CSW Announces 2021-22 Parkhill Grantees
CSW is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers. Given that the pandemic prevented the awarding of a grant in 2021, we are excited to share that there are three grantees this year. They are: History Department Chair Anjali Bhatia; Dance Teacher Jeryl Pilapil; and Visual Arts Teacher Anne Rearick.
Established in 2017 by Rebecca Parkhill ’85, P'17 and Robert Willett P'17 (parents of Oliver Willett ’17), the Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers was created to honor former faculty member and assistant head of school Alorie Parkhill. Grants from the fund may be used for travel, study, and any form of learning and exposure that follows the recipients’ scholarly interests, with a goal of allowing recipients to grow in their knowledge and background in disciplines and subject areas that excite and engage them, before bringing their learning back to students and colleagues at CSW.
Over the summer, Anjali Bhatia will study the cultures and histories of East and Southeast Asia, with the goal of expanding the diversity of courses offered by CSW’s history department. In her proposal, Anjai shared two specific goals: to establish and explore a specific theme relevant to one or more countries or regions of East and South-East Asia; and to engage in a comparative study of South/East Asia and Western civilizations. To do this work, she will travel to Leiden (The Netherlands) and Heidelberg (Germany) to conduct research at libraries and institutions known to be “the foremost repositories of East Asian and South-East Asian literature outside of the regions themselves.”
Jeryl Pilapil will travel to the UK to deepen her knowledge of the benefits and relevance of contemporary Hip Hop dance, specifically as it has transitioned overseas from America. During her travels she will engage with mentor Julia Cheng, a Chinese dancer/choreographer and director of the London-based dance company, House of Absolute. In addition to studying with Julia, Jeryl plans to immerse herself in the commercial and street dance culture of London, and attend Jasmin Vardimom’s world-renowned “JVIntensive” workshop in Ashford, Kent.
Anne Rearick wll travel to Chile to study to “explore Chilean cinema, both narrative and documentary, with a special focus on the films of the Nuevo Cine movement that began in the 1960s and continued through the Pinochet regime by exiled filmmakers like Sergio Larrain, Miguel Littin, and Patricio Guzmann.” Upon her return to CSW, Anne hopes to take what she has learned to offer an “Exploring World Cinema” course, in addition to a “Documentary Filmmaking” class.
Congratulations to all of this year’s grantees. We look forward to hearing all about your travels next fall.
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.