Greetings From Epiphany!
Dear Friends,
Up until now, the Epiphany story has spread by word of mouth, and new Epiphany-inspired schools were usually started by our friends. For example, one of our founding trustees moved to Washington, D.C., and helped create the amazing Bishop Walker School. In another example, a student at Harvard Divinity School became an Episcopal priest and returned home to Tucson to create the fabulous Imago Dei Middle School with her dynamic partner. Now, however, things are starting to change. Epiphany Impact, our program which supports work outside our walls, is fielding requests from around the world. Scroll below, for instance, to read about a trip to Bulgaria that included both one of our great teachers, Elica Teixeira, and our inaugural Director of Impact, Marilisa Gabresi-Deleveaux.
The work in Bulgaria to help the Roma people there and everything else in this edition of Always Learning is possible because people like you have rolled up their sleeves to help. God bless you, and thank you all so much for all your support.
Your Grateful Fan,
The Rev. John H. Finley IV
Partner Spotlight
Christ’s Church
For this month's Partner Spotlight, we are overjoyed to highlight Christ's Church in Quincy. This faithful Episcopal church, led by the Rev. Clifford (“Cliff”) Brown, has loyally supported Epiphany for years. (They made their first donation way back in 1999!). In addition, for many years, Cliff shepherded our weekly celebrations of the Eucharist, and we still use the liturgy he introduced here. We really appreciate our friends in the next town over. Thank you, Christ’s Church!!!
Epiphany Stars: Graduate Profile
Shamel Watson ‘21
Shamel Watson ’21 is a renaissance man. Yes, he’s a scholar, but he’s also an artist and a gardener. He is deeply loyal to Epiphany. Whenever we hear Michael Jackson playing at the Graduate Support Center, we know Shamel is in the house!
In addition to dropping in regularly to see us at 230 Centre Street, Shamel has also helped out in the garden for the last five summers. His work there combines several of his passions: “I love learning about nature and seeing things grow, and I love to give back to the community.” He was a joy as a student who valued his friendships and was particularly engaged in science. He also was (and still is) a valued member of The Brotherhood.
Shamel aspires to be a professional graphic designer and currently works after school and over the weekend at Artists for Humanity, a Boston nonprofit that employs young adults to provide professional design services. He is looking to further his art education and is awaiting from several colleges. Wherever you end up, Shamel, you’ll be a star!
From left to right, Shamel, Zackiya, Cami, Analise, Emilio, and Abril gave away all the vegetables they grew in our garden during our summer farm stand!
Early Learning Center Corner
Expanding our Model to Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s Trust for Social Achievement (TSA) is invested in creating a strong start for every child. Last year, two members of their team visited us to study the Early Learning Center model in hopes of replicating it for the Roma people. This fall, they, in turn, arranged for one of our outstanding pre-K teachers, Elica Teixeira, along with Marilisa Gabresi-Deleveaux, Director of Epiphany Impact, to travel to Sofia to attend an international educational conference presented by the ISSA (the International Social Security Association). While there, Ms. Gabresi-Deleveaux and Ms. Teixeira met with educators, key stakeholders, and politicians and presented the Epiphany model, emphasizing, in particular, the aspects they thought might apply in any community or culture—e.g., family and community engagement, holistic support, and high expectations with strong community partnerships, early intervention during pregnancy, and sufficient investment to attract and retain great teachers.
“Despite differences in countries and cultures, essential aspects of the Epiphany model can be adapted globally,” says Ms. Gabresi-Deleveaux. “We’re excited to keep collaborating with the TSA staff and see what their own Early Learning Center looks like.”
Epiphany News
Honoring the Past, Dreaming a Better Future
Thanks to a generous couple with deep ties to Epiphany, the eighth grade had a free trip to Alabama to tour major sites in the history of Civil Rights. Epiphany graduates and teachers served not only as chaperones but also as sounding boards as students reacted to what they learned.
In advance to prepare, the class read Just Mercy, the memoir by attorney Bryan Stevenson, documenting his struggle with our legal system. Mr. Stevenson and his team at the Equal Justice Institute have created three major projects in Montgomery, which the students toured: The Legacy Museum, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. In addition, the 52 members of the Epiphany group visited the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the homes of both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, and the Brown Chapel AME Baptist Church, where the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march began.
Every evening, students journaled about their experiences and discussed their reflections. "The exhibits and readings sparked various emotions within me, flooding me with both questions and concerns,” said eighth grader Kamari Mikel. “How could people be so hateful towards other human beings? What causes one to think of another human as less than human?"
In February, the group will present to share their profound experience with the Epiphany community.
Jaylen Brown Visits Epiphany
Epiphany blew up on October 17th when Celtics superstar and education advocate Jaylen Brown made a surprise visit. WOW! He visited every classroom, asked students detailed questions about their learning, shot hoops in the gym, and signed countless sneakers. Mr. Brown has spoken at Harvard about the importance of education and technology, served as an MIT Media Lab Fellow, and created The Bridge Program to mentor Boston youth of color. He believes in education! To drive that home, he presented a signed basketball to 7th grader Chris, the Epiphany student with the highest GPA at the time! His visit created a lifetime memory for students (and staff!) and left us inspired. (N.B. As previously reported, Sidney Baptista ’01 was one of the recipients of the ten $100,000 gifts Jaylen Brown and his partners made to support local entrepreneurs.)
Click here to watch a short video of his visit!
A Festive Night of Art, Music, and Joy
Every year, Epiphany celebrates with a Winter Showcase, including a Christmas pageant performed by the 5th & 6th grades. This year, however, they reimagined our traditional Nativity story as if it were being told by a grandmother to her grandchildren on Christmas Eve. Afterward, the 7th and 8th graders presented a new (and very funny) play, The Christmas Crisis, which highlighted the challenges of helping older generations adapt to new technology in the midst of gift-giving. Our partners at the New England Conservatory of Music teach percussion here, and their students wowed the crowd with their drumming performance. Also, attendees explored displays from our other art programs, including ceramics, photography, drawing, cooking, gardening, and more…
5th & 6th Grade Application is Now Open!
Tell your family and friends that admissions are open for grades 5 and 6 in the Middle School. Also, if you know any families that are expecting a child, please encourage them to check out the Early Learning Center!
We are Hiring!
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.
Admissions
Tell your family and friends they can take the first step in an amazing journey: admissions are open for grades 5 and 6 in the Middle School and for the Early Learning Center!