Christina attended Park from Grades 1 through 12 Class of ‘93 senior classmates Hieu Huynh, Christina Leed & Yvette Brooks The Nelsons - Georgia, Christina, Steve and Myra What does Park's emphasis on culture and rigor mean to you as an alum and parent? I am so deeply grateful for the countless ways Park helped shape me into who I am today. My years at Park instilled curiosity, a desire to create positive change, and a love of learning. I started at Park School in first grade and stayed through high school graduation. The class sizes were intentionally small, as they are today, and this truly helped foster a family-like feeling. From raising class pets to cleaning the campus every year, we felt a sense of belonging and care for our school. The teachers were truly amazing; they were caring and interested in their students. These were all aspects that helped form the culture of the Park community. More than just being caring and interested, though, our teachers were passionate educators who also cared about the learning process. We were challenged, asked to consider possibilities, and do more than just memorize facts - we learned to generate and test ideas. That is the rigor. As a parent now to two Park students, I’m thrilled with the way the school continues to be intentional in creating a culture with core values of respect, responsibility, honesty, and kindness, while also pursuing excellence in education through rigorous academics and learning. With respect to culture, I love the intentional collaboration between the various ages at Park. One of my happiest moments as a parent was seeing a photo of my daughter Georgia, then in middle school, teaching younger students about a topic she had been studying. She had prepared for days and looked so confident and joyful when it was her turn to do the teaching. She created an interactive game to help emphasize the lesson, and it was a success! I can’t imagine a better way to truly learn something than to know it well enough to teach it. And I can’t think of a lesson those younger students would remember more clearly than one taught by fellow students. Experiences like that reflect the unique culture at Park - one in which students are empowered to both learn and lead. What are your favorite examples of culture and rigor in action at Park? 9 Reflections on Culture & Rigor by Christina Leed Nelson ‘93, Current Parent “I love the intentional collaboration between the various ages at Park.” Christina represents the second generation of Leeds at Park - following father Tom '61 and alongside siblings, Tom Jr. '97 and Theresa '01. After graduating from Park she earned a B.A. in Anthropology from the College of Wooster, and then a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit/Organizational Management from the University of Colorado Denver. Christina has spent much of her career in the nonprofit sector, and volunteers with her family to support refugee resettlement in Buffalo. Christina and her husband Steve are proud parents to Park students Myra '27 and Georgia '29.
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