What happens when you combine passion, professional learning, and appreciation of beauty and excellence? You get a teacher who brings enthusiasm and energy to her classroom and students who learn while doing. Anne Smith loves mosaic making. She buys imported tile, cuts it, and creates beautiful designs. She also loves teaching Latin and the history behind the classical language and she has taught here at Shipley for 29 years.
In July of 2019, Anne used professional development funding from Shipley’s Denis Nicholson Asselin Award and visited the archaeological site of the Fishbourne Palace Roman Palace villa in Chichester, UK with all of its mosaic tiling. She also attended a weeklong Roman Byzantine mosaic course in Ravenna, Italy at The Mosaic School. Since then, she has incorporated mosaics into her eighth grade classes.
In December and January, students study Roman-Britain and the site of the villa that Anne visited. They then make their own mosaics using actual Roman geometric designs and high-gloss paper as they read about this site in Latin. They learn while doing. Students can develop stronger memory circuits because this learning is connected to multiple modalities.
Recently, Smith has combined the creative forces of her sixth to eighth grade Latin classes, her Classics Club, and the Horticulture Club to participate in the Longwood Gardens holiday ornament tree display. This year’s theme is “Nature’s Splendor” and as such, the students are free to be creative within that parameter as they design a mosaic-tiled flower ornament that will hang on the trees. Students planned out the design on paper, laid the pre-cut, shaped pieces of glass to form the design, then transferred and permanently affixed them to the pre-cut wood.
Anne’s love of learning and passion for Roman architecture has led her to develop one of her professional goals: incorporating more student-driven initiatives into her classes. If you were to glance in the back of her classroom, you might think you are looking at packing materials, but if you look closely, you will see that it is, in fact, the beginnings of a Roman villa made out of cardboard. When her students saw the leftover cardboard from their laptop packaging, they asked if they could use it to bring the Roman villas they are learning about to life.
Anne saw this as an opportunity to realize her goal. Students are incorporating several cross-curricular skills including measuring, proportion, design, architecture, and history, and it’s all happening as these students are also learning Latin. As the students are mentally and physically manipulating what they are learning using multiple modalities, they are creating more connections that will lead to deeper and long-term understanding.
🇮🇹 Last month, 13 students and 2 teachers had the trip of a lifetime in Italy, exploring Paestum, Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, Naples' Museo Archeologico Nazionale, and Rome's historical sites and museums, experiencing Italian culture, history, and art!
12 Shipley Spanish students had an unforgettable adventure in Spain, exploring Madrid, Zaragoza, and Barcelona, and immersing themselves in local culture and iconic landmarks. ¡Recuerdos para toda la vida! 🇪🇸
At Shipley, students are supported in pursuing their passions beyond the classroom, as showcased by eighth-grader Anne Martindale, whose imaginative costume designs for the Middle School’s production of Alice in Wonderland transformed the stage, blending artistic vision with the encouragement of dedicated teachers.
Shipley is pleased to welcome Steve Lisk as Interim Head of School for the 2024-2025 school year. Steve Lisk served as the 10th Head of School at Lancaster Country Day School from 2008 to 2022. His 14 years at LCDS made him the second-longest tenured head in the school’s 100-year history. Across 34 years in independent schools, he has served also as an executive coach, division head, department chair, dorm head, classroom teacher, advisor, and athletic coach.
Affinity groups at Shipley help to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment, empowering students of diverse backgrounds to build authentic relationships, celebrate their identities, and grow into confident, compassionate global citizens. Learn more about our Lower School Affinity Spaces.
After 34 years of dedicated service to The Shipley School, Kay Weinstock is retiring as College Counseling Assistant. Her meticulous attention to detail and genuine kindness have shepherded thousands of Shipley students through the college admissions process.
The Upper School Administration recognized the outgoing and incoming student leadership officers and presented students with academic, athletic, and leadership awards at the annual Closing Awards Ceremony.
Shipley's Director of Libraries, Jennifer Phiambolis, collaborates with teachers to integrate library research into course projects, fostering students' critical thinking and information literacy skills. This approach empowers students to discern credible information and challenge online misinformation.
A quiet powerhouse in Shipley’s Athletic Department, Katelyn manages the moving parts of anywhere from 12-15 teams per season. While that may seem chaotic—she sticks to her spreadsheets and checklists, plans for various scenarios, and thrives under pressure, all while presenting a calm demeanor.
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.
Shipley's beloved PreKindergarten teacher Tina Wattles will retire at the end of the 2023-2024 school year, leaving a lasting mark on the community. Her energy and smile will be greatly missed by her students and colleagues alike. "For a generation, Tina has planted acorns that have grown into mighty oaks. Her work will reverberate for years and years to come,” said Head of School Michael Turner.
Discover how Shipley School's music program nurtures young musicians from Lower to Upper School, fostering confidence, creativity, and collaboration. Learn how students find their musical voice and achieve professional-level performance through this comprehensive education.
Anna Dejdar ’04 is set to embark on a new journey, leaving behind a legacy that spans over two decades. As she prepares to assume her new role as Head of Upper School at Stratford Academy in Macon, GA, in the 2024-2025 school year, we reflect on her invaluable contributions and the indelible mark she has left on our School.
Shipley's Middle and Upper School Science Olympiad Teams earned many medals at the Pennsylvania Southeast Region Science Olympiad Tournament on March 8 at Penn State Abington.
This year’s alumni exhibition features work from the Sky Paintingsseries by Shipley alum Peter Makela ’04 and will be on display in Speer Gallery from April 9 to May 5. Celebrate the fine arts at Shipley with an artist reception in Speer Gallery on Friday, May 3, 2024, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. The Alumni Artist Reception is part of Alumni Reunion Weekend and is open to family and friends of the Shipley community, we ask that you please register online or contact alumni@shipleyschool.org with any questions.
Discover how our theater program nurtures student voice, confidence, and leadership. From sixth grade silliness to Upper School self-awareness, our students learn to express themselves with empathy and creativity, embodying our mission of compassionate participation.
The son of a North Philly cop and South Philly educator, Shipley alumnus Robert "BJ" Glenn III ’07 demonstrated prowess as an athlete and as a student. Knowing the importance of a good education, BJ's parents enrolled him in Kindergarten at Shipley where he soon made his mark in class, and later on Shipley’s playing fields in lacrosse, baseball, and other sports. But it was at daily recess at age 6 when he discovered a sport that perfectly blended his budding speed and agility with a strong leg: soccer.
Shipley Middle Schoolers Anderson Knipe ’28 and Lily Pressman ’28 presented their joint research on young stellar objects at the 243rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society held January 7-11 in New Orleans, Louisiana
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.