Celebration of Dedication: Tenure Party 2017

Colleagues, trustees, friends and family saluted 25 individuals spanning Spence’s academic and administrative divisions this September. Head of School Bodie Brizendine shared tributes to celebrate the exceptional contributions the honorees make to the life of the School, as well as their dedication to teaching and learning.

We invite you learn more about our stellar faculty and staff celebrating milestone years of service at Spence through the Head of School's accolades.

Excerpts from Head of School Bodie Brizendine’s Tributes

Honoring 10 Years

Danielle Pierce-Master, Lower School Dance Teacher

(Pierce-Master started her 10th year last fall but was unable to attend the Tenure Party due to maternity leave, so she was honored this September.)

When Danielle comes into a room or into the theater or down the hall, adults all around start to stand up straighter. With the poise, command and beautiful stance of the professional dancer, Danielle in perfect balance blends challenge and accessibility for every young dancer in every performance. Never stopping these budding artists from self-expression, she nevertheless gets them all going in the same direction, in rhythm and in full majesty. And then…they are proud, as well they should be. I love watching her on the sidelines of every performance, arms folded across her chest, blinking, slowly nodding and signaling to each young dancer a message of success and pure belief.

Margaret Atkinson, Middle School Visual Arts Teacher

Meg Atkinson is an amazing artist and a consummate teacher. She inspires rather than requires, sparks imagination rather than prescription and delights in the unknown rather than relishing in the expected. Always on the quest for meaningful engagement, Meg reaches out to all ages, her students and her colleagues alike. She wants to know who you are, and she wants to connect. She lives for harmonies: visual, human and worldview. And kindness surrounds her like a well-worn scarf. A consummate reader, Meg seizes learning from the everyday in this world, and for her there is no greater promise than a room full of middle-schoolers waiting to create, waiting for Meg to inspire them.

Doug Brophy, Academic Dean and History Teacher

When you call extension #259 and he’s not there, you will hear… “You have reached Doug Brophy, Academic Dean of The Spence School.” But what you understand is this: You have reached Doug Brophy, keeper of the mission, Dean of connection and steward of the humane. You have reached champion of community, weaver of our collective work with children, promoter of passion, purpose and perspective. You have reached Doug Brophy, an intellect who quietly wears an invisible T-shirt with the word “love” on it, a man who blends experience with meaning, a man who thinks of challenge as opportunity and of passion as compassion. You have reached Doug Brophy…and thank goodness you have.

Cynthia Ho-Donaldson, Chinese Teacher

There is earnestness about Cynthia Ho-Donaldson that you just can’t miss. Her efforts all point to the creation, implementation and care-taking of the best possible Mandarin program ever. Tender, openhearted and optimistic, Cynthia’s every expression is one of promise and potential. Forever moving ahead, she is that proverbial ball of energy. Nothing demonstrates this better than watching Cynthia, smiling behind the scenes as 30+ Middle School girls do a dragon dance with the dragon’s head not always fully coordinated with its tail. She’s the one smiling, nodding and often laughing.

Corey Lind, MEP Specialist

A veteran, a lover of theater and our own god of the winds, Corey keeps us warm and cool, day in and day out. Also our god of travel, Corey, keeps us going up and down in both buildings and makes sure that the buttons we push get us to where we are going. Calm, cool and unflappable, he does all this with the challenge of sensitive equipment that doesn’t always know that Grandparents Day is tomorrow. I can only imagine what it must be like to wait for parts from Germany, while we impatiently share one elevator or walk the stairs waiting for Corey, our god of winds, our god of travel.

Danielle Passno, Director of Outreach and Public Purpose and Math Teacher

Danielle Passno is a woman who takes the full measure of both parts of the word “human being:” her commitment toward good in humanity is tireless…the moniker “human” is both a gift and a responsibility to her. A wonderful teacher who always leaves room for her students in their own learning, Danielle is a mentor teacher of generosity and skill. Danielle and I share a fondness for the writer Marilyn Robinson, who believes in grace as a sort of calling, a summons toward an ethical life. Luckily for all of us, Danielle answers that call for grace through her teaching and through her everyday walk in this beautiful world of ours.

Taraneh Rohani, Associate Director of Advancement for Communications

Our institutional voice, our institutional message, our web weaver, Taraneh Rohani is the dedicated custodian of our mission. Taking all of our voices and creating both narrative and image from this collection takes all of the patience, all the imagination, all the artistry that fills this small but mighty woman who seems to be everywhere all at the same time. She’s always on call, and she’s never too good for any task. And there’s a whimsy about Taraneh, even a certain twinkle of mischief, that can bring to life the full joy and humanity of what it means to be the message-giver for 750 girls led by 220 incredible faculty and staff.

Melissa Sanchez, Coordinator of Admissions and Financial Aid

Melissa embraces her job as ambassador extraordinaire with professionalism, grace and incredible skill. I’ve seen her make every visitor to our School—alum, current parent or someone who has never stepped foot in an independent school—feel both welcome and full membership, immediately. And she does so with ease, authenticity and great warmth. She dials down anxiety and amplifies welcome; she plans ahead and executes with skill and confidence. And there is not a person in the School whom she doesn’t greet personally and with warm recognition. Armed with a keen sense of humor and with the cool assurance that sometimes our crises are really just hangnails, Melissa keeps us all steady.

Amy Upham, Second Act Assistant

There’s an entire school that takes place after we close shop at 3:30. Breathing alongside of athletics, Second Act and Third Act starts the day when we finish, stays late, sees the School grow dark. Amy has been instrumental in making sure that that program matches mission and that learning leads the work. She’s reliable, dependable and ever-positive. Patient, caring, Amy is a veritable lifesaver for many of our working families, and they love her for it. Her warmth, care and love of School are her ever-constant trademarks. A mother, a teacher and an administrator of creative force, Amy thrives in the world of little learners, and we’re so happy she does.

Honoring 15 Years

Jackie Blandon-Zinser, Assistant to the Head of School

Jackie Blandon-Zinser is a cherished member of our community, and no one knows that better than I do. With Jackie, help comes unbidden and grace and can-do spirit surround her like an aura. She never asks for acknowledgement, although we should all, in true Game of Thrones fashion, “bend the knee” for her. When folks come to my office, I often introduce Jackie as the true leader of this School, but she may not realize that I kind of really mean it. She has the warmth, smarts and optimism to manage and lead with the best of us. With Jackie by my side and yours, I feel we are always rowing in the right direction—true north.

Blas Frias, Senior Campus Safety Officer

Blas’s commanding and comforting stance matches his potential for goodness, kindness and care. He is our anchor, our lifeline, our watcher-overer, our talisman and our friend. We all feel incredibly safe under his large wingspan, underneath of which there is room for us all: students, faculty, staff and parents all at the same time. Blas works diligently, calmly and with faithful attention to make us all safe. I love his majestic sense of professionalism and his unwavering constitution; we count on him, on the measure of his daily smile and on the remarkable quality of his good work. He is the epitome of dignity, the embodiment of care and the living example of commitment.

Juan Pinales, Maintenance Technician

Responsible for the many set-ups for our 93rd Street life, Juan Pinales realizes how precious family and good work are for an honorable life well-led. He emanates care, dedication and trustworthiness in everything he does, and the pride he takes in a job well-done is a model for us all. He is there for the knock on the door, ready to help…and believe me, there are a thousand knocks. But, absolutely, the most important thing for Juan is family, family, family. And well, ok, so he loves the Red Sox… we will all forgive him this because of his deep love for School and the care with which he serves it.

Rafael Vasquez, Senior Campus Safety Officer

What a positive force, what a wonderful first-face-you-see at our doors. Without hesitation, without judgment, without missing a beat, Ralphy greets us all: those who spend our waking hours in the building and those opening those doors for the first time. He is a valued member of our outstanding security team and loves learning more about safety and schools as he pursues ongoing professional development. If not riding his motorcycle with his riding club, he can usually be found with his beautiful family. And happily, we’ll see more of that very family as we welcome his daughter into this year’s Kindergarten class. The benefits of having Ralphy in our community just continue to grow and grow.

Sotero Zapata, Maintenance Technician

Our champion of the afternoon shift, Sotero handles the high volume of room set-ups and support during the off hours. He keeps our rooms, gyms and hallways ready for the train of traffic we engender every day! A principled and soft-spoken gentleman, Sotero relishes regaling his colleagues with stories of his family from the Dominican Republic, and he loves the Yankees and dominos all in that order. Part of the Zapata legacy and cousin of Eligio, he shares the strong values of work-ethic and community that herald this wonderful family. We often don’t get to see Sotero at work, but we absolutely know when he’s been there. His work and dedication mark his every move.

Honoring 20 Years

Traci Allen, Physical Education and Athletics Teacher

Poet Natasha Trethewey has a line that reminds me of Traci Allen. She writes, “Tomorrow. The bowl I have yet to fill.” Traci, with joy and a whole lot of determination, moves onward toward “tomorrow.” Teacher, trainer and friend, Traci adds her signature mix of spark, alacrity and quiet strength to everything she does, both in and out of the classroom. She loves to ask good questions, she tries hard to see the whole picture, and she is the clear-eyed champion of curriculum and skillful teaching of physical education. For Traci, teaching is not only a good calling but a personal honor…one to be met every day with good strategy and a fine heart.

Stephen Bailey, English Teacher

Stephen Bailey is one of those special people in our world who doesn’t look away. With a deep intellectual and personal commitment to teaching, he leads with both his heart and his understanding of our shared human condition. His high expectations and incredible rapport with students have countless of them coming his way, year after year. His literary expertise is exceptional, and his passion for writing allows every student to believe in her own voice. You can hear his laugh from a mile away, you can catch his commitment in the intensity of his eyes and you can feel his generosity of spirit and warmth in his large and heartfelt embrace, both literal and metaphoric.

Susan Mislove, Lower School Music Teacher

Susan sings life into just about everything she does, and she sings all the time. Sometimes operatic and always joyful, her generative force is happily and strategically contagious. In fact, my favorite vantage point for Susan is watching her from the back, while she stands in front of a bunch of 6-year olds, cueing them up. I can never see what she is mouthing to them. I can’t see if her eyebrows lift or if her eyes both electrify and invite. But I can see those girls, smiling, even bouncing in anticipation. I can see them ready to go. I can see them on the verge of song, joy and light with Susan leading them on.

Honoring 25 Years

Alissa Blumberg, Lower School Computer Teacher and Instrumental Music Coordinator

Alissa Blumberg has long made part time look beyond full time. I’ve already called her a “Jill of all trades,” and that is very true: she’s everywhere, doing and learning many things. When Alissa helps us at playgroups, during which we talk to prospective parents, she humbly and humorously tells the story about coming to Spence because, “it was the only job I got.” But I think the real story here is that whoever was doing the hiring then knew a very, very good thing when it came our way, securing someone dedicated and strong, someone devoted and lasting, someone who would stand strong as an exceptional citizen of the School.

Lowell Chapnick, Science Teacher

Shunning all personal attention, Lowell works and lives for the collective in a community. He’s thoroughly democratic, knowing that many pieces make the whole and that every piece is of equal importance. And this belief spills beautifully into his teaching. Lowell believes in the promise in each child and expects, in equal measure, the success and the hard work from every one of his students. With loving scrutiny and a demanding conscience, Lowell always strives to be the best teacher he can be in the best culture of learning possible. His standards are extremely high, and his work ethic unquestionable. Noble, caring and full of curiosity, Lowell loves teaching and loves being in equal share.

Jimmy Rodriguez, Maintenance Supervisor

Jimmy Rodriguez brings to our world a kind of thumping love and the belief that we are all neighbors no matter who we are. Full of humor, Jimmy dances, whistles and weaves his way in and out of our classrooms, our hallways with the next solution for our problem, or the next delivery for our needs. Sometimes we can hear Jimmy coming down a hallway before he gets to us, and we’re already smiling when he arrives. Sometimes schools have mainstays, folks who have had lasting impact on our lives and on our community, folks who remind us this is a good place and all’s right with the world. Jimmy Rodriquez is one of those souls.

Eligio Zapata, Lead Maintenance Technician

With an infectious laugh and with ever-present warmth, Eligio exudes inclusion, affection and pure welcome. Literally and figuratively he makes sure all the lights are on and that all the many needs of our 93rd Street building are met. He signals that wonderful combination of professionalism and kindness, that meld of sensibility and sensitivities, that amalgam of empathy and outreach. His colleagues comment on his deep and broad knowledge of building trades, and they can turn to him for anything. Part of that wonderful Zapata family, Eligio is devoted to his family, extended and immediate, and clearly, he brings that sense of what life can be into our own daily world.

Honoring 30 Years

Hope Chafiian, Technology Integrator and Computer Science Teacher

Her name is a homonym, a fitting moniker. With hope and kindness behind her, Hope walks through our world with a certain sense of peace and generosity. A team player, she likes nothing better than collaboration and partnership. Having done many different things at Spence from administration to strategic development, Hope has always taught, believing fully not only in our community, but in every individual in its fold. She avoids any attention drawn to herself, and instead she levels both focus and energy on the student. She is a constant learner, herself, and loves creating opportunity for her students through resource and access. She deeply cares about her family, her school and everyone within it.

Donna Checkan, Physical Education and Athletics Teacher

There’s not a single alum event to which Donna Checkan doesn’t come. There’s not an evening lecture, a workshop or a Back to School Night for parents where she isn’t there supporting the School and the many people who make us hum. Donna cares deeply about every student she has ever taught or known, and every effort she makes has the well-being of our School behind it. Part of our vibrant and longstanding PE Department, Donna has a long legacy of lending support to our School, and she is famous for marshalling all resources in her power to do right. Donna stands strong in what it means to be part of an ever-evolving and ever-growing school.

Honoring 40 Years

Christopher York, Information Systems Manager

Christopher York has literally built the fort from which we all communicate with data, resources, schedules, histories…with each other. And that’s not all. Along the way he has built a culture of collaboration of spirit, while loving exploring boundaries and growing perspective. A marvelous teacher, he is a man of questions and possibilities. I still hear alums marvel about his classes, and although the content of technology has morphed into many different shapes, Christopher’s call to teaching for the multitude of students and the many adults in his world has been unwavering. He truly is the epitome of deep dedication and even deeper love. He might not tell you that, but he shows it. He might not talk about it, but he lives it. And I will forever know him as wise counsel, fellow teacher…and a good, good friend.

Honoring 55 Years

Catherine Luening, Director of Instrumental Music Staff, Piano Teacher

This is a moment when, collectively, we can do something that is rarely afforded to us: celebrate a stellar teacher and musician for 55 years of amazing service. Catherine Luening, a woman of substance, of long commitment and deep passion, is the creator of our instrumental classical music program and is our own “Steel Magnolia” in its nurturing and progression. She will never leave my office without saying “thank you,” with a personal salute of appreciation for all the School affords her. She is our energizer bunny, never stopping and always going forward. When we see Catherine every day, we see what it means to devote a lifetime to teaching and to a community; we see, from our own motto, “learning for school and for life,” alive and well and making its impact though her determination, through her dedication, through her love of Spence.

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