Yes, I think to myself "What a wonderful world."
Friday morning I awoke, giddy and nostalgic and a little tired from going to bed a bit too late the night before. I had no idea what the day had in store for me!
Over announcements, Mr. Reichl and Mrs. Evans (http://www.lehighton.org/HighSchool.cfm?subpage=947348) congratulated me and wished me well. My first block students smiled and sat up a little straighter. Those young people don't have the powerful tool of middle age: Preemptive Nostalgia. Looking at them, I knew how much I would miss them, how often I would think of them, and how much they have come to mean to me over the course of the semester. A class is its own entity with its own personality - no two classes are ever the same -- and I've been lucky to have had marvelous classes filled with interesting people.
When 3rd block rolled around (this is when lunches are), I was told to go over to Mahoning Elementary to pick up Vivian!
Together we went from room to room, saying goodbye and giving lots of hugs. Backpack on and library books returned, Vivian was ready to accompany me to the high school.
It's crazy to think of what the high school will look like when we return because it's been under construction for the past year and changes so rapidly that each week something is different.
In the faculty room, Mr. Reichl and Mrs. Evans had three different kinds of soup for the staff to enjoy -- cheddar broccoli, potato and leek, and potato and leek with ham ("I tried to find the closest thing to something Northern Irish as I could," said Mr. Reichl). It was the perfect choice because there's something marvelously warm and nurturing and homey about soup -- it's the ideal communal food and it was delicious.
From the faculty room, Vivi and I headed to C-207, my home away from home for the past fifteen years. Mr. Reichl and Mrs. Evans had arranged for a substitute to cover the class so I could pick up Viv and have soup, so I told him to head down to the faculty room to break some bread -- and dip it in soup -- so I could have the last day with College Prep 10th Grade.
3rd Block ended, 4th Block started and Honors 9 students filtered into the room, claiming seats at the table, on the sofa, or at desks...until the selfie stick made its appearance. Vivi became awash in giggles and grins and I'm pretty sure there are a hundred selfies on my camera roll.
Then!
Then!
The BEST THING happened!
Background: I love the band. Mr. Buffington, the band director, is the only person who loves the band more than I do and I'm not quiet about my love of the band.
Mrs. Evans called the classroom and said I should head down to the foyer at 1:15 to lead the hall parade with my class! WHAT?!? BEST DAY!
I'll let the Times News recap:
Lehighton band performs send off for Fulbright teacher
Saturday, January 21, 2017
- ‹ Prev
- 3 of 3
- Next ›
The Lehighton Area High School Band performed an impassioned and extra-special send off for one of their most prized educators, English teacher Cristi Marchetti, on Friday afternoon.
Marchetti, who will be heading to Belfast, Northern Ireland next week as part of her Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program, was overjoyed to see the band trek through the hallways, saluting her with the school’s fight song.
“As soon as I knew when she was leaving — and I know how much she loves what we do — we said, ‘We’ve got to do something for her.’ So a couple weeks ago, Jennifer Steigerwalt, who is another English teacher, emailed me and said ‘Hey, let’s put this whole parade together. We’ll have Cristi right up front leading the whole thing, and send her off with an exciting moment,’” music teacher Bryan Buffington said.
Buffington and Marchetti have been good friends since their start at the school in 2002.
“I admire the family he has created with the band. The spirit that they have together is something they will carry on throughout their lives. They have a motto, ‘We do not walk alone,’ and it’s true. They are a very cohesive group. I love the music of the band, but it’s the spirit of the kids that really resonates with me,” Marchetti said.
As a strong supporter of extracurricular activities, Buffington knew that the band had to do something special to commemorate Marchetti’s achievement.
“They love Mrs. Marchetti,” he said. “I don’t know of many students that don’t love Mrs. Marchetti, so for them to do something for her and to send her off like that, they were thrilled to be a part of it. They were very, very excited.”
Along for the ride at the lead of the parade was Marchetti’s seven year old daughter Vivian, who will accompany her to Northern Ireland.
“I was very surprised,” Vivian said in regard to her mother — who she is very proud of — winning the award.
While members of the band are sad to see their beloved admirer leave Lehighton for a semester, they were incredibly supportive of her project.
“She really deserves it, and I’m happy because I think we did a good job,” saxophonist Samantha Smalley, 16, said.
The sounds of the school fight song reached nearly every corner of the school as the band toured the halls for a few laps, basking in the opportunity to honor a proud Lehighton educator.
“I was very proud of it, because she is one of the people in this high school who actually deserve it,” bass drummer Alexander Keck, 17, said. “It put a smile on her face, and that made me feel great about it.”
Sponsored by the U.S. government, the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program allows teachers to pursue special projects, conduct research, and teach classes abroad. It is one portion of Fulbright’s options that aim to increase mutual understanding between American and foreign citizens.
Marchetti’s research at Queens University will focus on the philosophy behind full service extended schools, which make schools the center of the community through services for students and the population at large.
Marchetti will remain in touch with friends, family, and students through her blog, http://cristimarchetti.blogspot.com, hoping to weave in the wants and needs of the local community with her research on full service education.
“I really do understand the sacrifice of time and energy that it takes, and it’s beautiful and heartfelt and it means the world to me,” Marchetti said of the band’s performance.
“This is the place that I choose to be, and it’s because of all of the people here. This band — nothing compares.”
---------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
Connecting from across the globe
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Cristi Marchetti is one of those people who inspires us to dream and to accomplish more in our lives.
Marchetti, a Lehighton Area High School English teacher, is inspiring in everyday life for her passion for the profession. She motivates people around her and enables them to believe they, too, can accomplish anything.
Marchetti will be embarking Wednesday on an educational experience of a lifetime, when she will board a plane with her daughter Vivian, 7, and head to Northern Ireland as a Fulbright Distinguished Award recipient.
They are packing and unpacking clothes and toys to prepare for the four-month stint, though Vivian is disappointed that she has to leave some of her favorites behind.
One of 45 U.S. citizens traveling abroad through the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program in 2016-17, Marchetti will be based out of Queens University in Belfast and research full service extended schools.
She’ll be visiting a successful program in Belfast, where extended school activities are designed to support learning, raise school standards and promote healthy lifestyles, enabling schools to work closely with members of the wider community and connect local people with local services. Some examples include breakfast or homework clubs, sports, art, drama, programs for parents and families and community use of school premises.
Her desire is to find ways to make Lehighton schools the hub of the community.
“All community members are part of the school setting,” Marchetti says. The students, and the school, are completely behind this project. Students want to interact with senior citizens from the high-rise. Each have experiences that they can share.”
The high school has a new gym, cooking facilities, classrooms. It can be a hub for activity.
“The goal within 30 days is to be able to say this is how we put full service extended school into practice in Lehighton,” Marchetti said.
A community garden is one idea. “People in the high-rise don’t have access to gardens. They could get out and use the earth, feel the soil.”
And in the meantime, they will talk as they work side-by-side with the students.
With a degree in anthropology, Marchetti’s eyes sparkle as she discusses the possibilities. She will meet with people who have made the program work and the families who have benefited from the ideas.
Her idea is to outline how many people will be needed here in Lehighton, detailing the liabilities, the insurance coverage, the costs and where to get the money to pay for it.
“All that will have to be done is to turn the key,” she says.
Skeptical? Spend just five minutes with Marchetti and you will know anything is possible.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
Marchetti didn’t make it on her first application. Her students lived through the process with her and shared her disappointment.
Now they are sharing her joy, as she will Skype with them on a regular basis and show them a world they can one day hope to experience.
As she connects on Skype from the Globe Theatre in London, she will bring lessons to life for them.
She makes a promise to blog daily because the project is all about making connections.
The community will benefit as well. Marchetti wants to spend the four months being the eyes for our community. She’s asking people where they would like her to travel, what they want to know about.
The Times News is providing a survey to ask people just those questions. Marchetti will go wherever EasyJet and Ryanair will take her in Finland, Netherlands, Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland.
She might take on a genealogy project. She’ll be presenting in Berlin.
Most importantly, she will be talking to people, learning how we make connections.
“I want people to feel fulfilled in the community,” Marchetti says.
She’s open to suggestions and even has enthusiasm for the whole town.
“It’s a big world,” Marchetti says. “But it’s small too because people are people are people.”
We all have dreams and desires and are thrilled to be able to go on this adventure with Marchetti.
Hang on for the ride and follow her experiences over the next four months in our pages, as well as her daily blog, which will be promoted through www.tnonline.com.
When she returns to Lehighton, her journey won’t be over. She’ll be embarking on her plan to connect students with the community.
Watch for ways you can enrich your life and others by becoming involved.
Do you think the fun stops there? Nope!
After school, people from school and the neighborhood got together next door (my mom, Midge Heiser, lives next door!) for delicious food made by Barb Yamrich. For a few hours we laughed and talked and made plans and reveled in each other's company then crammed onto sofas and watched the band do their thing on TV-13.
I am lucky, indeed.
Thank you, Lehighton, for giving me a send-off like no other. You made me feel special and included and happy and valued. I hope to do the same for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment