Honoring Earlier Educators: Those that Laid the Foundation
April 11, 2008
Honored elementary school teacher Cindy Arkebauer from Rock Island, IL, and Luke Thoms '08
The most successful students will say that along the way, they’ve had a teacher who made a difference in their learning careers. Even before a student arrived at Exeter, a teacher offered a challenge, told a joke or opened a door to a subject that sparked a lifelong love of accomplishment and learning. As early as age 7 or 8, some of the students who took part in the second annual “Honoring Earlier Educators” program were taking note of their teacher’s impact.
This week, five of those early teachers who were selected from more than 80 nominated by Exeter students were honored during a two-day visit to the Academy. During their visit, they got an eye and earful of the Academy. After a day of shadowing, meeting their former students’ teachers and classmates, touring the campus and eating in the dining halls, the teachers attended a formal dinner with other honorees, and met with Exeter teachers to informally talk about teaching methods before heading off for home, filled with wonderful memories.
Luke, a senior from Rock Island, IL, never had his nominee, Ms. Arkebauer, in class in elementary school, but got to know her when she served as a mentor to an academic team in his sixth-grade year. In a competition known as “The Learning Olympiad,” his team went as far as state-wide competitions and Luke remembers, “what Ms. Arkebauer always did best was making not only learning fun, but also making the challenge fun,” he says. “It was pivotal in my learning career. She really was at the start of a chain of events that led me to Exeter, where I am ultimately challenged,” he says.
“I’ve seen how Luke has evolved as a student and person and is ready to conquer the world,” says Arkebauer. “I’m also impressed with the level of successful independence among the students here and the interactive component of teaching around the Harkness table. I noticed the care teachers extend to students, who are well-rounded thinkers. I think being here for students is a great opportunity to mature and succeed,” she says.
Queens Falcon football coach Tim Cavanaugh from Queens, NY, was nominated by seniors Julian and Brian. Both describe their former coach as “a hero” and “an excellent role model,” and “one of the most influential men” in their lives.
“He is a coach, but he uses football as a mask to cover his true motives of pushing kids to head in the right direction in life, to strive for excellence and make something of themselves,” says Julian.
“Coach came into my life after hard times forced me to move in with my father in New York City,” Brian says. “I wanted to play football and he encouraged me to do so. My life changed when he gave me the name and phone number of Phillips Exeter Academy. The rest is history.”
Brian says that often Coach Cavanaugh would talk to his team about making their legacies mean something, and about having good character. “He would say, ‘Good character is what you do when no one’s watching.’ I’ll never forget that,” says Brian. “It’s great to share Exeter with Coach. For me, it’s like two worlds colliding: the world of Exeter and the world with Coach Cavanaugh.”
The other educators honored this year are: Julianna Jones, who was nominated by two Exonians for her teaching at the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham, NH; Cammy Anderson, from Washington Irving Elementary School in Chicago, IL; and Phillip Lafave, from Loyola High School in Montreal, Canada.
Assistant Principal Thomas Hassan oversees the program and says he is thrilled to have the honored teachers visit. “Hearing a ‘thank-you’ from a student means so much to a teacher. I am so glad the Academy is able to support a program which offers an enormous vote of gratitude to a teacher or coach. The testimonies from their former students were very touching. It’s clear that these folks are superior educators and have made an extraordinary difference in the lives of young people,” he says.
Interested in learning more?
Read about the educators honored last year...
