The Puzzle: Blog

For the fourth summer in a row, we are thrilled to announce our continued collaboration with The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) as we award a group of remarkable college graduates the opportunity to attend the highly sought-after TABS Summer Session this coming July at Boston University.

Selected from a pool of exceptional CS&A candidates, these aspiring educators hail from various prestigious universities nationwide. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the recipients who will be continuing or starting their boarding school careers at the esteemed institutions of Episcopal High School, Phillips Academy, Milton Academy, and Northfield Mount Hermon.

The TABS Summer Session is a series of five institutes that stand as a pinnacle of integrated professional development, providing participants with a series of engaging workshops facilitated by distinguished leaders in the boarding school community. Grant recipients were granted the privilege of choosing between two specialized offerings tailored to meet the needs of new educators: “NowBoarding,” a captivating exploration of the multifaceted boarding school experience, and “New Teacher Institute,” a program designed to equip new teachers with the latest methodologies while providing an opportunity to present a lesson and receive valuable feedback from seasoned faculty.

These four exceptional individuals embody the very essence of ambition, authenticity, and character that we seek in our grant recipients. As they embark on their transformative journey into the realm of education, we are honored to empower them with this unique professional development opportunity.

Join us in congratulating these extraordinary individuals, who represent the future generation of educators, as we celebrate their achievements and eagerly anticipate the positive impact they will undoubtedly make within their respective schools and communities.

2023 Summer Fellows

Thomas Pratt – Math & Computer Science Teacher
EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL, VA

Thomas is new to teaching and new to the workforce. He graduated from Duke in 2022 with a B.S. in computer science and a minor in creative writing and will be teaching math and computer science at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA next year. He’s currently a private test prep tutor and worked as a teaching assistant for Duke's computer architecture class as an undergrad. He wants to help students understand the fun aspects about math and computer science so that they can have a healthy relationship with the subject, one driven by curiosity, experimentation, and trust in themselves.

Christopher Hughes – Physics Teaching Fellow
PHILLIPS ACADEMY, MA

Chris is a recent graduate of Stanford University, where he earned his B.S. in physics and mathematics and his M.A. in philosophy. While at Stanford, he worked as a Research Assistant in physics and neuroscience labs, and wrote his master’s thesis on the “Sleeping Beauty” problem. Last summer, he worked for Spinlaunch as a Satellite Engineering Intern. Chris has been tutoring since high school, and he received the Gold Presidential Service Award for his volunteer work in Science Education at the Discovery Cube OC. He’s excited to grow as an educator in his new position at Phillips Academy Andover, where he’ll be starting as a Physics Teaching Fellow in the fall. Chris is especially interested in bridging the gaps between disciplines, and he’s eager to bring philosophical questions into the physics classroom.

Christina Wang – English Teacher
MILTON ACADEMY, MA

Christina is an early career English and creative writing teacher. She just wrapped up a teaching fellowship at her alma mater, the Hackley School, in Tarrytown, New York. As a teaching fellow at Hackley, Christina taught English and creative writing, served as a faculty advisor for Hackley's literary magazine, worked in admissions, and helped with the cross country and track teams. In the fall of 2023, Christina will join the Independent School Teaching Residency Program at the University of Pennsylvania, where she will teach at Milton Academy while getting her M.S.Ed . She graduated in 2022 from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, with a B.A. in English and politics, and a minor in educational studies.

Alex Duquette – Chemistry Teaching Fellow
NORTHFIELD MOUNT HERMON, MA

Alex recently graduated from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, with a B.A. in biochemistry and molecular biology. He will be working at Northfield Mount Hermon starting this fall as a University of Pennsylvania Teaching Fellow in Chemistry. As a boarding school graduate himself, he is looking forward to rejoining the independent school community as a teacher, coach, and mentor.

Back to Blog

0 Comments

There are no comments on this blog entry.