Founder’s Day 2018: Honoring Faculty & Staff

Today at Founder’s Day, the entire Newman student body from Green Trees to 12th grade gathered to celebrate our School and our founder, Isidore Newman.

At the beginning of the program, as a fitting tribute to Mr. Newman’s lifetime of philanthropy, students Maici Williams ’18, Carolina Fontanez ’23, and Cecile Usdin ’25 – with Ms. Maddox accompanying Mimi Nelson and Sam Marks from Green Trees – introduced school-wide community service efforts taking place this semester in support of a range of organizations and causes, guided thoughtfully by the United Nations’ Global Goals.

Then, as we do every year on this special day, Newman honored faculty and staff for their dedication to our School by presenting certificates for years of service in increments of five. We also awarded Stephen B. Lemann Awards for outstanding faculty in each division.

The Lemann Award recipient for Green Trees Early Childhood Village is Mrs. Liese Weber Hammontree; the recipient for Lower School is Ms. Tracy Blackerby ’06; the recipient for Middle School is Mrs. Kate Loescher; and the recipient for Upper School is Dr. Amanda Bates.

This year we also had the pleasure of awarding the Theodore Contonio III Chair in Humanities to Ms. Eve Lazovitz. Announcing the appointment, Head of School Dale M. Smith remarked on Ms. Lazovitz’s uncommon ability to make history and literature come alive for her students.

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Smith observed that the Core Values of honesty, kindness, respect, and responsibility are ever-present on Founder’s Day. About respect, he said:

We see respect in our celebration of faculty and staff for their service and leadership. Students, I hope that you will take some time today to thank your teachers, who care deeply about you and who work hard to educate and support you.

Founder’s Day is a beloved and storied tradition at Newman, an occasion each year to celebrate our Founder, our School, and the people who make it special. Happy Founder’s Day!

Click here to view a slideshow from the event.