Spring Travel Grant Recipients Announced

The Travel Grant Committee is pleased to announce the award of two additional Travel Grants this spring.

ECC co-teacher Vanessa Cid will travel to New York City to visit The Studio School, a progressive school that weaves the psychodynamic process throughout its school structures. Fourth Grade co-teacher Danielle Tye will travel to Tokyo, Japan, this spring and visit the lands of the Ainu. These indigenous people live primarily on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island.

In her application, Vanessa explained how she would bring her experience back to Advent. Before teaching at Advent, she studied psychoanalysis and used the principles of observation and recording within her classroom. The school she is visiting expands on how we listen to and document student voices to include relationships with families. She describes this connection:

"Each of these schools dedicate themselves to not only understanding the child, but also in understanding the child's family and family dynamics. As with the Reggio model, these schools see themselves as a place for families to learn and grow too."

The committee was excited about how this broadens our core value of family involvement and will provide Vanessa with a model for how we can think about family engagement.

In her application, Danielle illustrated the ways that this excursion would build upon her work of bringing Reggio principles into her Upper Grade classroom:

"By acting as an opportunity to be a teacher-researcher, I will gain insight, knowledge, perspective, and experience of the Ainu culture with a long history of oppression and marginalization. My participation will help support the UPOPOY Museum's mission directly by learning about and promoting Ainu history and culture through this grant. The experience and knowledge I gain will help me create a forward-thinking curriculum that supports preserving the Ainu people and other indigenous people with a more global perspective."

Third and Fourth Grade curricula focus on indigenous peoples' experiences and colonization's impact, one from a more local perspective and one more global. The committee was excited about how this would add to the breadth of knowledge within the grade-level band and provide additional opportunities for students to engage with the essential questions that are the foundation of these themes.

We look forward to hearing about these teachers' experiences during faculty meetings in the fall. Please join us in congratulating Vanessa and Danielle!

The Travel Grant Committee
Gretchen Vice, Dean of Faculty
Nicole A. DuFauchard P'20, Head of School
Amanda Behen, Teaching & Learning Support Manager, 2019 Travel Grant recipient
Sarah James P'28'30, Second Grade, 2020 Travel Grant recipient
Rosa Vega, Kindergarten, 2021 Travel Grant recipient