25 Amy DiChristina Our new Head of Middle School is dedicated to creating a more equitable education system and is happy to have found a home at Park. Describe your personal path and how you found your way into your current role at Park. How has your path been influenced by your own personal experience and background? When I was a junior at SUNY Fredonia, my spring semester teaching placement was the Job Corp of Chautauqua County. During this semester I helped students study for the GED test and met a diverse group of students that I had not worked with before. I decided to move to New York City to attend graduate school and start my career. For nine years I was a high school history teacher in Brooklyn and the students I’ve met along the way, many of whom I am still in contact with today, have profoundly impacted my life. My students opened my eyes to the inequities in education, but also the joy in education and the wonder of exploring new time periods, places, and experiences. It is because of those students that I have dedicated my career to creating a more equitable education system. In 2016, I was offered the opportunity to work with a non-profit, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. I was hired to be the Program Manager of the Hamilton Education Program, which had me traveling across the country bringing access to the groundbreaking musical Hamilton to students and teachers in Title I schools. As I traveled the country working with school districts and teachers from San Francisco to Tampa, and from Hartford to Tempe, my admiration and love of teachers grew tenfold. The teachers I worked with put all of their time and energy, with very few resources, into securing this opportunity for their students, and to see the work these students created blew me away every single time. It was during this time that I decided I wanted to go back to working at a school but this time, working to support teachers. This is how I found myself at Park! In 2020, the Hamilton Education Program ended with the COVID-19 pandemic, and I moved back to my hometown of Buffalo. I applied for the Head of Middle School position and from my first visit to campus, I knew that Park was a place where I felt like I belonged. The diversity of the students and faculty was so important to me and the opportunity to support Middle School students and teachers was exactly the work that I wanted to do. I’m so glad to have found a home at Park. Where did you go to school? I graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 2006 with a Bachelors degree in Secondary Education, Social Studies and graduated from Long Island University, Brooklyn in 2008 with a Masters degree in Urban Education with an emphasis in Social Studies Education Do you have a favorite book? One of my new favorite books is How The Word is Passed by Clint Smith. Tell us about your hobbies. I participate in several different book clubs, I enjoy hiking and have participated in the WNY Hiking Challenge the last two summers. I also love to travel and am hoping to visit the town in Sicily where my family is from this spring. Tell us about one engaging project or lesson that’s happened in your division so far this year. In 5th grade, the students were learning about latitude and longitude, and Mrs. Zinck set up a self-guided lesson for the students where they had to complete an activity, and once they had their answers checked, they could move on to the next activity. The activities incorporated different kinds of maps to find various locations and using the classroom Chromebooks to decipher clues about each place. The students were able to work at their own pace on each activity and were so engaged in what they were doing that Mrs. Zinck was able to work with students individually to give them support where and when they needed it. It was a truly joyful experience for everyone present for that lesson. Do you have a favorite Park moment so far? My favorite moment so far was on Bonding Day when the Middle School students found out which spirit team they were assigned to. The students were so enthusiastic and when each student picked their color the team they were on erupted in screams and applause. It was thrilling to see them all supporting each other in that way. What is one thing you would like the WNY community to know about The Park School? I would like the WNY community to know that we are doing the hard work of developing the whole child here. We are working to ensure our students have access to a rigorous and individualized academic program, while feeling safe and seen, we are developing critical thinkers who look at the world around them and ask why, and we are developing students with an appreciation for the environment, diversity, and their community. None of this work is easy - in fact it is very difficult - but we do not shy away from the difficult tasks and instead work together as a community to accomplish our goals. Do you have a favorite spot on campus? I love being on Hamlin Porch at dismissal… seeing all the kids smiling and waving goodbye, saying hello to the parents, everyone being in good spirits, it’s a great way to end the day! I also love standing near the rocks next to Knopp-Hailpern and looking out over the pond and into the woods. It’s beautiful and very serene. Why do you choose to work with this age group? Middle School students are so much fun! At their age they have developed unique personalities and are craving knowledge and asking questions, but they are still amused by corny jokes and are genuinely excited to participate in school activities and events. They haven’t yet developed the “too cool for school” attitude, and if I love anything, it’s corny jokes! Why is the type of education that is provided at Park important to this age group? Middle School students experience a great amount of change and growth, and they need to be in an environment that supports and guides them through these changes. Park is the perfect place for this because we encourage students to ask questions of themselves and the world around them, we have support systems in place to help them when inevitably they struggle with these changes, and we have created a culture where students feel safe to be their authentic selves and are celebrated for who they are. What are your hopes and dreams for Park over the next five years? Over the next five years I want Park to have the best Middle School program in all of Western New York. I want the students to continue to love being at school because we foster an environment where they can explore, hone their leadership skills, and make lifelong friends. I want educators from around the area, the state, the country to come visit Park to see how they can duplicate what we are doing because it is so successful. I want our faculty and staff to be so content here that they could never imagine working anywhere else and I want to be able to continue the wonderful Park traditions while mixing in a few new traditions that will last long after we are all gone.
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