They Enriched Our Lives
This morning, 126 seniors crossed the stage along North Mooreland Road and received their diplomas before a host of beaming, cheering, incredibly proud family members and friends.
It was their day, their rite of passage, as they move on to challenges, opportunities, and adventures 18 years in the making.
The moment was also transcendent and emotional for five of our dedicated colleagues who taught the subject matter but, more important, conveyed life lessons to the young men and women entrusted to their care
Two of them – John Chewning ’68 and Ben Greenbaum ’65 – returned to their alma mater years ago to repay the gifts bestowed upon them when they walked the halls and graced the athletic fields.
The other three – Nancy Reed, Diane Shoemake, and Jean Berkeley – joined the Collegiate Family as adults and quickly became part of the fabric of the school.
The five represent 136 years of service.
They enriched our lives.
We will miss their daily presence.
It was their day, their rite of passage, as they move on to challenges, opportunities, and adventures 18 years in the making.
The moment was also transcendent and emotional for five of our dedicated colleagues who taught the subject matter but, more important, conveyed life lessons to the young men and women entrusted to their care
Two of them – John Chewning ’68 and Ben Greenbaum ’65 – returned to their alma mater years ago to repay the gifts bestowed upon them when they walked the halls and graced the athletic fields.
The other three – Nancy Reed, Diane Shoemake, and Jean Berkeley – joined the Collegiate Family as adults and quickly became part of the fabric of the school.
The five represent 136 years of service.
They enriched our lives.
We will miss their daily presence.
Recently, they shared reflections about their time with us.
Like her fellow retirees, Jean Berkeley joined the Middle School faculty with an eye not on the distant future but on the moment.
“But after not too many days,” she recalled, “I realized that this was a wonderful place, a second home.
“People always reached out when there was a need, whether it was a good need or a bad need. That felt great.”
Jean loved the moments when a plugging math student exclaimed, “I see! I get it! I understand!”
She also found joy in the extra-curricular opportunities that coaching Cub sports and chaperoning trips abroad allowed her.
“It’s such a wonderful experience to meet people in a different setting,” she said. “There’s a special tie. You care not just about the academic development but the total development of that child as a person as they go out into the larger community.
“It’s been so rewarding. I’ve certain enjoyed all my time here and will have to come back to get my little dose of Cougar magic.”
John Chewning and his wife Blair, a 4th grade teacher in our Lower School, returned home at the behest of Malcolm U. Pitt Jr., the venerable head of Collegiate.
While he maintained his broker’s license and at times considered joining his father in the real estate business, the allure of his calling was just too great.
Even as he faced health issues which forced him to relinquish his coaching and administrative duties and scale back to part-time in the Upper School math department, he droved to Collegiate each morning, stopping often at the 7-11 just down from Bernie’s to grab a cup of coffee before brightening the day of an admiring legion of students and colleagues.
“Collegiate simply took over,” Chewning said. “I couldn’t help myself. I kept coming back. It was awesome. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
“What a great school!”
Ben Greenbaum has an eclectic array of outside interests – music, antiques, archaeology, and Civil War history among them – and arrived on the scene as a science teacher without a clear view of which path he would ultimately follow.
One year led to another, his sons Josh and Noah enrolled at Collegiate, and Ben became involved in their activities, a labor of love despite the incredible demands on his time and energy.
“I’d considered going back to medical school and/or doing doctoral work in archaeology,” he said, “but gradually, Collegiate became a way of life.
“I’ve really enjoyed my stay. I don’t look at it as a job completed or well done. I just look at it as moving on to something new, different, and challenging.”
Which will be?
“Buying, selling, marketing antique furniture, artwork, military, primary Civil War, memorabilia,” he said. “I’ll be working with Bill Irvin, a friend I’ve known for 30 years. He’s an appraiser for Motley’s Auction Co. and lives about five minutes from my house in Petersburg.
“The company is Perry Adams Antiques. We’ll have a significant presence online, Facebook, Twitter, all of the above.”
Nancy Reed’s career as a computer teacher evolved, as she so aptly states, “somewhat in a parallel path to the evolution of the technology.”
“I had the feeling that technology would be a good ride," she added, "but I had to ride it to see how it would turn out.”
The possibilities for personal and professional growth fascinated her, and she never stopped learning.
“What kept me interested was that it (the technology) was always changing,” she said. “You keep up by communicating with other people, going to conferences, visiting other schools, and getting on that computer and figuring out what you can figure out.
“I love the part with the students where everybody knows something different. You have a teacher saying to a student, ‘That’s cool. How’d you do that?’ as well as the student saying, ‘Could you help me?’”
Nancy will hardly retire to a rocking chair.
“I barely had time to work as it was,” she said. “I’ll continue with my non-profit boards. I’ll continue with a great deal of music. (She sings with the Richmond Concert Chorale and the choir at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church).
“And I’m going to ride my horse.”
And go to the Olympics in London this summer?
“Of course,” she said. “I’m going to support Nina (Ligon, Collegiate class of 2010 who will represent Thailand in the eventing competition).
“To be on an insider track with someone you’ve known for her lifetime is wonderful.”
Diane Shoemake was an 11th hour replacement for a 4th grade teacher who resigned just before Labor Day.
After discussing the possibility of coming on board with her close friend Dellanna O’Brien, the LS head, she joined the Collegiate Family for what she thought would be a short gig.
“On that Saturday when I interviewed, I realized that we had not talked about any of the benefits whatsoever,” Diane recalled. “Later, I realized that they would actually pay me to do this wonderful, fun thing. That’s how it began."
So what kept her coming back for more?
“The children,” she replied without hesitation. “The joy. The a-ha. The energy the children have given me over the years.”
What will she miss most?
“Oh, the children,” she said, again without hesitation. “But I’ll have other ways to learn and grow other than the daily learning and growing with children…and I’ll find another way to see the joy in the eyes of children.”
How cool has it been to sit at graduation and see young adults, eight years removed from her classroom, accepting their diplomas?
“There’re no words,” she said, “except joy.”
-- Weldon Bradshaw
Back
Like her fellow retirees, Jean Berkeley joined the Middle School faculty with an eye not on the distant future but on the moment.
“But after not too many days,” she recalled, “I realized that this was a wonderful place, a second home.
“People always reached out when there was a need, whether it was a good need or a bad need. That felt great.”
Jean loved the moments when a plugging math student exclaimed, “I see! I get it! I understand!”
She also found joy in the extra-curricular opportunities that coaching Cub sports and chaperoning trips abroad allowed her.
“It’s such a wonderful experience to meet people in a different setting,” she said. “There’s a special tie. You care not just about the academic development but the total development of that child as a person as they go out into the larger community.
“It’s been so rewarding. I’ve certain enjoyed all my time here and will have to come back to get my little dose of Cougar magic.”
John Chewning and his wife Blair, a 4th grade teacher in our Lower School, returned home at the behest of Malcolm U. Pitt Jr., the venerable head of Collegiate.
While he maintained his broker’s license and at times considered joining his father in the real estate business, the allure of his calling was just too great.
Even as he faced health issues which forced him to relinquish his coaching and administrative duties and scale back to part-time in the Upper School math department, he droved to Collegiate each morning, stopping often at the 7-11 just down from Bernie’s to grab a cup of coffee before brightening the day of an admiring legion of students and colleagues.
“Collegiate simply took over,” Chewning said. “I couldn’t help myself. I kept coming back. It was awesome. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
“What a great school!”
Ben Greenbaum has an eclectic array of outside interests – music, antiques, archaeology, and Civil War history among them – and arrived on the scene as a science teacher without a clear view of which path he would ultimately follow.
One year led to another, his sons Josh and Noah enrolled at Collegiate, and Ben became involved in their activities, a labor of love despite the incredible demands on his time and energy.
“I’d considered going back to medical school and/or doing doctoral work in archaeology,” he said, “but gradually, Collegiate became a way of life.
“I’ve really enjoyed my stay. I don’t look at it as a job completed or well done. I just look at it as moving on to something new, different, and challenging.”
Which will be?
“Buying, selling, marketing antique furniture, artwork, military, primary Civil War, memorabilia,” he said. “I’ll be working with Bill Irvin, a friend I’ve known for 30 years. He’s an appraiser for Motley’s Auction Co. and lives about five minutes from my house in Petersburg.
“The company is Perry Adams Antiques. We’ll have a significant presence online, Facebook, Twitter, all of the above.”
Nancy Reed’s career as a computer teacher evolved, as she so aptly states, “somewhat in a parallel path to the evolution of the technology.”
“I had the feeling that technology would be a good ride," she added, "but I had to ride it to see how it would turn out.”
The possibilities for personal and professional growth fascinated her, and she never stopped learning.
“What kept me interested was that it (the technology) was always changing,” she said. “You keep up by communicating with other people, going to conferences, visiting other schools, and getting on that computer and figuring out what you can figure out.
“I love the part with the students where everybody knows something different. You have a teacher saying to a student, ‘That’s cool. How’d you do that?’ as well as the student saying, ‘Could you help me?’”
Nancy will hardly retire to a rocking chair.
“I barely had time to work as it was,” she said. “I’ll continue with my non-profit boards. I’ll continue with a great deal of music. (She sings with the Richmond Concert Chorale and the choir at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church).
“And I’m going to ride my horse.”
And go to the Olympics in London this summer?
“Of course,” she said. “I’m going to support Nina (Ligon, Collegiate class of 2010 who will represent Thailand in the eventing competition).
“To be on an insider track with someone you’ve known for her lifetime is wonderful.”
Diane Shoemake was an 11th hour replacement for a 4th grade teacher who resigned just before Labor Day.
After discussing the possibility of coming on board with her close friend Dellanna O’Brien, the LS head, she joined the Collegiate Family for what she thought would be a short gig.
“On that Saturday when I interviewed, I realized that we had not talked about any of the benefits whatsoever,” Diane recalled. “Later, I realized that they would actually pay me to do this wonderful, fun thing. That’s how it began."
So what kept her coming back for more?
“The children,” she replied without hesitation. “The joy. The a-ha. The energy the children have given me over the years.”
What will she miss most?
“Oh, the children,” she said, again without hesitation. “But I’ll have other ways to learn and grow other than the daily learning and growing with children…and I’ll find another way to see the joy in the eyes of children.”
How cool has it been to sit at graduation and see young adults, eight years removed from her classroom, accepting their diplomas?
“There’re no words,” she said, “except joy.”
-- Weldon Bradshaw
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