December 20, 2017
Dear IMSA Community,
As 2017 comes to a close, I want to wish you and your loved ones happy holidays and a very happy New Year. For those who celebrated Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, happy belated holidays to you!
For me, the following three words exemplify the U.S. holiday tradition more than any others. Three little words. First, a four-letter word, then a three-letter word, followed by a five-letter word. If you’re thinking “shop,” “buy,” and “spend,” you would be incorrect. The three little words are “love,” “joy,” and “peace.” I would encourage you not to get too “wrapped” up in the first set of words, but rather to focus on the true and more authentic words of love, joy and peace.
For this personal reflection, I want to take time to amplify our very important IMSA faculty. I have enjoyed the many one-on-one conversations with individual faculty members this fall. While I have not yet finished meeting with each one, I’m at number 42, my appreciation, esteem, and respect continues to increase for each of them. I have learned first-hand of their tireless efforts in teaching, preparing lessons, and mentoring the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, physicians, researchers, artists, entrepreneurs, etc. I could not think of a better way to thank them than to acknowledge each of them by name and department.
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ENGLISH
Michael Dean
Dr. Michael Hancock
Dr. Leah Kind
Dr. Adam Kotlarczyk
Dr. Devon Madon
Erin Micklo
Dr. Eric Rettberg
Tracy Townsend
HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE
Dr. Lee Eysturlid
Dr. Patrick Kearney
Dr. Rob Kiely
Dr. Clay Skinner
Dr. Eric Smith
Dr. Sheila Wille
SCIENCE
Dr. Angela Ahrendt
Dr. Sowmya Anjur
Dr. Mark Carlson
Dr. Peter Clancy
Dr. David DeVol
Dr. Peter Dong
Dr. Don Dosch
Dr. Joseph Golab
Dr. Eric Hawker
Dr. Laura Kopff
Sarah O’Leary-Driscoll
Dr. Crystal Randall
Brooke Schmidt
Dr. John Thurmond
Dr. Anita White
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FINE ARTS
Mary Beth McCarthy
Emily Sites
Joyce Symoniak
MATHEMATICS
Dr. Steve Condie
Ruth Dover
Julie Dowling
Dr. Micah Fogel
Dr. Jordan Hasler
Dr. Janice Krouse
Matthew McCutcheon
Dennis Loo
Dr. Thomas Meyer
Carlo Ordoňez
Namrata Pandya
Dr. Pat Patankar
Valentina Sorescu
WELLNESS
David Lundgren Mary Myers
Daniel Hernandez
WORLD LANGUAGE
Anastacio Aranda-Rodriguez – Spanish
Jonathan Besancon – Japanese
Michelle Cheng – Chinese
Dr. Maria del Carmen De Avila – Spanish
Paavo Husen – Russian
Joseph Marshall – French
Agnieszka Michalak – German
Dr. Nadia Miskowiec – French
Christine Zhang – Chinese
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I also want to thank our students for their curiosity and drive, their open minds to our learning laboratory, and their commitment to learning through inquiry. All of this is what makes IMSA a special, vibrant place to learn.
I look forward to working with all of IMSA: staff, including faculty, students, parents, and our partners as we make the New Year, 2018, a memorable one with new beginnings as we plan for our next 30 years at IMSA.
Respectfully,
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