Greetings From Epiphany!
Dear Friends,
Epiphany is open for visitors, albeit with reasonable precautions. Come see what is happening in the Innovation Lab in connection with the “Extreme Word Problem” project. Enjoy the flowers in the pollinator garden, the rain garden, and the rows of beautiful vegetables in their raised beds. All this and more are described below. To set up your visit please email me at jfinley@epiphanyschool.com. You have helped build Epiphany, and you have done a very good job. Come see the results!
Your Grateful Fan,
The Rev. John H. Finley IV
Corporate Partner Spotlight
Plymouth Rock Assurance Foundation
We are proud to highlight the Plymouth Rock Assurance Foundation as this month’s Corporate Partner. Plymouth Rock Assurance Foundation has an inspiring commitment to community development supporting educational programs for underserved students, violence prevention programs for vulnerable youth, and health care & safety advocacy for at-risk populations.
For years, Plymouth Rock Assurance Foundation has generously supported the students, graduates, and families at Epiphany, most recently with a terrific grant in support of our Early Learning Center. Thank you, Plymouth Rock Assurance Foundation, for all you do for our community! Your support has made a lasting impact in the lives of so many wonderful children.
Epiphany Stars: Graduate Profile
Kate Cabrera ‘17
Kate Cabrera is many things: a singer, an actress, and an Epiphany graduate, and recently she added “incoming Harvard College freshman” to her list! As long as we have known her, Kate has consistently raised the bar for what it means to be an exceptional artist, student, and community member. We are proud to call her one of our own and not the least bit surprised by her success. At Epiphany, she was a curious and ambitious student who took advantage of the opportunities offered at every step of her middle school journey, and that has not changed.
Her talent, passion, and grit landed her admission to Milton Academy where she used the skills she developed at Epiphany to excel. Among other things, she joined a singing group and performed in theater, eventually becoming a tour de force in the performing arts, while excelling academically. This drive to succeed led to Kate becoming a top applicant for college. While she wants to explore all the options Harvard has to offer, she currently plans on majoring in psychology.
While Kate has seen great success, she has not forgotten the relationships she built here and sees Epiphany as a crucial first step in her success. She points to the community Epiphany built, one that encourages resilience and dedication, one where her mentors and teachers pushed her to become the best version of herself. Kate shared with us, “Without Epiphany, I would not be where I am today.”
Kate and her mom
Learning is Cool: Epiphany Curriculum Highlights
8th Grade Stories
Our 8th graders have been working hard the past few weeks to create fictional stories in small groups. They were excited, and a little nervous, to present these magical stories to us on Thursday, but they did an incredible job! Need more convincing? Here is a sneak peek of Jarvia’s amazing introduction:
The noise of the world changed, blaring throughout Mount Olympus, for now Freya was born. Soon the house went ghost silent, and darkness crept up behind the family. The smell of death pervaded throughout the whole city. In the distance the silhouette of 3 people emerged from the darkness. These were the 3 witches sent from Hades to curse the newborn baby. The curse said that only when she was to commit murder the curse would be released.
Skin filled with melanin, as soft as silk, and glistening in the sun. Freya was the most beautiful woman in all of Olympus; every man wanted her. She was searching for her one true love.
Freya and her best friend Zara went to explore and stopped at the edge of a mountain. Freya slipped and accidentally pushed Zara off, releasing the curse that was put on her when she was born. The trees crackled; the wind whispered, and the birds squeaked. For now, Freya was the holder of the 7 deadly sins: pride, envy, greed, lust, sloth, gluttony, and wrath …
8th Grade Innovation Project
Our 8th graders recently took on an ambitious innovation project to create “extreme” word problems. These began as simple word problems, but then the students had to add details to create a story that incorporated the problem. Once that was done, they had to solve each problem using three different methods: graphing, substitution, and elimination or combination. After writing their stories and solving their problems, each 8th grader created a model that represented their story with the following required materials: wood, clay, LED lights, and a solar panel. Since each project included a functioning electrical system, our students also learned how to solder. Finally, once their project was completed, they created a tri-fold board to present their math problems and what they learned along the way.
Student example by Emely Pedroza Munoz:
Taylor’s birthday was coming up, and her family was planning a surprise for her. After she had woken up and eaten her breakfast, her mom came in and said, “Pack your bags, we are going to a hotel for some days of relaxation, joy, and family time.” The family had to pick between Hilton and Marriott. The Hilton costs $320 per night, and their family spa is an extra $225. Meanwhile, the Marriott hotel costs only $300 per night, but the spa is $260. The family wanted to include the spa day in their trip. Which hotel has a better deal?
Spring Has Sprung!
Our gardening program has been busy, and every grade in the Middle School has its own unique contribution. For example, our 5th graders have cleaned and replanted their butterfly garden. The 6th grade is learning the importance of rain in our ecosystem by maintaining and improving their rain garden, including building new steps and planting new flowers, and the 7th graders are expanding our compost system, learning firsthand about the process of decomposition as well as the importance of responsible waste management, building a better compost structure, and working with a local Italian cafe, Zia Gianna, to compost their coffee grounds. Finally, our 8th grade students are focusing on the vegetable garden and making sure we have our seeds correctly planted to ensure a beautiful and bountiful harvest! They started in February and will have planted over 2,000 by the middle of June. This year, they are focusing on planting different vegetables that reflect the cuisines and cultures of our community that might be harder to find in Boston, such as unique tomatoes from Haiti and special hot peppers from Barbados. We are also working on saving more seeds and making sure more of the seeds we plant survive to provide food for our community.
Early Learning Center Corner
Just as our middle schoolers are using the spring to learn about gardening, the children in our Early Learning Center are also learning about growing plants! Together, teachers and students investigated seeds, how they grow, how to identify the different parts of a plant, and what role each part plays. The preschoolers painted branches they gathered outside, created designs with flowers, and separated seeds by shape, size, and color to identify different types of seeds and how they grow!
Epiphany News
Poetry Slam
Last month we celebrated Poetry Month with our annual Poetry Slam on Wednesday, April 28th. This year’s theme was “Poetic Justice,” and students took this opportunity to demonstrate their skills in creative writing and performance. As always, we were amazed by the amount of talent our students have! Each student crafted their own story and then performed it live, weaving in stories about social issues such as racism, police brutality, misogyny, economic injustice into their own life stories, creating powerful messages about how broad issues can have deep and lasting impacts on each and every one of us. Special congratulations to Tae, who won first prize! You can watch the winning performances here.
Spring Gala: IMPACT
Our virtual Spring Gala: IMPACT, was a huge success! We had an amazing turnout and exceeded our fundraising goals! Thank you to everyone who “attended,” donated, or supported the event in any way. We could not have accomplished any of this without you, and for that, we are deeply grateful. If you didn’t get a chance to see it yet, you can still watch the event here.
Upcoming Events
Graduation!
It is almost graduation! We’re exceptionally proud of our 8th graders for excelling during a very difficult year and also sad that so many amazing members of our family will be moving on.
