“This is one of our favorite events of the year because we get to celebrate and acknowledge the dedication of our teachers and staff,” Head of School Bodie Brizendine announced as she began her annual Tenure Party remarks, a tradition inaugurated in 2009 to honor those beginning milestone years at Spence: 10, 15, 20, 25 and beyond. “We know no bounds here, just on and on and on,” she added. 

This year, colleagues, trustees, friends and family saluted 17 individuals spanning Spence’s academic and administrative divisions, each recognized with Brizendine’s hallmark tributes. These words, complete with poetic accolades and stories, serve to acknowledge the exceptional contributions the honorees make to the life of the School as well as their dedication to teaching and learning.

2015-2016 Honorees

25 Years
Eileen Barrett, Lower School Physical Education Teacher

20 Years
Maureen DiPaola, Lower School Librarian
Donna Freel, Grade 4 Teacher
Owen Long, Help Desk Manager
Rafael Pinales, Maintenance Technician
Elise Soccoli, College Office Assistant and Registrar

15 Years
Maya Falck, Grade 6 Dean and Science Teacher
Arnold Orellana, Physical Education and Athletics Teacher
Kevon Roberts, Food Service Chef
Sandor Weiner, English Teacher

10 Years
Sarah Barile, Assistant to Head of Middle School
Beth Handelsman, Assistant Head of Lower School for Programs
Keisha Jurawan, Assistant to Head of Upper School
Lauren Magarelli, Middle School Dance Teacher
Elisa Murphy, Head of Science Department and Science Teacher
Kinjal Mankad Nicholls, Grade 2 Head Teacher
Cathy Pradié-Connick, Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

Excerpts from Head of School Bodie Brizendine’s Tributes

Honoring 10 Years
SARAH BARILE, Assistant to Head of Middle School
In perfect partnership with [Head of Middle School] Karen Sullivan, Sarah Barile can manage the trellised complexity of Middle School life as if she were just walking down the local grocery store aisles casually picking something up for dinner. Part traffic cop, part counselor, event planner and interior designer, Sarah has about her that calm and purpose, which makes us scratch our heads in wonder.

BETH HANDELSMAN, Assistant Head of Lower School for Programs
Even if she comes to work with a spot of flour on her cheek and a still-warm loaf of bread to share, make no mistake about it: most of what Beth Handelsman bakes does not come out of her oven, but rather out of her full heart and soul as an amazing educator who finds joy, humor and opportunity every day she shares with us. With a sharp wit and a hearty and wonderfully recognizable laugh, Beth reminds us all that what we do, day in and day out, has less to do with the lesson in hand and everything to do with the child in front of you.

KEISHA JURAWAN, Assistant to Head of Upper School
With grace and exquisite decorum and composure...[Keisha Jurawan] is the hub of the Upper School world, and her whole being makes that center, safe, secure and healthy. She strives never to make herself the focus of anything, and her generosity of spirit is her constant and predictable trademark. She matches various needs with resources and guides anyone to the right place at the right time. She knows every child’s name, their schedule and how they are getting home today, tomorrow and the next day. Keisha is a model for us all in securing that wonderful blend of strong professionalism and personal warmth.

LAUREN MAGARELLI, Middle School Dance Teacher
With a certain pre-Raphaelite charm about her, Lauren Magarelli commands her very young charges with few words, but with lots of nearly invisible direction of subtle movement. It’s almost as if she were not even in the room as she jockeys girls of all sizes and in all stages of grace not only into position, but into one, whole company of dancers: no small thing, that!  

ELISA MURPHY, Head of Science Department and Science Teacher
Moored in the highly purposeful, Elisa Murphy is still a dreamer. She dreams about lots of things but, here, at Spence for 10 years we have seen her dream mostly about possibilities and opportunities for rich and demanding student learning. She challenges and creates; she challenges and creates…and her students love and adore her for it. She holds each of her students to her highest, personal accounting all while she, herself, models hard work, care, joy and stellar effectiveness. To her, learning is a personal responsibility and teaching is a gift.

KINJAL MANKAD NICHOLLS, Grade 2 Head Teacher
With a tilt of her head and with a can-do attitude, Kinjal Mankad Nicholls always sees both the possibility and the humor in this busy human traffic we call school. And as easily as she can make us laugh, she can also make us see something we have missed, notice something important about life, about learning and about the child. With absolutely nothing abstract about her, Kinjal moves us all forward with high purpose, warmth and determined assurance.

CATHY PRADIE-CONNICK, Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
Cathy Pradié-Connick is one of the great translators upon whom we absolutely depend for the lifeblood of our school: new students. Thoughtful, cool under pressure and ever vigilant for finding the best match between school and future student, Cathy builds both trust and belief on both sides of the admission process. She’s there on the front line, fully engaged and ready to make a difference to a multitude of families who only know us by name. And she moves through her work with exquisite care, exacting follow up, remarkable listening skills.

Honoring 15 Years
MAYA FALCK, Grade 6 Dean and Science Teacher
Maya Falck loves the riddles of the world all while being a little riddle of her own. What lives behind that smile she gently bestows on us in the elevator? How does she so easily connect the very young adolescent with the wonderments in the natural world while living and teaching in one the largest urban settings in the world? And how does she make that rooftop basil grown better than any in our country gardens? Maya teaches us about the dangers of unseeing and gently turns us all to the responsibility we share as both teachers and humans in understanding our world.

ARNOLD ORELLANA, Physical Education and Athletics Teacher
Believing fully in the power of the positive, Arnold Orellana booms with intentionality and expectation. For him, wanting it is more than halfway to achieving it. Full-throated and full-hearted, Arnold loves this school and every student in it. And he lets us know this every day and every hour he’s here. If there were two verbs that capture Arnold, they would have to be: believe and achieve. With absolute integrity and with leading by example, this man just doesn’t recognize the word “no” or “can’t” and we’re all the better for it.

KEVON ROBERTS, Food Service Chef
We enjoy and indulge in the creative force of Kevon Roberts every day when we saddle up to lunch expecting year after year the best and…getting it. A highly creative chef, Kevon gives us the best of culinary inventions, never shying away from both quality and imagination. With a mosaic of different options he delights us as he feeds us. Deeply dedicated, Kevon loves to learn about his craft, and while he studies, we benefit, which is, of course, exactly what he wants.

SANDOR WEINER, English Teacher 
Master of both the understatement and the daring, Sandor Weiner is a little bit like a big grab-bag or a fishing trip: you just never know what you will pull out or up, but you always want to be there to pull. There’s something magnetic about Sandor, and what makes the attraction even stronger is that Sandor never cultivates the draw himself. Rather, students flock to him because he invites them into literature and art through their own writing, imagination and potential. Loving disequilibrium and fearless about the unexplored, he offers a way into the unexpressed that is part challenge and all magic. He’s not afraid to be thrown off course: in fact, Sandor actively looks for the detour signs. And then…he takes that bumpy, unknown road.

Honoring 20 Years
MAUREEN DIPAOLA, Lower School Librarian
Maureen DiPaola lives in the world of imagination and play, in the world of magical possibility, in the world of reading and of books. Her whole being beckons young students into this with the promise of kind companionship. She’s their guide, their mentor, their partner. Fondly called “Ms. Read-a-Book,” Maureen, by her presence and the atmosphere she creates, opens doors into worlds unknown and into different lives and perspectives.

DONNA FREEL, Grade 4 Teacher
Donna Freel has a deep and abiding commitment to teaching. She’s just plain passionate about it and it shows in all that she does. Her mastery is unmistakable, and her ability to create a learning environment of the highest order is truly extraordinary. Just stepping across the threshold of her classroom lets you understand that this room is alive with learning, with purposeful dedication that bridges idea with comprehension and hard work with success. With an understated authority, Donna navigates her room and her charges with warmth, affection and high expectation. A master teacher of the highest order.

OWEN LONG, Help Desk Manager
Owen Long is both artist and helpmate to the school. His photography has long captured the spirit of Spence, and he uses his lens to get the life of our school just right: the right shot, the right moment, the right capturing. At the Help Desk, he brokers need with resources, and he likes nothing better than to make a difference in our lives as teachers and administrators.  As with all good photographers his comfortable stance is in the background, never in the foreground.

RAFAEL PINALES, Maintenance Technician
For 20 years Rafael Pinales has blessed us with his extraordinary and uncommon generosity. Every day he reminds us through his own way of being what it means to be fully human and to have a keen sense of pride in your work. He’s always there for us all, and his tenderness and willingness to do just about anything for us are beyond compare. Ever-present, ever-ready to help. He’s one of the heavy-lifters in our community, who moves through our halls without complaint and with a sense of the can-do and abiding grace.

ELISE SOCCOLI, College Office Assistant and Registrar
The epitome of humility, Elise Soccoli makes her industry almost invisible to us all. There’s a modesty around her that can disguise her remarkable skill set and incredible agency, and there are about a thousand things she could do well at this school, some of which she already has done: Business Office, College Counseling, Registrar...and who knows what else! When Elise is in charge, things just get done. Her execution is remarkable, and her follow up flawless. Best yet, however, is her unshakable professionalism and great balance in life. 

Honoring 25 Years
EILEEN BARRETT, Lower School Physical Education Teacher
With a wider sense of what really matters in life along with a healthy amount of mischief thrown in for good measure, Eileen Barrett is a firm believer in the community of our school and every member within it, both students and colleagues. With a certain spark and lively sense of humor, Eileen loves teaching and learning and always leads by example. A lifelong learner herself, she takes on the new with a keen sense of challenge and even joy. A superb teacher, she remembers every single girl she’s taught over these very full 25 years. And in her classroom and in the hallways, she offers, without an iota of pretention, a belief in the possible for every student.