In the fall of 1987, Christine Greenwood, an art teacher before moving to Pennsylvania, joined the Shipley community as an assistant librarian. She has been a fixture at the school ever since. 

Cut to 36 years later, and what hasn’t Christine been involved in at Shipley? After her stint as a librarian, she spent over ten years working as a Media Relations Coordinator, photographing events, writing press releases, and coordinating media coverage before returning to her true passion, the art department, in 2006. 

Over the years Christine has taught sixth-grade art, ninth-grade Art Foundations, studio art, photography, sculpture, ceramics, and senior seminars. She’s also taught courses in journalism and layout and design.

Outside of her curricular duties, she’s worked on The Beacon, Shipley’s student newspaper, since 1988, and the Yearbook since 2006. She oversaw the layout of The Compass, Shipley’s literary publication. For her work in this arena, she was given the title of Director of Student Publications. She also spent many years supporting the theater department with costume design, set building, and designing posters and programs. It’s safe to say that Christine has been an integral part of the Shipley community for over three decades. 

"Among the many, many ways in which Christine has served Shipley by sharing her gifts, the one I’ve noticed and appreciated most recently is her continual evolution of interests and skills," said Head of School Michael Turner. "Beyond her work in the art classroom, leading student publications, and on and on, she has mastered felting in recent years. This commitment to continual learning has had an enormous impact on her students at the School."

Christine is incredibly proud of all the students she’s mentored in laying out the Yearbook and The Beacon. “Through the years, I learned and then mentored students in many software programs. Many a student went on to college and worked on their college papers using these programs. That has been one of many rewarding experiences.” She’s also proud of the gold and silver medals The Beacon earned over the years after submitting them for critique by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. 

With a lifetime of teaching comes a lifetime of memories. She’ll remember working alongside Dr. Tony Morinelli painting sets, designing and sewing costumes, and making props. “At all the theater productions, whether I helped with them or photographed them for the School’s archives,” Greenwood said, “I was always awed by the level of talent of our students.” She will always cherish being part of a premiere art department with Chris Wagner and Steve Baris.  

For her dedication to Shipley and its students, Christine earned the Greg Coleman Award for Excellence in 2018. She earned a Colleague Recognition Award in 2004 for starting the Ronald McDonald House meal prep activity with Chris Cerino. “We would grocery shop for 50 and drive a van of students to Ronald McDonald House in the city to prepare and serve meals for the families staying there while their child was in treatment at CHOP. It was probably one of the most gratifying and rewarding activities.”

“I love the feeling of community and the unique classroom relationships that develop between faculty and students. I love inspiring students to succeed and develop their talents in the arts,” said Greenwood. “I am thankful for all the amazing students and colleagues I have had the privilege to meet and work with through the years. I am grateful for the opportunity to grow as a teacher and to share my love of art with so many individuals.”

"While the decision to make this my last year seemed relatively easy at first," said Greenwood, "it actually became a really difficult decision. Shipley has been my home away from home for over three decades. I always loved opportunities to support students, showcase their talents, and tell their stories. I learned so much here, and I hope that what I learned was returned in my commitment to and love for the community. So yes, life after is a bit scary, yet very exciting!"

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Christine Greenwood held various roles at Shipley, spanning a tenure of 36 years, most notably as an art teacher and the advisor of The Beacon and the Yearbook. She will retire at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Roles at Shipley: Christine has worn many hats, including being an Assistant Librarian, Art Teacher, Media Relations Coordinator, Advisor to The Beacon, Yearbook, and The Compass, and supporting the theater department. 

Awards & Honors: Christine earned many outstanding recognitions over her time at Shipley, including the Agnes and Sophie Dallas Irwin Award/Travel Grant in 1998 and 2013, the Colleague Recognition Award in 2004, and the Greg Coleman Award for Excellence in 2018.

Why did she stay so long? “I loved the feeling of community and the unique classroom relationships that developed between faculty and students. I loved inspiring students to succeed and develop their talents in the arts. In A Daring Vision: A History of The Shipley School, I am quoted, ‘My hope and goal for each art student is to discover something about what they are capable of if they are willing to be open to it.’ When a student says, ‘Wow, I did not know I could accomplish this!’ I am most rewarded.”

Gratitude for Shipley:  “I am thankful for all the amazing people (students and faculty) I have met. The opportunity to grow as a teacher and to share my love of art with so many individuals.”

What She’ll Miss: The kids, of course. She will miss “Ah Ha” moments in the classroom. Watching students’ confidence grow assignment by assignment. She will miss having a role in supporting them in their extracurricular efforts, such as stage performances, concerts, sports contests, and service projects. Encouraging them to find their voices.

More Lasting Memories: Christine will always remember breakfast bake sales to raise money for new equipment to support the yearbook and Beacon, which were huge affairs. As the organizer of the first “on-campus” junior/senior football game rivalry - she’ll remember the year Julian Lurie and others donned bushy mustaches (to represent then Eagles coach Andy Reid) to coach the kids while Eagles owner Jeff Lurie stood on the sidelines cheering for the seniors. 

What’s Next? Christine started needle felting sculptures a few years ago and has been teaching classes to those aspiring to learn the craft. In her retirement, she will continue to teach classes in felting both in Pennsylvania and in New Hampshire. She is also looking forward to pursuing other fiber arts like knitting. And most importantly, painting. 

Teaching and raising a family have been priorities for all these years, and Christine is looking forward to having time to wake up without a set agenda and decide if she wants to draw, paint, sew, or knit. She is also hoping to spend more time in New Hampshire (maybe even permanently). It has been years since she was there to see the leaves change. Christine is hoping to do a bit of traveling and is looking forward to not being part of the end-of-summer traffic on the turnpike.