CSW Announces 2023 Parkhill Grantees
CSW is pleased to announce that visual arts teacher Tom Evans and science teacher Liz Nee have been awarded 2023 grants from the Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers.
The Fund, established by Rebecca Parkhill ‘85, P’17 and Robert Willett P’17, was created in honor of longtime teacher and administrator Alorie Parkhill P’85, ‘87, GP’17. Grants from the fund may be used for travel, study, and any form of learning and exposure that can then be shared with students and colleagues at CSW.
Tom Evans has played many roles during his 35 years at CSW, including Art Teacher, Dean of Faculty, and Faculty Representative on the Board of Trustees. He plans to travel to the Southwest United States to learn about the 2000 year history of puebloan pottery—from its complex past to the indigenous artists working today. Back at CSW, he will create a new course known as “Ceramic Narrative Sculpture,” which will begin with a basic introduction to the history and techniques of pueblo pottery from 100 BC to the present. He adds that the course will explore the difference between the delights of appreciating the artwork of another culture and the unacceptability of appropriating a culture’s imagery for one’s own. The colonization, oppression, and attempted genocide of indigenous people, he says, would not be ignored.
“Alorie was a friend and mentor with whom I worked on many projects. I like the idea of continuing my personal and professional growth under her name.”
Since joining CSW in 1999, Liz Nee has taught math and science classes, as well as a number of interdisciplinary courses. She facilitates the Affinity Group for Mixed Heritage, participates in a number of other Affinity Groups, and served as residential faculty for 11 years. She will use her grant to explore the way water shapes our stories across the global landscape through an interdisciplinary lens, specifically highlighting the stories of joy and resilience within marginalized communities affected by issues relating to water.
“This grant will allow me to explore critical ethics issues as they relate to water access, and to explore viewpoints from outside the dominant power structure. I have previously addressed these types of interdisciplinary ethical issues in science classes as we studied issues of informed consent, environmental racism, and gaps in access to healthcare.”
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.