Greetings From Epiphany!
Dear Friends,
It is hard to know what to highlight in this issue of Always Learning. I am, of course, wildly proud of the two graduates profiled: Sidney Baptista ’01 & Brathes Sanchez ’17. Then again, the photographs of the infants and toddlers are adorable, and, of course, we all are so proud of Ryan Jones’s new mural “March On,” but perhaps most of all I want to say something about TJX, the subject of this issue’s corporate spotlight.
It has been said that the “prayer of our souls is a petition for persistence, not for one good deed or a single thought, but deed on deed and thought on thought until day calling on day shall make a life worth living.” For decades, I have witnessed the positive effect TJX has in the community. Their loyal generosity sets an inspiring example and makes a real impact, and the same is true for you. God bless you for your persistence, and thank you for the 1,000+1 you support and encourage these wonderful children.
Your Grateful Fan,
The Rev. John H. Finley IV
P.S. Please click here to learn more about the Gala, coming up on April 30th.
Corporate Partner Spotlight
The TJX Companies, Inc.
We are proud to highlight The TJX Companies, Inc. as this month’s Corporate Partner. For years, TJX has helped vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future, and their impact here at Epiphany has been tremendous.
Real progress requires sustained commitment. For nearly two decades TJX Foundation has championed our students and their families, fundamentally changing their trajectories. We are thrilled to have their continued support this year as a corporate sponsor for our upcoming 2021 Spring Gala: IMPACT. Thank you, TJX, for your inspiring example and for your enduring generosity, especially during these challenging times. Your gift is making a real difference and has never been more important.
Epiphany Stars: Graduate Profile
Brathes Sanchez ‘17
We are overjoyed to highlight Brathes Sanchez ’17 for this month’s graduate profile. During his time here, Brathes was hard-working, ambitious, and creative, and that remains true of him four years later. Looking back, Brathes says during his years at Epiphany that he realized the power of a quality education. “Epiphany reinvented education for me. I had teachers who refused to let me fail and pushed me to reach my full potential. Their focus on me as an entire person, and not just my classroom performance, allowed me to grow not only into a successful student but also into a mature young adult.”
After graduating from Epiphany, Brathes received a full scholarship to attend Belmont Hill School, a terrific independent school just outside of Boston. True to character, Brathes remained a dedicated and diligent student throughout high school, and we were not surprised when he received a full-scholarship to Brandeis University. Although he has not yet chosen a major, he is leaning toward Finance or Business. For now, however, he says he will, “focus on the small steps” like applying for summer internships.
As a graduate, Brathes has remained deeply connected to the Epiphany family and has been supported through high school by former Epiphany Teaching Fellow, Walker Coppedge. (At Epiphany in the late 1990’s, Walker founded our program for High School Placement and Graduate Support, and he is now the Senior Associate Director of College Counseling at Belmont Hill.) Brathes has also worked closely with Barbara Guilfoile, Epiphany’s College Advisor. Brathes attributes much of his success at Belmont Hill to the relationships he was able to make during his middle school years, particularly with his former teacher, Mr. Joazard ‘04. “The connection and passion teachers have for their students at Epiphany make it special.”
Brathes during the 2020 Virtual Gala
Learning is Cool: Epiphany Curriculum Highlights
Reopening the Middle School In-person
We are happy to announce that the Middle School has fully reopened for in-person learning. As COVID-19 cases continue to drop and as faculty and staff get vaccinated, we are confident that we can remain learning in-person for the remainder of the academic year, which will be extended into August to recover fully from the effects of the pandemic. (N.B. The Early Learning Center has been fully in-person since the beginning of July.)
Early Learning Center Corner
This month, our ELC students dove into a project we are calling “Things That Move,” using leftover cardboard boxes to create their own vehicles. In the classroom, the older children explored the topic with different books and puzzles that included cars, trucks, and ambulances, while our youngest learners played with different construction vehicles, made street signs, and practiced traffic light signals. The teachers even used painter's tape to create roads and driving lanes so the children could push and ride their automobiles throughout the classrooms. The kids absolutely loved it!
Epiphany News
Black History Virtual Showcase
As a celebration of Black History Month, we hosted a Virtual Showcase on Friday, February 26th. The event featured many different student performances inspired by various aspects of Black history and the Black experience in America. Highlights of the event included a performance by Boston’s Poet Laureate, Porsha Olayiwola, and guest appearances from graduates: Dario Brandao ‘18, Jaden Pontes ’15, and Kate Cabrera ‘17. We loved 6th Grade’s watercolors and detailed painted flowerpots, and it was amazing to see our 8th graders showcase their fashion skills with their apron projects depicting Black historical figures, followed by the Theater electives’ reenactments of famous Black leaders. Every performance, piece of art, and presentation reminded us of the importance of Black history and culture in our community and empowered our students to become the change they want to see in the world.
Farmers’ Market Kiosk
In February, we collaborated with local activist Cynthia Loesch whose brother, Andreu, graduated from Epiphany in 2012, to bring a farmer’s market kiosk to our campus. Cynthia partners with Mass Farmers Market and Boston Inspectional Services to bring fresh, healthy, and local food to SNAP (formerly food stamps) eligible communities like ours through a program in which eligible families receive an extra $80 a month to purchase fresh produce from local farmers through the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP). This project is just one of many steps Epiphany has taken to combat food insecurity in our community. We also distribute thousands of pounds of food on-site each week with our partners at Lovin’ Spoonfuls, Fair Foods, and Church of the Redeemer. Our Garden & Greenhouse Program continues to help families grow produce in their homes by building raised beds and window boxes. The new farmer’s market kiosk is right next to the Shawmut T Station and is available to community members until May.
March On by Ryan Jones
Last month, we celebrated the unveiling of March On, a new mural by our own Lead Teacher, Ryan Jones. Mr. Jones’s inspirations for the mural were Representative John Lewis's legacy, the continued struggle for civil rights and equality, and the devastating loss of the Roxbury Love mural earlier this year. His goal was to create a depiction of “[Rep. John Lewis’] march over the Selma Bridge with a Boston twist.” The mural is on permanent display outside the entrance to the Early Learning Center and demonstrates a core value of Epiphany: representation matters. Teaching students about the impact all of us can have is a central part of our educational practice. We hope this new mural will allow our students to see that they are the next generation’s leaders, changemakers, and problem-solvers of the injustices that plague our society, and that the mural will remain a cultural landmark for many years to come. Mr. Jones has been honored as a “Hero Among Us” at a recent Celtics game, and his work has been covered in both the Dorchester Reporter and the Boston Globe.
Fireside Chat
Last month, we hosted our first-ever Fireside Chat where panelists, including Ms. Abernethy, Mr. Finley, Mr. Joazard ‘04, Mr. Penney, Mrs. Sanchez, and Ms. Shillingford, answered questions and discussed how Epiphany has been responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic. This inaugural Chat was a huge success, thanks in no small part to the high turnout from community members and the insightful questions from the audience. At the end of the event, we debuted a “teaser” for Epiphany’s Virtual Tour. If you missed it and would like to see a recording, please click here. The teaser itself, which is much shorter than the Chat itself, turned out well, and here is a link.
COVID 19, Vaccine Education
On February 2nd, Dr. Randall Hyer from Moderna and Dr. Shahrzad Slater from LMK Clinical Research Consulting presented an hour-long webinar on the mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer (though most of the information was from Moderna). There were several thoughtful questions, and we are very grateful to Dr. Hyer and Dr. Slater for taking the time to educate our faculty and staff about the safety and efficacy of these vaccines. Further information on vaccine safety and the current Massachusetts vaccine rollout plan is available at mass.gov.
Support our Graduate: Sidney Baptista ‘01
We are so proud to showcase graduate Sidney Baptista’s new apparel line, PYNRS - Performance Streetwear. For the last four years, Sidney has been building a running community in Boston through his club PIONEERS Run Crew, and they just launched a running and athleisure clothing line that has already been featured in Health Magazine and Runners World! Great work, Sidney!
Upcoming Events
Spring Gala!
We are thrilled to invite you to our virtual Gala, IMPACT, on April 30th. Click here to RSVP by April 19th. The event will go live at 6 pm, and we hope you will tune in!
