Val Cavalheri

The Fierce Joy of Ellen Schecter

March 20, 2023 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Ellen Schecter

What is ‘fierce joy?’ That’s the question we posed to Dr. Ellen Schecter about the meaning behind the title of her memoir. “Fierce joy,” she responded, “is not a tepid, easy, saccharine type of happiness. It’s something that comes up out of harsh moments. It’s honey from the rock; it comes from loss and pain, from small events and valuable people. And it burns like a flame despite grief and dread; it’s something that comes from going through very harsh moments.” These are the words that describe how Schecter chooses to live despite two life-altering and painful autoimmune diseases.

This journey of discovery will be the subject of the Chesapeake Forum Author Series Wednesday, March 22, 10-11:30 am, titled Fierce Joy: A Medical Mystery, Spiritual Adventure & A Love Story.

If Ellen Schecter’s name sounds familiar, it’s because she had a successful career as a writer, producer, and educator on various award-winning TV series for children, including “Reading Rainbow,” “Allegra’s Window,” and “The Magic School Bus.” She’s also published more than 20 children’s and young adult books that went on to win awards or became Book of the Month selections.

At the height of her career, Schecter was diagnosed with debilitating Lupus and the rare and life-threatening CIDP (chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy). As a way of coping and because she is a writer, she began keeping a notebook of what was happening to her, questions she was asking her doctors, emotions she was experiencing, and people she came in contact with. These ‘scribblings,’ which helped her understand how to maneuver through this new reality, became the basis of her memoir.

Fierce Joy, the book, is moving and raw as Schecter candidly shares her struggles with illness and the toll it took on her and her loved ones. However, the heart of the book lies in her exploration of what it means to truly heal and find inner peace and acceptance. In her words, we experience the stages of awareness as she realizes that the disease, not one’s body, is the enemy and that even though she couldn’t control what was happening, she had a choice about her response. “You don’t have to be knocked around by your disease, symptoms, and treatments. You can decide how you want to live.” That choice also meant finding comfort and healing, even when a cure was impossible. “I learned to be sick without suffering,” she says, “by dealing with my illness with the maturity of an adult woman, no longer cowed by the fears and attitudes of a small child.”

Schecter looks forward to sharing what she’s learned and, more importantly, how she learned it. She will probably explain how, despite the challenges, she was determined to live with purpose. “You have to find meaning. For me, the meaning was my wanting to live a happy life. I didn’t want to linger over being sick. And so I looked everywhere for ways to do that.”

Sometimes she didn’t have to look far.

She met other people who exchanged, what she calls, ‘the secret handshake of illness’ and taught her how to maneuver through the medical maze of symptoms, medicines, and doctors. “At each juncture, there was always somebody who reached out, either with a hand or a hint or with something that helped me along the way.”

Sometimes those decisions involved her doctors. “Just like you can choose your doctors, you can fire them if they don’t give you what you need, emotionally, psychologically, or medically. I’ve done it. It’s an important way to give power back to yourself when you’re feeling powerless.” She advises creating a cooperative, problem-solving partnership, going to the appointments with a list of questions and problems, and making sure your doctor listens.”

Spirituality, which surfaced after her diagnosis, also plays a vital role in Schecter’s life. “Letting go of the fear of death was important for me. It was like releasing a cannonball and picking up a balloon instead. I have a very positive attitude about death. And I’ve also learned to live for today and not ten years from now.”

Living in the present means Schecter has had to deal with anger or other unwanted emotions. She manages them by allowing herself 10 minutes of expression, whether breaking dishes, crying, or throwing a tantrum. She’s learned other ways to cope: “At your lowest moment,” she said, “the best thing you can do is reach out and do something for someone else. Because it will lift you, so you are not wallowing in this dark, deep place that I call the pit.”

There is so much more that Schecter wants to tell you, and the Chesapeake Forum Author Series is the perfect opportunity for her to do so. You can expect insights and reflections on her experiences, including the nature of healing, living with purpose, and how to find fierce joy.

The discussion will be an inspiring and enlightening event for anyone struggling with an illness, challenged by the aging process, or simply seeking a deeper understanding of the human experience.

——-

Fierce Joy: A Medical Mystery, Spiritual Adventure & A Love Story Wednesday, March 22, 10-11:30 at Easton YMCA To register for the event, go here. https://site.corsizio.com/c/6393bf8c37c937a7d8cee437/register For additional information: Chesapeake Forum https://chesapeakeforum.org Fierce Joy, by Ellen Schecter, is published by Greenpoint Press and available wherever fine books are sold.

CBMM Takes on a Changing Chesapeake

March 13, 2023 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

“Tangier Abandoned” by Tom Payne

It’s an emotional experience—The Changing Chesapeake exhibit now at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM). It’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced or anything CBMM has ever done. The Spy was invited to the opening night of the yearlong show at the Steamboat Building gallery. It would also the first time the 70 artists participating in the exhibit would see their work on display. To some, particularly those who don’t usually think of themselves as artists, sharing their work with the world was overwhelming, and more than once, we noticed emotional reactions.

“Foamberg Fish” by Nic Galloro

Such it was with Laura Guertin, who wiped away a tear as she found her quilted art “Looking Out at the Ghosts of the Coast” at the gallery entrance. Guertin, whose work portrays dying trees through a window frame, has a Ph.D. in marine geology and geophysics and is a college professor. She started quilting a few years ago as a way to tell ‘science stories.’ “People get drawn to it because no one feels threatened by a blanket, right? And once they see it, I can hook them with the science. This is a serious theme, and we need more action and activity, but we have to bring people to that conversation.”

Laura Guertin with “Looking Out at the Ghosts of the Coast”

Lee Hoover was also affected by seeing her photograph, “Pintail,” on the wall. “You prepare yourself, knowing you’ll see your stuff, but then ‘boom,’ there it is.” Her photo is of a name being lettered on a ship stern. “The old ways are disappearing,” she says. “Who paints letters by hand anymore? It’s all done by computer. I’m hoping that people will remember the old ways of doing things. But I also hope they think about how the Chesapeake is in trouble.”

Nicholas Thrift with “Ospreys Don’t Wear Coats”

This is a different type of show for CBMM, explains Jen Dolde, Curator and Folklife Center Manager. “We’re usually featuring the work of one person, or we’re putting together a historical exhibit on a specific topic. But one of the things we’re called to do, now that we’re a Folklife Center under the Maryland State Arts Council, is to look not only for the historical voices but also the contemporary ones. These are the voices of all the people and how they live their lives and form their identities. I see this exhibit as a form of documentation.”

To Jill Ferris, Senior Director of Engagement, Learning, and Interpretation, whose focus is on the community, her goal is open up those channels of conversation. “I’m hoping to get some artists to do workshops or talks. There were a lot of submissions about ghost forests, which seemed to be a huge inspiration point, and I’d like to bring them together to talk about that shared image.”

The idea for The Changing Chesapeake started a couple of years ago, with an invitation in 2022 to anyone interested in expressing how climate and cultural change have shaped the Chesapeake. CBMM received over 140 submissions which went through a blind ranking process with community panelists who were unaware if the work they were judging was by someone with a reputation as an artist. Seventy-eight pieces by 70 artists were chosen and included traditional media such as photography, sculptures, and painting, as well as fiber art, stop-motion animation, found-object art, original songs, embroidery, poetry, etc. There was even a novel translated from Italian.

Unlike other museum exhibits where a little label titling the work and identifying the artist is discreetly affixed on the wall, here, to fully understand what you are observing, you are encouraged to take the time to read the artist’s description. Not doing so may cause you to miss some significant and interesting facts about the person, the area, or the historical implication of the piece. In fact, the narrative is an integral part of the exhibit

There is Joi Lowe’s sea glass, shell, and driftwood mobile named after the ship, “The Generous Jenny.” On its own, it’s a beautiful piece, but the meaning behind it is heartbreaking. The artist created it to honor the memory of the unnamed enslaved people who arrived at the Sotterley Plantation in 1720. Each of the 260 pieces that make up the sculpture is a life either lost or determined to survive. For instance, the brown sea glass represents the 91 enslaved men; 20 unaccounted souls are shown as white sea glass, and shells symbolize the 29 people thrown overboard due to a smallpox infection.

The various displays are spread out over two floors, and you’ll soon discover there are themes. “What our Exhibition Designer, Jim Koerner, did,” said Dolde, “was to group the pieces so that they connect, play off the other, and send different messages.” For the community, the fun part becomes going through the rooms and figuring out the association.

For instance, look for the homage to the Eastern Shore’s most iconic symbol, the osprey. Along with the more traditional painting, you’ll find an intricate textile piece that was woven and hand painted. And then there is “Ospreys Don’t Wear Coats,” which shows a whimsical bird dressed for the cool temperature and holding two coffee cup containers. ‘Nests can’t be made with coffee cups’ is stated on the accompanying description by Nicholas Thrift. Thrift, who considers himself a part-time artist, says he was inspired to paint the osprey to express the ‘duality of man and animal, in the midst of environmental catastrophe, through the lens of the humorously grotesque.’ “I wanted him to have a veil of ambiguity,” he said. “There’s hope and fear in the picture, just mashing together.”

That message of hope and fear is everywhere and in every piece of art throughout the gallery. It’s in Sharon Malley’s oil painting “Momfords Poynt from Space,” which imagines John Smith’s map of the Chesapeake from space. It’s in Thelma Jarvis Peterson’s Celtic-inspired song, “Ghost Forests,” and in the music video “Can’t Work the River” by Peter Panyon and Big Tribe. It’s also found in Nic Galloro’s “Foamberg Fish,” a sculpture made of recycled wood, CDs, aluminum foil, milk cartons, and glass. It’s there when standing in front of “Sea Rise,” a sculpture by George Lorio that explores the relationship between rising sea levels and an affected home, or in the heartbreaking photo montage by Tom Payne of Tangier Island underwater, “Tangier Abandoned.”

“I think that art is uniquely able to capture that poignancy of the human experience,” said Lode. “You can’t always put it in words or name it, but we feel it, and it’s different for everyone. So what one person will respond to in this exhibition will differ from the next person.”

It is that experience that the museum hopes to convey to the public. Pete Lesher, Chief Curator at CBMM, said. “One of the bigger messages that we hope people carry away about the Chesapeake is that we want them to not only love the place and be good stewards of it but also better understand the culture and be better stewards of the culture.”

Dolde agrees. “The Chesapeake is part of our identity. So whether you’re from here, whether you’ve come here and fell in love with it, whether you’ve chosen to move here, or choose to vacation here–there’s something about this body of water. And there’s something about how you experience it. Whether it’s time with family, enjoying the beauty of nature, or admiring the resilience of the traditional waterman in the traditional culture, it’s all just inspiring.”

No matter your connection to the water, you will find something at Changing Chesapeake that will amuse, inspire, or touch you. It will also make you think. And coming once will not be enough.

The Changing Chesapeake is funded through CBMM’s Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council. Viewing this exhibition is included with general CBMM admission and free for CBMM members. Visit cbmm.org to learn more.

Two Artists, Two States and One Canvas: Artists Jill Basham and Kim VanDerHoek Meet in the Cloud

March 6, 2023 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Two artists, two states, one canvas, and one acclaimed painting. You might have recently seen a write-up on their collaboration in the Spy. It was an idea neither artist expected would happen.

Jill Basham from Trappe and Southern California’s Kim VanDerHoek met at an Easton Plein Air event almost a decade ago. Each admired the other’s work—both the similarities (including their preference for aerial views of landscapes) and differences. VanDerHoek is more of a textural artist, referring to her style as ‘loud.’ On the other hand, Basham prefers capturing the softer, subtler moments. Couldn’t the meshing of the two types, they wondered, create an interesting outcome?

The decision to design one painting came about as their challenge and an opportunity for growth. “It meant,” said VanDerHoek, “not silencing or obliterating the other person’s voice stylistically. It’s easy to let your ego take over, but that’s where the mutual respect and admiration of one another’s work is so important.”

As was reported, the painting, started by Basham using a photo of D. C. as reference, was then sent to VanDerHoek, who added her artistic talents. Having agreed not to share progress, the nearly completed painting was returned to Basham for a final edit. “When I opened the box, it literally took my breath away,” she said. That moment is captured in a video. The 24”x36” painting is now on display and available for sale at Trippe Gallery in Easton.

As exciting as this collaboration was, VanDerHoek and Basham are now back to creating their own paintings. They each admit that the partnership was well worth the effort and allowed them to reflect on their careers and how this experience has changed them.

For VanDerHoek, thoughts about becoming an artist started when she was a child and was reinforced in high school. In college, she majored in fine arts, worked as a graphic designer, then took time off after her son was born. It was then that she discovered Plein air. “It was something I could do and not worry about him getting into my supplies,” she said. “It didn’t take very long for me to realize that that was the career path I’d always wanted to take.”

Contrast that to Basham’s path, one that she considers a ‘late start.’ “I was a social worker and then a transportation planner for a while. It was not something I cared much about, so instead, I stayed home and raised four kids. When my youngest was in third or fourth grade, I signed up for a drawing class at the Academy Art Museum and then went on to take classes in painting. That’s when I got that ‘aha’ moment and knew this was exactly what I wanted to do. It still gives me goosebumps.”

Despite their focus on painting, both Basham and VanDerHoek learned they had different ways of starting a project. For VanDerHoek, it’s a matter of finding or inventing something with a strong design that will keep the viewer engaged. She prefers to paint on wood panels and uses different tools such as squeegees, brushes, and a palette knife to add layers of paint that will give her both the soft, quieter passages and the bold textural areas. “Unlike Jill,” she said, “I work on one painting at a time. I wish I could work on more, but I have to finish one before starting another, or it loses momentum, and I’ll never return to it.”

To Basham, her ability to work on several paintings is something she feels is ‘undisciplined.’ “I have 20 paintings going on at once,” she said. “I really don’t have a process for a beginning. Sometimes I’ll use a photo reference, or I’ll just start with a design and look for the abstract strength of that design. I might turn the canvas and see what I see. And then start creating a memory of a landscape that comes to mind.”

Although they may not always agree on how to start a painting, they are more aligned in knowing when to stop. “I’ll add five details and take a step back,” said VanDerHoek. “If the painting isn’t any better, then it’s time to stop. I’m just adding unnecessary detail.”

Basham said to her it’s all about time. “I need to sit with it and let it breathe. We, artists, tend to want to keep on painting, but that will just end up potentially distracting or detracting from the overall quality of the work.”

Both artists welcome any additional collaboration knowing it will depend on the commitments each has made to their respective careers. For now, Basham’s thoughts are on teaching workshops at the Academy Art Museum while supplying galleries with her work.

VanDerHoek admits to life getting in the way at the moment, consuming her better intentions to spend more time painting. She knows it’s all temporary, though. “This is, after all, still a job. You must still show up and create work. You still have deadlines.” Deadlines which include shows and art festival events.

Like all Plein air artists, they are preparing for the season. “I love painting at our Plein air. It’s something I always look forward to. It will even be more special in 2024, which will be their 20th anniversary.”W

VanDerHoek is particularly looking forward to coming back to Easton. “Easton has done a huge amount for me as an artist. Besides friendships with other artists like Jill, it has helped me advance my painting style and fostered a love of the area, the landscape, and the supportive art community. That’s been significant and impactful for me.”

Jill Basham: https://www.jillbasham.com
Kim VanDerHoek: https://kimvanderhoek.com
The Trippe Gallery, https://www.thetrippegallery.com

Rachel Franklin on Words, Music and Movement at the AAM

February 11, 2023 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Rachel Franklin is not your typical concert pianist. Rachel Franklin is not your typical lecturer. But when she combines them, the result is both brilliant and effortless. Franklin will be appearing at the Academy Art Museum (AAM) in February and March, leading a discussion on Ballet Music: The Soul of Movement. If this is the first time you’re attending her series of classes, you’re in for a real treat. If you’ve heard others, you know just how fun, entertaining, and full of information this is bound to be.

Born in Britain, Franklin began lessons at a specialist musical academy at the age of three after showing a remarkable talent for the piano. Her mother also played piano but never professionally due to debilitating stage fright. Her father, Franklin describes as an ‘all-around cultured being.’ As a family, they used to put on plays, attend chamber music events, etc., all of which contributed, she said to her calling. “In the course of building a performing career, both back in the UK and once I came to the US to do my doctorate, I’ve always wanted to talk to audiences because I felt they deserve to know why they bought the ticket in the first place. I am naturally curious about the music I play and the people who wrote it. As I began to play more and more, I started sharing my interest, did more extended talking, and then I started to lecture.”

Now the music and the words are intertwined, and she would prefer not to be labeled as one without the other. Franklin agrees that, at least for now, she might be somewhat unique in this perspective. “I honestly think those days when somebody is taught to be just a musical performer are gone. Why wouldn’t we want to embrace our audiences? Why wouldn’t we want to feel that they understood not only what we were doing but how they belong in and around the artwork they’ve paid for, which in my case, is the music and the spoken descriptions? I want them in with me.”

Rachel Franklin

There are many opportunities of being ‘in with her’ There have been countless speaking engagements, whether at the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, or National Public Radio. For AAM (where she is a regular presenter), she will be reprising a course she did for the Smithsonian about ballet music. It’s one she’s given a lot of thought to. “When you think of ballet, sometimes the music is beautiful. Sometimes the music is nice, but the steps are more interesting. A lot of the time, the music is fantastic, and the classical steps are not as engaging. And I just wanted to try and understand ballet music because ballet itself didn’t start as an international movement until the late 1800s.”

Franklin is looking forward to telling you about how Tchaikovsky changed everything (she’s a real Tchaikovsky fan) and promises to show a lot of movie clips. “I’m the queen of clips,” she boasts, “I always find beautiful clips.” Her lectures are a multimedia experience with a live piano. She covers her course in four sessions but admits it’s so thought-provoking she could easily do 20 without running out of material

No doubt anyone attending will leave with a broader and deeper knowledge of the subject, but she balks at calling this a masterclass. “I consider myself a lifelong learner. I’m just a few steps ahead in certain areas. I truly love communicating this unique and marvelous material and making it come alive for people.” As to who would benefit from her lectures, Franklin has the answer, “If you’ve ever been to a ballet, I can tell you something about it. If you’ve ever put the radio on and danced around listening to Tchaikovsky, I can tell you why. If you ever get excited when you see tickets go on sale for ballets, this is for you. If you want to understand why we care, why we like it, and why ballet makes some people cry (because it does), then this is right for you.”

Franklin’s doctorate in Musical Arts confirms her credibility in academia. But besides her lectures, Franklin loves teaching one-on-one, and she has a unique perspective only she could explain: “A lot of the time, students are completely disengaged from the person they’re playing. But how could you ever be disengaged from someone like Beethoven or Chopin, or Scott Joplin? Musicians of skill, who’ve put the time in, can take an extraordinary artwork from 250 years ago and make it come alive. And they do so by channeling the fingers of the person who wrote it. And if that sounds kooky, it’s not really. I am physically inhabiting the piece that they wrote. It’s not every day you get to communicate directly with somebody who created one of the world’s great pieces of music. If you understand that, then how can you not care? So yeah, I engage my students with that concept and then get exceptional performances from them.”

Besides classical works, Franklin is also a jazz musician. She recently appeared at Temple B’nai Israel in Easton, performing musical highlights from various Broadway composers and lyricists and discussing how they contributed to modern American musical development. After her appearance at AAM, there will be a four-lecture course on Scandinavian composers for the Smithsonian. In April, she’s playing a Mozart piano concerto with the Washington Sinfonietta, somewhat of a departure for her, as the conductor will give the lecture piece. She describes the event as follows: “I will walk on stage, play a Mozart piano concerto, then everybody claps, and I leave.”

But that’s the future. For now, Franklin will be both playing and talking in Easton.

“I don’t want people to feel that somehow they’re going to worship at some kind of superior intellectual shrine. That’s not how I feel about it. I want to switch on the light and show people why we’re so lucky. We have this music that makes people feel better about their lives. And in our current climate, boy, do we need that.”

Boy, do we need that…

———–

February 16: From the Ballet de la Nuit to Coppélia: Desperately Seeking Composers
March 2: Tchaikovsky Changes Everything
March 16: Diaghilev, the Dream Weaver
March 30: Ballet’s Diaspora
$24 Members, $29 Non-members per lecture
$90 Members, $100 Non-members for the series
Thursdays, 11 am–12:30 pm
Register at AAM. (https://academyartmuseum.org/ballet-music-the-soul-of-movement/)

Val Cavalheri is a writer and photographer. She has written for various publications, including The Washington Post. Previously she served as the editor of several magazines, including Bliss and Virginia Woman. Although her camera is never far from her reach, Val retired her photography studio when she moved from Northern Virginia to the Eastern Shore a few years ago.. She and her husband, Wayne Gaiteri, have two children and one grandchild.

At the Academy: Cheryl Warrick and Her Art of Change and Healing

February 5, 2023 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Cheryl Warrick, the Boston-based abstract artist, believes that art has the power to transform, change, and heal. This is probably why besides the numerous museums and corporations where her art is on exhibit, you will also find her work in places such as the Dana Farber Cancer Institute or the Yale New Haven Hospital. Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising as Warrick, whose artwork is currently on exhibit at the Academy Art Museum (AAM), is also a practicing nurse.

Born in St. Albans, New York, Warrick first got her nursing degree, and while practicing her profession in 12-hour weekend shifts, she began attending Massachusetts College of Art during the week. It was an appealing combination. “When I was driving away on Monday morning after working in an intense atmosphere of life and death, I was grateful to be able to live my truth and passion and express my creativity in art. It fueled both worlds. The fact that I was joyful at the end of the week also allowed me to go back to nursing with a kind of empathy and compassion.”

This type of philosophical approach to living can also be found in Warrick’s artwork, which she prefers to describe as ‘archetypal imagery.’ Using oil, acrylic, watercolors, and pencil, she finds inspiration in words and sounds and how people gather wisdom throughout life. “My art,” she says, is a metaphor, in a way, for those lived experiences.” Her images have been described as ‘quilt-like’ and infused ‘with expertly crafted patterns and textures.’ Look closely into those patterns, and you might find a word, a letter, a number, or something that evokes emotion. You’ll also find layers, a process she compares to ‘scraping away grandma’s old wallpaper.’ Underneath it all, a rich history needs to be brought up and made part of the story she’s trying to create.

For Warrick, it all starts simply by making a mark on the paper. “And then the dialogue happens between myself and the material. It’s really intuitive. I’ll use different things like ink and paint, watercolors, crayons, and oil. It’s this alchemy of things.” But that doesn’t mean she’ll create what she originally intended. “I think it was Paul Gaugin who said ‘a painting is never finished. It simply stops in interesting places.’ And that thought is my permission to change it. To turn it upside down and start painting again. You know, just break the rules. Because that’s how you can break through and find new ground.”

When asked if any particular piece stands out as meaningful for her, Warrick quickly points out that it’s not the artwork but the encounters she’s had with people observing the work that resonates with her. She recounts the story of a meeting over a painting titled ‘Untitled.’

“A man rushed up to me,” she said, telling me that the painting should be renamed ‘After the War’ because it reminded him of when he came home from overseas, and he then told me his story. That resonated with me. And that’s why art is so important. Right? It gives us the tools to talk to each other, to share our stories, if we allow it to—if we let ourselves learn how to look and listen.”

Like all two-way conversations, connecting with her audience is also essential to her as an artist. “Because what artists do is in isolation, until it’s out in the world, out of the context of your studio, and other people are talking about it, you don’t know the impact your work has had on others.”

Warrick considers her passion for art part of a journey that she’s had to expand in scope to continue to do what she loves. She’s still a practicing nurse. She’s also gone on to receive a Masters in Education. “Some years, she said, “you could make a living being an artist, but I’m also sending my daughter through college, so I’m doing other things, like surface pattern design work, painting flowers for people’s graphics and things like that. It’s the equivalent if I was an opera singer and couldn’t get into the opera and sing the songs I wanted to sing. Well, this guy wants you to do jingles. So I’ll do the jingles. Sometimes artists have to do different things.”

So how will this expansion evolve in the future? “As I look back over the years, things have changed, and I can’t predict how they will change going forward. But I think I’m trying to show up with a kind of honesty, knowing that my heart will lead my hand. And I think if I can trust in that capacity to create from that place, then it will evolve; it always does. Along with the willingness to trust that it will take me to where I need to go.”

Warrick looks forward to her appearance at AAM, where she will discuss her work and explore the intricacies of appreciating art. “It would be exciting to create dialogue around helping people learn to see with empathy and curiosity. Those are the things I think are important when visiting any piece of art.”

To register for Cheryl Warrick’s discussion on her current exhibition, Abstract Surge, at AAM on Saturday, February 18,5:30 p.m. please go here.

The Use of Makerspaces in Education at The Country School

February 1, 2023 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Ever heard the term “Makerspace?” If you are an educator, you probably already know all about it. For the rest of us, it’s a word we should keep in mind. We will be hearing about it in the future.

According to Campbell University, the word, simply defined, is “a place where students –sometimes alongside staff, parents, and mentors — can create, problem solve, and develop skills, talents, thinking, and mental rigor.”

But what does that mean, and why are so many schools so enthusiastic about establishing this non-traditional classroom space? That’s because at its core are elements of experiential learning, collaboration, and teamwork with an emphasis on offering a variety of tools, technology, and workspace not available in the traditional classroom.

One local school that has embraced this model is Easton’s The Country School, an independent private, coeducational school for pre-K through 8. The program, designed to enhance and provide additional enrichment to the current curriculum, was started this past fall and has been met with enthusiasm from students, teachers, and parents. Makerspace is STEAM-based, an acronym that means it’s reinforcing concepts of science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

The Country School has divided Makerspace into six zones: The Tech Den (featuring 3D printers, iPads, a green screen, computer programming station), Robotics Lab (Mbot, Lego Mindstorms, Dot-Dash Robots), Electronics/Circuits Workshop (Snap Circuits, Arduino), The Wood Shop (hammers, nails, screws, screwdrivers, saws, etc.), Manipulatives and Simple Machines Center (Legos, Marble Run, K’Nex, etc.), and Arts and Design Lab (craft supplies, recyclables, and building materials).

The Makerspace approach is promoted by presenting students with authentic challenges with undefined solutions. Teachers are present as facilitators of the process and provide students with the tools and flexibility to devise their own design plans, allowing them to learn the value of persistence and realize that real-world problems rarely have known solutions.

Annie Hasselgren, Director of Admissions, reports that the students get weekly exposure and hands-on experience that supplement their standard classroom curriculum. Hasselgren explains how it covers all components of the STEAM acronym, “The technology part in this is self-explanatory, as students interact with each of the zones,” she said, “In terms of engineering, they’re learning creative ways to build something, for instance, a bridge, making sure to plan a design that will actually work and will stay upright. Obviously, there’s a lot of math in engineering and science and just ensuring that things will work the way you plan them. This also requires artistic creativity because if you’re doing anything, from building a bridge to designing a basic video game, you want it to be visually attractive to users.”

All of these new study concepts have generated more engagement and interest from the students. “Even though it’s structured,” Hasselgren said, “instead of sitting at desks, they’re able to do more group work with their peers. They’re having conversations about their projects and have a slightly different level of freedom and purpose.” The process allows students to make and learn from mistakes and, once they succeed, to retain the knowledge for future endeavors. The program also addresses the diverse learning needs of students by promoting various styles of acquiring information, whether visual, auditory, or kinesthetic.

Makerspace is available to all students at The Country School, but eighth graders were the first to use the designated area for an experiment. They were challenged to design a package to “Ship a Chip” (a Pringle potato chip) across the country using only a flat sheet of cardboard and a few basic supplies, such as a cotton ball, string, tape, and a plastic bag. It was sent to various locations around the U.S., where recipients were asked to unwrap and reveal the effectiveness of the packaging. But regardless of the outcome, students learned the value of research.

Currently, seventh graders are programming robots, and kindergarteners will be working with 8th graders on a stEMPATHY project: creating a model city that embraces diversity and meets the needs of people of all abilities. All of these projects have been designed to encourage 21st-century skills that go beyond critical thinking and problem-solving. Flexibility, teamwork, adaptation, technology literacy, productivity, social skills, leadership, and other soft skills can be learned through tinkering and creation.

If there have been any challenges while implementing the program, The Country School sees it as a teachable moment rather than an obstacle. “Sometimes it gets a little noisy when students are doing group work,” Hasselgren said, “and sometimes they don’t agree on how to move forward with a certain stage of the process. But that’s how you learn life skills of cooperation and understanding the perspectives of others. And if you’re in a group, you’ll have to figure out a way to work together, even if that seems difficult at the time.”

The actual space for Makerspace was part of a resourceful effort on the part of the school when it turned a former teacher’s lounge into a place that would be used for the program. The funding came next. “We had a major donor who wanted to ensure that Makerspace was created and gave us the funds to make it happen. But it’s not just a one-and-done expense. Since it’s now a part of school life here, it will need to be accounted for in future budgets.”

Volunteers have also stepped up in other ways. Hasselgren said, “we have a parent who is a professor of robotics at Salisbury University, who will be holding after-school camps for kids. Other parents with expertise in some of these STEAM-related areas have volunteered their time to offer after-school opportunities for the kids.”

Of course, the support of teachers is a primary reason this has been such a success. According to Hasselgren, the two science teachers who were enthusiastic about it ‘took the baton and ran with it.’

“Guiding students through the engineering and design process, then witnessing their projects come to fruition is an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Melissa Grant, Lower School science teacher. “From 3D printing to robotics to woodworking, our students are gaining invaluable skills that prepare them for careers in our modern world and help them learn how to work through challenges with resilience.”

Upper School Science teacher, Kylie Schappeler, sums it up best. “It’s exciting to teach at a school that is so supportive of advancing its science and STEAM programs. We’re also extremely fortunate to have received donations of supplies such as science kits and robots, as well as time and talents from various families in our community as we build our Makerspace together. The absolute best part of the space, though, is the joy happening there when kids create, build, experiment, and ultimately grow through their experiences. It’s a happy place.”

The Art of Giving Back Locally Even if You’ve Left Town

January 30, 2023 by Val Cavalheri 1 Comment

It’s usually bittersweet–that time when someone retires. They wave goodbye to their friends, home, and job to begin a new life elsewhere, surrounded by sunshine, grandchildren, hobbies, and other leisure activities.

But for some, and it seems a growing number of adults, retirement is just the beginning of a new life cycle that sometimes involves the continuation of what they were doing before they retired, within the community they left.

Howard Freedlander

Take Howard Freedlander, former MD Deputy State Treasurer and current Spy essayist. Since he writes about the goings on in Talbot County, you probably think the Out and About (Sort of) columnist lived here. Well, he used to. Since 2020, Freedlander has been an Annapolis resident. But after 44 years in Easton, the roots are deep. “I cannot sever my ties to Talbot County,” he has said.

But does he have to?

For Freedlander, who is involved as a committee chair for BAAM (Building African American Minds) and still sits on local boards, that answer is a resounding ‘no.’ “It’s been great to be able to continue to serve Talbot County. And, every week when I write a column for the Spy, I feel as if I’m continuing to cultivate my roots.”

Because of those roots, people know him and seek him out even though he’s no longer a resident. Just in time for last year’s election, he was asked to host a Talbot County Council candidate forum. “When I was emceeing, both the candidates and the audience, which contained many people whom I knew, granted me a degree of credibility because I lived on the shore for so long and still love it.”

Despite how busy he’s kept on this side of the bridge, he’s also becoming well-known in his new home city. That’s not a surprise for someone who is used to being busy. “I’m on the board of Historic Annapolis and on the Advisory Council of the Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation. I also serve on the finance committee where we live. And then I’ve been involved in a project that gives me a lot of personal satisfaction.” That project was a five-acre piece of land that had been earmarked as a site for 43 townhomes. With Freedlander’s intervention, $6.5 million was secured, and the property was purchased and turned into a passive park focused on the heritage of the historic port of Annapolis. “I was able to work effectively on this,” he said, “because of my experience with the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, my time as Deputy Treasurer for the State of Maryland, and my firm belief in preservation.”

Not that he hasn’t experienced some changes. “I’ve left a place I loved, Freedlander said, “and moved to a far more populated area, with more traffic lights and longer waits.” There is also the transition to a retirement community. “We’re living in a wonderful retirement community where we own our unit but live by rules set by others, as opposed to living in your own home making your own rules. We had to get accustomed to that.”

Yet life in Annapolis has given him a deeper understanding and appreciation for the Eastern Shore and its people. “It seems that issues such as the Talbot boys and Lakeside have awakened Talbot County citizens. When I looked down on that audience during the forum, I saw people I knew and those I didn’t know. And every seat was occupied. I thought, well, this is really terrific; people in Talbot County are paying attention to a local election.”

Lani Seikaly

Another retiree has perhaps found a solution to continuing local involvement. Just ask Lani Seikaly where she lives, and she’ll tell you, “I live in Chestertown and McLean (Virginia).”

Until 2010, Seikaly lived on the Western Shore. She had worked as a principal through the Maryland State Department of Education and then spent years providing technical assistance and professional development to schools. When close to retirement age, she and her husband moved to Chestertown, a place where she was born but not raised. “Once there, I started getting involved in activities. I was looking for work that I thought had some meaning.” Seikaly created programs, sat on various boards, and got interested in the field of home insecurity. It was through this interest that she founded the Kent Attainable Housing (KAH), an organization dedicated to moving families out of poverty through the asset of homeownership. “We build affordable homes and have a financial literacy support program that helps families get their credit scores in a place where they could get a loan, and we could sell them a house.”

But here is the thing: when she started KAH a little over three years ago, she wasn’t entirely living on the Eastern Shore full-time. Like Freedlander, Seikaly wanted to be near her children. Eventually. But eventually came sooner than they expected when their Chestertown home sold quickly. Since they weren’t quite ready to move away full-time, Seikaly and her husband now have a house in McLean but rent in Chestertown–sort of. Seikaly explains, “We rent flexible nights per month from two different homeowners. One is the home of friends who are only here part-time, and the other is a cottage next to a home of a woman who uses the cottage for her family on occasion. That’s our Chestertown existence.”

Seikaly continues to be very involved in KAH. She feels there is a need here for this type of program. “It was easier to get that going here. I already love this place, and I already have roots in this place.” Yet, Chestertown is a little too far away from her family. “My decision is to be as involved here as possible. And it has its downside because it keeps me from being involved in the area where I now have a home.”

The Chestertown pull continues to be strong, however. She got involved in a project to document and record Chestertown’s black entrepreneurs from the 1960s and 70s. “I love giving voice to folks whose voices are not being heard. I was also involved with Chestertown River Arts and made an exhibit of about seven of these oral histories, where I took photos and used quotes from the interviews. It was gratifying work, and the one time we had more African American presence in the gallery than we did at any other time.”

Seikaly feels there is a difference in living on the Eastern Shore that is hard to find anywhere else, and it comes down to the people. “So often, I won’t know the full history of somebody’s work experience until I read an obituary. In McLean, if I went to a cocktail party, the chief question you get is, what do you do? That’s not how it is in Chestertown, where that’s usually only a curiosity question because what you do is not who you are. And so, I value that too.”

Yet Seikaly is also mindful of another difference. “I feel I’m unlike some of my friends. Some people here think retirement is just for enjoying the great environment, the water, the golf course, etc. I like all those things too, but that’s not what will make my life meaningful.”

Robert “Bob” Grill

Robert “Bob” Grill has also found a meaningful life he cannot entirely move away from. In 2010, he co founded a relief charity called Disaster Aid USA (DAUSA). What started as a Rotary Club project became a worldwide highly successful organization whose mission is to provide humanitarian relief to victims when disaster strikes.

Grill was Chairman of the Board and stepped down four years ago and took on the position of President and CEO of DAUSA. At the time, he and his wife lived in Davidsonville in Anne Arundel County. In 2019, faced with a bigger house than they needed, Grill and his wife moved to Easton.

Like Freedlander and Seikaly, Grill cannot ‘retire’ from the job he enjoys. Lucky for him, he doesn’t have to. At 85 years of age, he no longer goes to help at different disaster sites, but he does whatever he can and continues being involved in what he loves.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Grill started his own construction company and remains somewhat active in this business, loaning out his construction yard as storage space to DAUSA. He’s still a Rotarian, although not as active as he used to be. But that’s because DAUSA keeps him pretty busy every day. “I can’t stay away,” he says. I do the bulk mailings, banking, and bookkeeping. I send out all the thank yous, make up all the mailings, do the brochures and stuff like that.”

As for his move to Easton, Grill is happy with the decision. “There are a lot of clubs here,” he says, “and all through the Eastern Shore that are very supportive of Disaster Aid USA. When there’s a disaster, they’ve always provided funds for us to go out and to do the work.”

Freedlander, Seikaly, and Grill are just three examples of a new breed of retirees who have redefined the word as they continue to do crucial and meaningful work despite their geographical location. After all, if you’re doing good work, does it matter where it’s being done and what you call it?

Delmarva Review at 15: A Chat with Publisher Wilson Wyatt

January 21, 2023 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

It’s hard to imagine that the nationally recognized literary journal celebrating its 15th year once had trouble getting submissions. Of course, that may be because in 2007, when Delmarva Review first started, it was an Eastern Shore Writer’s Association membership publication. At that time, both the submissions and the audience were the group’s small membership.

Wilson Wyatt, Jr.

Wilson Wyatt, writer, photographer, and communication specialist, was president of the Association then, and he had an idea. If the purpose of a literary journal was to publish the best writing around, why not open it up to writers beyond the Association and maybe even beyond the region? The membership agreed, and with Wyatt as executive editor, the new Delmarva Review was born.

Their first order of business was to notify authors that they were taking submissions for an open national review. Although no advertising was done, they received 200 entries that first year. The first issue was thin. Today, with 4,000-6,000 submissions worldwide, the group no longer has to ask or wonder how they will fill the 300 or so pages. “We have published authors from 42 states and 16 foreign countries, including Russia and China,” said Wyatt.” One year, we got about half a dozen submissions from Ukraine, probably from a writing class, and that’s always interesting. But what really comes down to the acceptance is quality. Quality is what we’re after.”

Although the quality they seek has not changed, how it’s been presented has. To ensure the widest readership possible, the Review is available worldwide at major online retailers in print and digital editions to anyone and everyone interested in excellent writing. Besides, the Delmarva Review now has a reputation for discovering and providing a platform for new and emerging voices in the literary community. It is a goal they strive to maintain, issue to issue. The yearly publication features a diverse selection of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. They will even consider art/photography submissions for the cover. The journal has a solid online presence, with a website that features guidelines, information about past issues, and much more. And it’s all done on a budget.

As a 501(c)(3), Delmarva Review is a nonprofit run by a small team of dedicated volunteers, all experts in their field. There is no charge for submission or reading fees. Some of the expenses are covered by the money from sales of the yearly publication, some by individual contributions, and some by grants from the Talbot Arts Council and the Maryland State Arts Council.

But don’t underestimate what this team is capable of accomplishing. The selection process is extremely tight and competitive. Every entry is read by at least one editor, and by the time something is accepted, it’s been read several times by at least three.

15th Edition. Photo by Wilson Wyatt

While there are no predetermined topics, the submissions seen year to year usually revolve around the same common themes. “Most of the topics have to do with the issues we all share as human beings,” says Wyatt. “If there is one quality in common, it is the challenges of dealing with change: loss, loneliness, love, your place among others, nature, and aging.”

What is discouraged by the Review are overtly religious, sexual, or political topics. “But then again,” says Wyatt, “if something really good comes in that flirts with one of those subjects, if the writing is good, it’s well-crafted and interesting, then it may well have a home in the publication.” Ultimately, what they look for is a universal and relatable message.

The Delmarva Review has received numerous accolades for its commitment to discovering and promoting new voices in literature. It has been recognized and included in the annual list of the best literary magazines in the country. So have their chosen writers gone on to successful careers? “I’m not sure,” said Wyatt. “We don’t track the authors, but we do hear from some after they’ve published books by major editors. It makes it all worthwhile when you receive that kind of communication.”

One measure of satisfaction that is quantifiable for the publication that bears the name of the region is that there has always been a significant number of writers from Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Of the 490 authors published since that first issue, 46% have been from the area.

What’s keeping that percentage high, Wyatt believes, is that the Delmarva region is a growing and thriving writer’s community supported by associations such as the Eastern Shore Writer’s Association, the Maryland Writers Association, and the Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild, to name some of the largest. It also helps that the Review is a literary journal whose home is in Talbot County and is better known by writers in the region. Says Wyatt, “When we became independent, it gave us the strength to become a good home for all writers. And if I’m a serious writer, I want to be in a publication that has some value to me in the future; I want to be in the Delmarva Review.”

An author in the current issue who might find some future value, should she decide to pursue writing, is Maxine Poe-Jensen, a high school senior at St. Michaels High School. Poe-Jensen was the first recipient of the Youth Writing Mentorship and Scholarship Award, a high school scholarship and mentoring initiative encouraging outstanding writing among students in regional schools. “This was funded by a special grant that we received from Talbot Arts,’ said Wyatt, “and it worked so well that we’re going to do it again next year.”

Being published in a literary magazine can be a valuable experience for young writers. It’s something they will probably never forget. Besides the exposure and encouragement, the experience of submitting a story for publication, collaborating with an editor, and seeing one’s work in print can be a valuable learning experience and a stepping stone to bigger opportunities. Poe-Jensen’s fictional short story, E Duo Unum, is featured in the latest issue.

Wyatt hopes that she also might be the future of the Review as they seek young writers to add to their list of authors.

It is of note to mention a recent addition to the Review’s business model. It involves the weekly republishing of either a poem or a prose selection in the Spy. The Review gives the Spy publication a reservoir of pre-edited, high-quality literary content while offering Delmarva Review authors a new local audience. To Wyatt, this is a win-win. “It’s a significant advantage for regional authors looking to publish their best work to a growing general readership and helps writers build a presence outside their traditional writers’ circles. Our success has been in fulfilling a need for both writers and readers. So far, technological advances have worked well with our independent, volunteer approach toward publishing, allowing us to offer print, availability worldwide, and digital reading on electronic devices.”

Delmarva Review’s 15th anniversary edition includes 78 poems, 11 short stories, and 12 nonfiction essays. The 60 featured authors come from 18 states, the District of Columbia, and six foreign countries. The issue is available on Amazon

The submission period for the 16th edition of Delmarva Review will be open through March 31, 2023, for publication in November 2023. For more information, go to the Delmarva Review website. (https://delmarvareview.org)

Interested in volunteering? Delmarva Review welcomes new skilled editors and readers, regardless of geographical borders.

Qlarant Foundation Profiles: Bay Hundred Community Volunteers

December 15, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Editor Note: This is the first of three articles that focus on the recipients of the Qlarant Foundation grant awards over the last year. We began with the Bay Hundred Community Volunteers based in Talbot County.

Yes, this group is unique. They’re a nonprofit community service organization with no paid staff. But their work is priceless; ask any of those they helped. They are known as the Bay Hundred Community Volunteers (BHCV), but their scope of work far exceeds the Bay Hundred area.

Started in 1999 by Bill Shrieve and his wife Jean, their mission is to help improve the living conditions of Talbot County residents and raise public awareness of the need for adequate, safe, and affordable housing. Initially, though, it was created to address a specific need for a small community in Sherwood, Maryland. At that time, the fledgling yet motivated group took out 150 tons of trash, redid the roads, cleared brush, and did some minor home repair services. To fund what needed to be done, they held chicken barbecues and solicited donations from individuals and groups

After a couple of years, the group became a nonprofit and began serving low-income Bay Hundred residents. They expanded again in 2009 to provide home repairs to all of Talbot County. Repairs which included replacing windows, installing storm doors, etc.

PHOTO OF BERT’S RAMP

Over time, what BHCV discovered was an ever-growing need for mobility home additions and modifications. Grab bars, handrails, and handicap ramps became another and important part of their mission. But it was the work they did building wheelchair ramps from scratch that gained them notoriety as the only nonprofit organization providing this service to Talbot County’s vulnerable residents who had income limitations. But the group also had constraints. Despite an estimated need for approximately 25 ramps, BHCV only had the resources to build 3-4 ramps per year. The process of using wood in their construction was not only labor-intensive and time-consuming, but the permit procedure was challenging. Additionally, once installed, the ramps were not reusable.

That’s when Easton-based Qlarant Foundation (the charitable arm of Qlarant) stepped in and, in 2020, awarded the group a $15,000 grant. With the money, BHCV were able to purchase and install modular aluminum ramps that were easy to assemble, ADA compliant, and, since they are temporary, usually do not require a permit. “Since we started doing them in March of 2020,” said Shrieves, “we’ve installed 44 ramps to neighbors at no charge for as long as needed. Once they no longer have a need, we recover them and use the parts for other ramps.”

Referrals usually come from the Talbot County Health Department or the Department of Social Services, and BHCV follows HUD guidelines for income limitations. “$34,200 for a single person living alone Is what we look at and the people we’re working with,” says Shrieves.

Qlarant has continued to be their primary contributor, but other grants and support from the community, private foundations, and businesses have allowed this unique program to continue and thrive. These have included Mid-Shore Foundation, Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Charitable Foundation, etc.

There are many stories about how lives have been changed by the efforts of BHCV’s installations of ramps. They range from reducing social isolation to helping people to get to their medical appointments. All important to the health of a community.

Shrieves shared an example.

Bert was a retired radiology technician and Neavitt resident, who loved dogs, photography, the outdoors, and music. in October of last year, he suffered a stroke and spent time in a rehab facility. But he wanted to be home with his dogs. BHCV fulfilled that wish by installing a ramp in May 2022. However, he had another stroke in late August and sadly passed away. BHCV disassembled the ramp.

At about the same time, the Talbot County Health Department contacted BHCV about Tina, a single parent of four who had been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and whose condition had quickly declined. She started using a wheelchair and moved in with a friend to get the support she needed. Using part of the materials from Bert’s ramp, and with no additional cost to BHCV, a ramp was built and installed for her in September. Tina can now leave home or just sit outside enjoying the sun. Additionally, BHCV will soon install other parts of Bert’s ramp for another client.

Besides the success they’ve experienced with their ramp program, BHCV continues to do their home repair work as well. Although volunteers do most repairs, licensed contractors are sometimes hired for the more complex projects. Said Shrieves, “We did a bathroom that was just the worst; the toilet was being held up with a 2×4. It required complete gutting and rebuilding of the floor joists and turned out to be a $13,000 project–way more than what we could afford. So Choptank Electric Trust came in with $2,500, a family raised about $4,000, and we paid for the rest. We combine these kinds of coalitions to get a big project done.”

What they have accomplished with these impromptu coalitions has been nothing short of amazing. A typical year for the group was an investment of $15-20,000 in home repairs. Shrieves estimates that this year they will have invested around $60,000 and will finish 30-35 projects. But also remarkable is how many volunteers are involved in these tasks.

“We probably have around 20 people on our roll,” said Shrieves. “About 15 do the physical volunteer work, and the rest are involved in other activities.” Surprisingly none of them have had professional careers in home building or repair. They’re just people who are ‘handy,’ mostly neighbors interested in helping their neighbors.”

Enthusiasm and pride are not lacking when speaking to anyone in the group. Still, as they continue to grow, BHCV is experiencing the same challenges as other nonprofits—the need for more volunteers. “We’re looking for people who, when I send out an email to everybody and say, ‘Hey, we got a ramp to install next Tuesday, who’s available?’ can pipe up and help. We also need folks willing to get involved in the administration and leadership of the organization. People who, in the future, would be in a position to succeed me and some of the other folks,” said Shrieves.

Until that time come, and for now, the group will continue to do what they do best, bring hope to those in need.

For more information and see how you can help about Bay Hundred Community Volunteers please go here. For more information about the Qlarant Foundation please go here.

How Oxford Saved its Community School by Val Cavalheri

November 28, 2022 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

The little town of Oxford is not necessarily known as a bedrock of activism. But this story about the saving of a building just might change your mind.

To most of us, the Oxford Community Center (OCC) is a place where you can take in a first-rate concert or theater production, listen to an enlightening guest speaker, attend yearly model boat shows and fine arts fairs, join monthly cars and coffee, exercise at daily classes, and so much more. But this place would not be such an indispensable part of the community were it not for the efforts of a group of people who would not allow the building to be torn down. But perhaps activists are not a name they would call themselves. They would more than likely say they were just neighbors.

To acknowledge this milestone, OCC will hold an all-out celebration at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 30. Festivities will include a video documentary premiere of how the building was saved from being torn down, told in the words of those who were there, who cared, and who passed on the torch to a newer generation of… neighbors.

Designed by renowned architect Henry Powell Hopkins, the building opened in 1928 as a high school. Ten years later, when high schoolers were transported to Easton, the Oxford School was converted to an elementary school and, in the late 1950s, became the first integrated school on the Eastern Shore. The school closed in 1971, and ten years of neglect later, a decision about its future was under discussion by the town commissioners.

At around the same time, a sister building by the same architect was torn down at Idlewild Park in Easton, and that action fired up the citizens of Oxford who realized their building was going to be demolished as well. “A lot of people who still live in Oxford today,” said Liza Ledford, OCC’s Executive Director, “have parents or grandparents who went to that school back into the 30s. The heart of the town, the heart of the memories of the generations, was stored up in those walls, and it motivated them to claim that building as theirs and not allow it to become just a historical reference piece.”

Forming the Save our School (S.O.S.) committee, this group of townspeople went door to door asking for signatures and monetary support. In 1982, less than a year after they started, an agreement was reached with the town and the county. The former schoolhouse became a community center, giving the town a place where townspeople and other local neighbors could meet to socialize, participate in educational or recreational activities, etc. Almost immediately, the Tred Avon Players found a home, as did a kid’s camp and various other groups who were able to make use of what the building could offer. And the Center grew.

In 2012 a new campaign was successfully launched to renovate and modernize the building. Then, a few years ago, as OCC began to plan a celebration of the 40th anniversary, Ledford came across some black foam cork boards containing pictures and the townspeople’s original petitions. It was laid out comparable to a PowerPoint slide presentation, and it told the story of the saving of the building. Ledford speculates it might have been part of a past celebration.

Nevertheless, it gave Ledford an idea. She applied for and won a grant from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority and the Stories of the Chesapeake to tell that story of the 1980s battle to save the building. “This incredible presentation was already laid out. It just needed a timeless format,” she said. And Ledford was the perfect person to make it happen. Before coming to OCC, she was part of the Hollywood film and entertainment business, working for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Sony Studios. She’s often said how working in the industry was about ‘selling an experience in a positive and moving way.’

To help her sell that experience, Ledford hired W Films, a company she’s worked with previously. “I knew I wanted to do the documentary,” she said, “and we started by interviewing some of the people highlighted in those black panels.” One conversation that stands out for Ledford involves a story about the five founding members of S.O.S. — Sue Jackson, Phillip Connor, Sidney Campen, Norman Harrington, and Doug Hanks, Jr. It was those five people who stood around a hot wood stove in an old boathouse in Oxford on a cold January day and gave birth to the committee that decided to put all of their energy and resources into saving a building slated for the wrecking ball.

Their efforts are celebrated in the documentary, as are some who had gone to that school, lived in Oxford at the time, or were connected in some way to the nostalgia surrounding the building. People like Ferne Banks who remembers growing up as an African American in Oxford and how she was more aware of racism when attending the Easton school. Even then, she explains, students saw each other as Oxford people first and protected and related to each other as neighbors.

Also interviewed are Fiona Foster and Jennifer Stanley, to whom the torch was passed and who, to this day, make sure the building remains active and, as Ledford says, “full of heart and warmth.” That torch is now in the hands of those associated with the Oxford Community Center of today, and like those before them, they are up to the challenge.

Written into the grant, besides the video, is a physical exhibit that will be displayed for an undetermined time at OCC. It will include a timeline and history of the building, correspondence and appeal letters to the commissioners, school yearbooks, photos, and other memorabilia. Some of the black panels that inspired Ledford to create this memorial will also be included.

“This exhibit,” she said, “will allow people to see the building as a character in transformation across all these years. And this character, this building, has a heartbeat. And the heartbeat is shown through what we all do now. So it’s a celebration of all these people who have stewarded it and cared for it passionately and made sure it remained as it is today, a welcoming place where people can meet, talk and share ideas.”

Ledford also hopes this celebration will allow OCC to become recognized as one of the landmarks of Oxford. “When you come to Oxford via the ferry or doing a walking tour with the museum, we wanted to put a stake in the ground and have people come to the Community Center. We want them to appreciate it not only as a piece of architecture but as an interesting part of the history of the Chesapeake, where people came together across color lines, across economic lines for a common goal. And how, to this day, the building they fought for continues to unite and bring togetherness and community. I just feel like that needs to be more emphasized these days.”

As robust and historic as this project is, there is still one item on Ledford’s to-do list. “I love those black panels; they’re just amazing. I only wish I could find out who made them. I hope they’ll come to the event.” Whether she gets her wish or not, the anniversary celebration will be a way to honor the structure’s illustrious past and bright future. It will be yet another gathering of neighbors, another festivity under the roof of this building known as Oxford Community Center.

OCC’s Anniversary Celebration on 11/30/2022 6-8 p.m. is free . For more information, please visit www.oxfordcc.org, or call 410-226-5904.

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