A few behind-the-scenes REVternship pics!
Dear RVLTN Friends,
Back-to-school is just around the corner, and we are very excited to head into a new school year full of new opportunities at 230 South Broad Street! While the last two years were very different from any other school years, the bumps in the road have made us stronger, thanks to this community’s hard work, flexibility, and support. We certainly look forward to returning to a more normal school year and will continue to align our school policies with local, state and federal agencies to keep everyone safe and healthy.
As we look to the year ahead, I want to highlight a few things we’re especially excited about –>
- Corner Fieldwork for all students that build on the success of REVternships and Cornerstone Senior Project.
- Concurrent enrollment classes in partnership with Community College of Philadelphia to expand learning opportunities for our students.
- A New Financial Master Class series in response to students’ avid participation in last year’s financial club, and Decision-Making Classes designed by Farnam Street and facilitated by Jeanne Mulvanerty and the advisory team.
- A fresh look for a new year! Classroom spaces have been updated, and we are delighted to share that we have created a Student Commons with desk tops, printers and improved technology. In addition, we are working on a Future Ready Corner with information about the college process, future opportunities and resources for next steps. Our classrooms have been remodeled, we are building a lending library for the entire Revolution community, and we are installing lockers for our students in Tanner East & West as we speak. Special thanks to Walker Gilmore (Jane Shore’s husband) for his generosity.
These new offerings are designed to give students more choice in what they learn, and future-ready skills that prepare them for their best next step after graduation. Whatever their goals are beyond high school, we want to give them as many opportunities as possible!
Here are a few important things you can do to get ready for back-to-school –>
- Review the 2022-2023 Academic Calendar HERE
- Complete your 2022-2023 re-enrollment agreement HERE by Wednesday August 17th. If you need additional support with TADS, please reach out to their Family Support Team at 800-477-8237.
- Sign up for individual in-person Back-to-School Meetings August 30 – September 2 HERE. These hour-long in-person meetings are required and will help us better support the students. On this day, you will meet with Jeanne Mulvanerty in her new role as Director of Student Life & Academics to discuss your student’s personalized learning plan, Jena Croxford for a communications onboarding, and Joel Dankoff and Justine Hoffman for a college and future-ready conversation.
- Complete your back-to-school forms
- BYOD Participation Form
- Responsible Technology Use
- Permission for Over the Counter Medications
- Emergency Contact Form
- Physical Form
- Food Allergy Form & Anaphylaxis Form
In the life of a school, there are always shifts and changes — some involve new journeys and good-byes. Before we embark on an exciting year at Revolution School, we want to take a moment to wish good luck to Henry Fairfax, Una Giurgea, Charles Green, Sadie Kenton-Dean, and Mike Pardee. Some are traveling far, Henry Fairfax will be leading Concord Academy in Massachusetts, and some are traveling farther, Sadie and Una will be studying and working in Spain. Charles and Mike will both be working nearby. And, although Mike will be taking a role at The Crefeld School, he plans to maintain his connection with Revolution School, spending time with us as we kick off the school year and finding points for connection throughout.
Others find their path heading straight in our direction! We are thrilled to welcome several new educators to our dynamic full-time, in-person programmatic team for 2022-2023. Please scroll down to meet our newest members!
Please enjoy the last weeks of summer and I look forward to welcoming you back to school soon!
Justine Hoffman Head of School
Meet the Newest Members of Our Teaching Team!
Carlos Aponte, Wellness Educator
Carlos Aponte, our new Wellness/PE educator has been a friend of Revolution for many years. Carlos is a lifelong Philadelphian who traces his culture to the Island of Puerto Rico Carlos’ background is in Secondary Education with a concentration in African American and American History. He is formerly an educator at One Bright Ray Community High School. Carlos has partnered with Students Run Philly Style to bring the program to OBRCHS. Carlos is the founder of We Love Philly, which teaches volunteerism, entrepreneurship, meditation, ownership, and content creation to youth left behind by mainstream institutions.
Patrick Cassidy, Math Educator
Patrick Cassidy, Founding Educator, Math and advisor is excited to share the journey that is mathematics with the students of Revolution. A longtime educator at independent and charter schools, Patrick has long been interested in education of the whole child – challenging students academically but also tending to their development as citizens and members of the school community.
Patrick spent over a decade at Friends Select School in Center City, working with both middle and upper school students in a variety of mathematics disciplines. In addition, Patrick was a coach of both the Mathcounts team and of multiple sports during his tenure there. As an advisor, Patrick helped students negotiate the academic and social challenges that school presents, as well as working with the students on a variety of service learning activities.
Previously, Patrick had worked at Brooklyn Friends School in New York, contributing as an educator, advisor and coach there. Patrick’s most recent stop was at Boys’ Latin in West Philadelphia, where he taught a wide range of math classes and was a homeroom teacher, as well.
Cynthia Chatman, Arts Educator
Cynthia Chatman, Arts Educator, brings to Revolution School over three decades of experience as an art instructor. She firmly believes artistic ability is not a gift but a practice, and her approach to teaching puts students at the center to meet the unique needs and interests of each individual. Through hands-on projects, her students discover their artistic voice, build skills and make connections with the world.
Sydnie Schwarz, English and Spanish Educator, DEI Director
Sydnie Schwarz, Founding Educator, English & Spanish & Director of DEI, joins us from The Rivers School, in Weston Massachusetts. She taught Humanities and was a DEI coordinator. She recently earned a B.A. in sociology and anthropology from Swarthmore College, where she minored in educational studies and Latin American & Latinx Studies, and was a member of the varsity women’s lacrosse team. In her time at Swarthmore, Sydnie was actively involved as a qualitative field research assistant with a number of professors with whom she collaborated and, in one case, co-authored a journal publication, on topics related to immigration, undocumented status, and English language learners.
