the Jewish Community Day School, community service with Rise Against Hunger, B.C. honoring Dr. Sanchez, etc. I want, however, to focus on two stories in particular with a history: Tina Tapia ’07 & her donation drive at WeWork and our friends at St. Dunstan’s, Dover. It means a lot to me personally how people stick with Epiphany whether that is a graduate from fifteen years ago or a parish that has been with us since the very beginning. The work we are doing takes time, and that is why we really appreciate those folks who are with us for the long haul, including so many of you. Your loyal and abiding support makes a lasting impact, and you will be able to see how in our upcoming Fireside Chat. We hope you can make it, and thank YOU!!!
Your Grateful Fan,
The Rev. John H. Finley IV
Partner Spotlight
St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Dover
We are thrilled to highlight St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Dover as our Partner Spotlight this month. Their community has supported Epiphany since we opened our doors 23 years ago! They have been crucial to our dinner volunteer program, and when they bring brownies there are lots of smiles from the students and their teachers. St. Dunstan’s has also been a longtime supporter of our annual gala, and their cycling group (Team St. Dunstan’s) has been amazing in bringing in donations. We are so grateful for all they have done to further our mission. Thank you, St. Dunstan’s!
Epiphany Stars: Graduate Profile
Kristina Elizabeth Tapia ‘07
We are proud to highlight Kristina "Tina" Tapia '07 for this month’s Graduate Profile. Tina works at WeWork and recently organized a holiday drive to support the students here at Epiphany. She set up boxes at 12 different WeWork sites around Boston and collected donations of food, toys, supplies, clothing, and anything else folks could contribute. (Thank you, Tina! You are an Epiphany star!)
Tina loved her time at Epiphany as a student, and she appreciates how she was pushed outside of her comfort zone and how her classmates really became like a second family. When we asked her for one of her favorite memories, she smiled and remembered the 8th grade retreat at Mr. Finley’s parents’ house in Maine and the fun she had there with her friends. She says that Epiphany never felt like a school she attended for 12 hours a day but like a home for so many. Despite the different backgrounds she and her classmates came from, she always felt like an equal at school. To this day, she feels deeply connected to Epiphany, and it will always be a home away from home for her.
Learning is Cool: Epiphany Curriculum Highlights
Math Meets Art!
Our eighth graders tackled challenging mathematical problems in creative ways this month. As a capstone project for their module on graphing linear equations, our students broke into groups and were assigned multiple ways to graph linear equations such as value tables, slope intercept forms, x and y intercepts, and parallel and perpendicular lines. Using this information, groups then took an innovative approach creating intersecting lines they filled in to make the window into the faculty room look almost like stained glass. Projects like this allow students to combine their skills in ways that bring the material in their textbooks to life. Next, our mathematicians will tackle graphing inequalities on a coordinate plane, and we are looking forward to seeing the results.
What a Touching Homily!
At some point during their senior year, every eighth grader writes and presents a homily for their fellow students during Chapel, and on Wednesday, February 2, Ruelys ‘22 chose to focus on these lines from that week’s Gospel passage: “Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night and caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” Here is where Ruelys’s thoughts took her:
“In this story, two fishermen are out all night trying to catch some fish, but, when they couldn’t achieve it, Jesus tells them to try once more. Even though they are skeptical, they try again, catch multiple fish, and are filled with happiness...
This connects to my personal life because growing up my parents always reminded me of the struggles they’ve gone through, from migrating to a new country and starting over, debts to pay, jobs to apply for, and how much harder it got when they had kids. They were forced to grow up at a young age and protect themselves while living in a dangerous area. I’m sure there were many times they wanted to give up. My parents could have done that, like Simon and Peter were going to do with the fish, but they chose to put their faith in Jesus and fish in deep waters. Even today, my mom still cries to me about how difficult it was to keep having faith in themselves. Now I get to grow up with more opportunities than they had because of their sacrifices and determination. In these scenarios, the faith they have in Jesus leads them to persevere and get results.
I’m applying to schools that can help me pursue my dreams, and I’m taking what they taught me as inspiration to do better. I will show faith as I deal with obstacles by trying my hardest on work that might be hard. I'll get good grades, grow as a person and learn right from wrong, not judge others by their struggles, and, most importantly, I’ll be grateful for all my parents have done for me. My parents left their home to create a better life for my family even if they struggled all night and day to get to where they are today. My parents are Simon and Peter who can’t catch any fish in this scenario. They both took risks to pursue something bigger than themselves, and they did it by trying again and again. I am the fish in this story; I am the outcome of their hard work, and I’m gonna make them proud.”
Early Learning Center Corner
We are Architects!
Our preschoolers love building with blocks, Legos, and Magna-Tiles, so we extended their thinking by introducing them to architecture. This kind of experience helps them:
Become aware of their built environments – Everything around us that was not created by nature was made and designed by people! This speaks to the power of imagination and creativity. If you can think of it, there might very well be a way to make it! (We have definitely learned a lot about blueprints.)
Teach children to think outside of the box - Design thinking is a process of creative problem solving. We question and test. Once there is a problem, there is also an opportunity to solve it.
Hands-on learning and exploration are so important, not to mention beneficial for deepening children’s understanding of their surroundings. Building, drawing, cutting, and gluing are important skills.
Some questions we asked and investigated to find the answers were:
What does an architect do?
What happens at a construction site?
What kinds of things help us to build?
Epiphany News
Incredible Trip to the Museum of Fine Arts!
On Friday, December 10th, 20 students took a trip to the MFA to visit the Ekua Holmes exhibition. A resident of Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, Ms. Holmes is an artist and activist whose work explores themes of childhood, family bonds, memory, and resilience. Her exhibition focused on her award-winning children’s book illustrations such as Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement (2015) by Carole Boston Weatherford, Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets (2017) by Kwame Alexander, and Black Is a Rainbow Color (2020) by Angela Joy. The exhibition also features a selection of Holmes’s luminous illustrations for the recently released book Saving American Beach (2021) by Heidi Tyline King.
The students were fascinated by her artistic use of multiple materials and voices to convey a message. We love taking the kids to explore the city and learn more about local artists. This trip was possible thanks to one of our long-time donors! (Thank YOU!!!)
Season of Gratitude
The holiday season can be a difficult time of year for many in our community, and we are incredibly grateful for those that make sure there is plenty to give during the holidays. For example, we distributed more than 100 turkeys to families for their Thanksgiving meals. Beyond that, we teamed up with local business owner Nia Grace, owner of Darryl’s Corner Bar and Kitchen, and New England Patriot, Byron Cowart, to create a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and a night filled with fun and entertainment along with gift baskets with $100 American Express gift cards, gloves, hats and a plethora of other holiday gifts! We wouldn’t have been able to give back without the tireless effort of our volunteers and supporters, and we are immensely thankful.
Rise Against Hunger
At Epiphany, we believe in giving our students the opportunity to help tackle broad social issues. On November 19th, the Brotherhood and Sista Sista did just that, packaging over 3,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger, a non-profit dedicated to ending hunger globally. In addition to helping get food to people in need in Haiti, the students clearly enjoyed the work. As our 5th grader Val said, "This is so much fun, and the best part is that we are helping other people!" (Huge thanks to the Epiphany supporter who brought our two organizations together.)
Little Diverse Free Library
A Little Diverse Free Library is finally open at Epiphany next to the Shawmut MBTA Station. The great Sierra Rothberg painted it beautifully, and one of our incredible volunteers, Lucia Dolan, is making sure it is well maintained. Students, teachers, and community members are all participating both borrowing and donating books, and the library is definitely getting a lot of use.
Dr. Michelle Sanchez Honored at Boston College Football Game!
On November 27th, Dr. Sanchez was honored by Boston College for all her hard work at a special ceremony in connection with a football game against Wake Forest. Dr. Sanchez has worked tirelessly to build Epiphany into the institution that it is today, and she also remains actively involved at Boston College where she has earned not only her B.A. and her Master’s but also her PhD. We could not be more delighted that her dedication is being celebrated, and we are so grateful for the many ways she has fostered Epiphany’s partnership with B.C. Congratulations, Dr. Sanchez, and thank you for your inspiring example!
A New Partnership!
We are excited to announce a new partnership with the Jewish Community Day School (JCDS) to promote interfaith dialogue and exchange ideas, values, and resources between our two communities. With this new partnership, JCDS teachers and faculty are holding joint study sessions, engaging in dialogue, and brainstorming how to acknowledge, discuss, and teach religion. Several faculty members are attending a series of seminars, alongside JCDS educators, where a variety of educational topics are discussed by speakers from different cultural and religious backgrounds. By joining these seminars, we hope to gain new insight into how religion can be used in an educational setting to give our students exposure to various cultural beliefs and values.
We are Hiring!
Epiphany is expanding, and we are looking for dynamic people to join our community. Click here to view all job openings. Feel free to share the great news with your network.
Upcoming News
Their Success is our Success! Please join us for a Fireside Chat about our Graduate Support Program.
Hosted by our Steering Committee of Epiphany’s Leadership Council, we are excited to host our second Fireside chat on Wednesday, March 2, at 6pm. This year, we will feature our Graduate Support Team! We will discuss how Epiphany supports our growing community of graduates and expand our services to the youngest learners at the Early Learning Center.
Please click here to RSVP. The Zoom link will be sent to your email a few days before the event.
Save the Date!
Our Annual Spring Gala is Epiphany's Spring Gala will be on Friday, May 6, 2022 at 6pm. More details to follow.
