News flash to students:  Your teachers actually have lives outside of school!  Can you identify the faculty member who goes with each description?  Scroll down for the “reveal.”

1. I volunteer with Greyhound Angels Adoption in Pennsauken, N.J., doing everything from cleaning food and water bowls to fundraising.  I especially enjoy walking the dogs awaiting adoption and doing "greet and meets."  I usually have a dog or two from the kennel as I talk to anyone who will listen to my story.  I have two greyhounds: Carter and Sarah.

2. I belong to the Guild of American Papercutters.  I am also a member of the Main Line Art Center, where I had a piece in the 71st Annual Members’ Exhibition.

3. I am a storyteller of tales from African and African-American culture and history; writer of three supplements on aspects of African-American history for The Philadelphia Inquirer (among other publications); hiker, camper and birdwatcher.  (Hint:  This is only a partial list!)

4. I play drums in an “avant-garde” jazz band called shot x shot.  We have two albums out (including Let Nature Square, released in April 2008) that have received good reviews from The Village Voice and Chicago Reader.

5. I have been an Operation Understanding group leader since last year.  OU is a cross-cultural exchange program that promotes tolerance and understanding to develop future leaders in the African- American and Jewish communities.   Each year, about 12 high school students participate in leadership workshops.  We also travel to Senegal and Israel as part of the experience. 

6. I recently started an entrepreneurial venture called “Mothers and Daughters in Style.”  As a wardrobe stylist, personal shopper/consultant and event planner, I help clients discover, embrace and express their personal styles.

7. I am a sailor.  My parents live on Cape Cod and I grew up on the water, racing with my dad.  When I was thirteen, I was on Nova as the first female and youngest participant in a double-handed overnight race from Cape Cod to Maine.  I sailed the boat in the middle of the night alone.  I also used to race every Wednesday evening in the summer until I had kids.  Sadly, I do not get to sail as much now, because my son and husband get seasick.  But I go sailing as often as possible when I am visiting during the summer on Cape Cod. 

8. I play first violin with the Chestnut Hill Orchestra, train dogs with Suburban Dog Training (specifically, a golden retriever at the moment), and have a house in Cortona, Italy with my extended family.

9. I am teaching a five-week drawing class at the Gershman Y this spring.  It is called “The Other Side of Drawing” and it is designed for students with no previous drawing experience who want to make the shift to “right brain” thinking and develop renewed confidence in the language of visual expression. 

10. I'm the "buyer" for my mother's vintage clothing store, O Mistress Mine, in East Village, New York City.  She's had the store for 39 years!  I'm constantly seeking out estate sales and other opportunities to buy vintage clothing and estate jewelry.

How many did you match?  Here are the answers:

 

1.    Richard Stobaugh, fifth grade teacher

2.    Dan Deslaurier, lower school art teacher
3.    John Colgan-Davis, middle school history teacher
4.    Dan Capecchi, middle school music and Latin, and upper school percussion teacher
5.    Natalie Mayer, upper school science teacher, 11th grade dean
6.    Deneen Young, upper school assistant/registrar
7.    Betsy Lamatina, fourth grade teacher
8.    Anne Thomforde Thomas, first grade teacher
9.    Fred Kogan, middle school art teacher
10.  Celeste Hanlon, kindergarten assistant