From Faculty
Read what faculty members have to say about Sage....
Sandra Cordes-Vaughan, Middle School Humanities Teacher
Danielle Bazinet, Performing Arts Teaacher
Drew Bourn, Athletic Director and Physical Education Teacher
Elizabeth Krikelis, Humanities Department Chair and Prime Division Teacher
Gary Klapman, Junior Division Math/Science Teacher
Sandra Cordes-Vaughan
Middle School Humanities Teacher
Sandra Cordes-Vaughan is a teacher who is both inspired and inspiring. She is constantly searching for new ways to infuse her teaching with meaning and purpose. Perhaps the most powerful teaching tool Sandy demonstrates is that she models for the students exactly what she expects of them. She sets high standards for herself and they are evident in each lesson she prepares. She is a voracious reader who is intrigued by new ideas and incorporates them into her lessons. Just ask her what her favorite book is and she will offer a list...her favorite book as a young child, her favorite novel to teach, her most recent read.....and on and on it goes. She is not afraid to try something new, even if it does not always turn out the way she hopes. All of these qualities result in a teacher and a classroom that are happy and vibrant.
This past year Sandy applied to the National Association of Independent Schools for the opportunity to participate in what is called the 20/20 Challenge. Our middle school was selected to partner with the Grange School in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. After reading High Noon:20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them by J.F. Rischard, the students collaborated via the Internet and at times even using snail mail to develop solutions to the problems of world poverty. The 20/20 program is structured in a way as to allow significant latitude to the faculty who are leading the experience. Sandy and her students embraced the program and the challenge. They wrote letters to influential leaders, invited experts to the school to lecture, and created an Internet forum hosted by InvisionFree for ongoing dialogue with the students in Nigeria. It was clear that the experience was transformative to many of the Sage students, and we were not surprised when Sage was recognized by NAIS for the outstanding project they completed.
Sandy has been at Sage for the past 11 years as a Middle School Humanities teacher and Team Leader. She came to be a teacher after attending law school and practicing as an attorney. When you meet Sandy you know instantly that she is a teacher through and through, and while we can certainly imagine that she was an excellent lawyer, at Sage she has demonstrated herself to be an outstanding teacher. Her academic study and professional training provide a great depth to her knowledge when teaching humanities. However, it is never a surprise when Sandy presents an idea for pursuing additional professional development. For example, this spring she asked for a letter of recommendation to accompany her application for a Landmarks in American History and Culture grant to study Race and Place: African Americans in Washington, DC from 1800 to 1954 through the National Endowment for the Humanities. In the application, she made a compelling case for how participation in the NEH institute would support her current curricular goals, and thus it was not surprising when she was awarded the grant.
Danielle A. Bazinet
Performing Arts Teacher
Sage students are lucky when it comes to the school. It's not very common to find an elementary school with such a dedicated performing arts program. This program is designed to offer students meaningful exposure to all of the arts forms including visual art, theater, dance, and music at an age-appropriate level.
With a true passion for the arts, and a versatile background in theater and a variety of dance forms, including modern, ballet, and jazz, Danielle Bazinet leads the performing arts program. Danielle believes in a balance of knowledge along with performance experience. The theater curriculum focuses on the history of the craft such as forms of expression, ideas of interpretation, directing, set design, playwriting, etc. The dance curriculum encourages students to think creatively and express thoughts and inspirations through body language. A major part of the performing arts curriculum is the Arts Review, which is a chance for students to share with the community highlights of what they have studied in their arts classes throughout the term.
Using an interdisciplinary approach, Danielle integrates what students are learning in their other courses into the performing arts curriculum. For instance, when students were learning about Africa in their humanities class, she designed a unit around African dance. The same is true for Greek methodology, the Cold War, Shakespeare, the Italian Renaissance, and the list goes on.
Danielle loves that Sage students are so eager to learn. This enthusiasm puts no limits on what can be taught. She remains true to The Sage School's core value of flexibility. If students are really enjoying a particular genre of theater or dance, she will continue to let them explore and learn about that topic.
Danielle directs the after-school dance and theater program in two performances each year. One-act theater productions have included scenes from Neil Simon plays, and most recently, in Spring 2007, Dress Rehearsal for Murder. Dance performances have included technique in hip hop, jazz, modern, and ballet.
Danielle believes this solid performance foundation helps students develop in many aspects of life such as self-confidence, self-expression, speaking in public, compromising and working in groups. In addition, the performing arts program allows students to continue with confidence in high school. Students leave Sage with a solid understanding and appreciation for the performing arts.
Danielle has an undergraduate degree in theater education from Regis College and a master's degree in dance education from NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. In addition to teaching at The Sage School, she also teaches at a local dance studio.
Drew Bourn
Athletics Director and Physical Education Teacher
Having come from the competitive world of collegiate athletics, Drew is no stranger to the pros and cons of a rigorous athletic program. A competitive person himself, Drew appreciates a good game of football, field hockey or lacrosse. He is also very playful and compassionate. While he towers above the five-year-olds he teaches, they exclaim, "I love PE" and "I love Mr. Bourn." His students know that he knows a great deal about the things he teaches from cooperative games to volleyball and, most importantly, they know he cares about them; he can be seen giving them bear hugs on the playground. Drew brings with him a strong knowledge of skills and strategies for a variety of sports and values the importance of team play. Drew left a successful career in collegiate athletics to come to Sage two years ago. He wanted to teach younger students, and he wanted to be in an environment that he felt encouraged values he shares: strong academics, a positive sense of community, discipline, and a place that helps students make choices and live balanced healthy lives.
Drew feels that it is incredibly important at a school for academically gifted students to provide a balanced program and one that is just right for our population. Our after school program combines arts and athletics, allowing students to participate in both. Drew comments that he enjoys collaborating with the arts department to design the after school program. "Too often there are conflicts between arts and athletic programs. . . but not at Sage. I love working at Sage because of the quality and commitment of my colleagues." Because our students come from far distances and are often involved in athletics in their own towns, Drew has worked hard to create an after school athletics program that is meaningful to our students. "Our program allows students to learn the fundamentals of their area of interest. We teach students the basics and look to develop both skills and overall understanding."For two days a week our middle school students can participate in sports and two days a week they can participate in the arts, dance or theater. The richness of the program lies in giving the students opportunities to try new things, compete at a reasonable level and learn how to make choices. We appreciate the expertise, compassion, commitment, understanding and perspective that Drew has brought to Sage over the past few years. Drew has not only improved our physical education, health and wellness programs, he has developed a wonderful after school athletics program that our middle school students love.
Elizabeth Krikelis
Humanities Department Chair and Pre-Prime Division Teacher
What Elizabeth Krikelis loves about teaching the Pre-Prime students is that these are the fresh faces of Sage. For most, this is their first real school experience. Elizabeth is amazed at the transformation the students go through during this vital first year. By the end of the school year they are completely different people in every way - physically, emotionally, and socially.
Elizabeth is a true believer of an interactive, hands-on approach to teaching. Bringing real life into classroom lessons is what really makes a connection in the minds of these young students. Using an interdisciplinary style, she integrates all subjects into art, music, circle time, block building, games, and all other daily activities.
In the nine years she has been at Sage, Elizabeth has truly enjoyed the genuine sense of community not only amongst the students, faculty, and staff, but also amongst the parents. She also likes getting the older Middle School students involved in her classroom through the "Pre-Prime Buddy" program. It is an opportunity for her young students to get to know the "big kids" and at the same time gives the older students a sense of community involvement as they help out in the classroom. The Middle School students read books to the Pre-Prime students and walk them down to the all-school morning meeting each Friday. A poignant moment at the close of each school year is when the Pre-Prime students walk the graduates to their commencement ceremony in what is referred to as "closing the circle."
During her time at Sage, Elizabeth has taught in the Prime and Junior Divisions. In addition to her current role as the Pre-Prime Lead Teacher, she is also the Humanities Department Chair. She is completing her master's degree in Elementary Education at Cambridge College.
Gary Klapman
Junior Division Math/Science Teacher
Gary Klapman brings over 18 years of teaching experience to Sage, having taught middle school math and science in a variety of greater Boston and New York City schools. Having completed his first full year at Sage, Gary feels the comradeship amongst teachers is something truly special here. Soon after starting, Gary felt he fit right in, making his transition to Sage easy. The supportive environment at Sage allows colleagues to talk openly about effective teaching strategies and to constantly strive to improve their curriculum.
He also likes the relationship teachers develop with students at Sage. The respectful nature of Sage students and their eagerness to learn make the classroom a collaborative learning experience. Gary notes that he learns as much from the students as he hopes the students learn from him. He truly enjoys working with the students at Sage.
Gary likes implementing real-life applications into the curriculum. For instance, a major project from last year’s Junior Division math curriculum had students act as a bridge management company, develop a budget, and build a bridge. Another highlight last year from the Junior Division science curriculum was the Science Fair. Gary was impressed with the experiments students designed including extracting DNA from vegetable matter, how heart rate is affected by music, examining different micro-organisms and bacteria, and much more!
Gary had a wonderful first year at Sage last year. He is looking forward to the 2007-2008 school year with much anticipation and excitement.
