Faculty

Do the Math: How Renbrook Builds Confident, Capable Mathematicians

January 8, 2026

by Eleanor Strumolo and Barbara Doyle At Renbrook School, mathematics is not simply about mastering procedures or memorizing formulas. It is about developing confident, capable thinkers who understand how and why math works—and who see themselves as mathematicians. “Every student is a mathematician,” says Eleanor Strumolo, Chair of Renbrook’s Math Department. “To learn mathematics, students…

Raising Children in a Digital World: How Renbrook Guides Healthy Technology and AI Use

December 5, 2025

By Julie Schlossinger, Associate Head of School As parents and educators, we are navigating a moment unlike any other in history. The pace of technological change and the use of AI is accelerating, leaving many families wondering how to support healthy development while embracing the opportunities these tools bring. At Renbrook School, we believe that…

Stewards of the Forest

November 11, 2025

Renbrook School’s Living Classroom on Avon Mountain An interview with Lincoln Vaughan ’91, Upper School Science Department Chair and alumnus Bringing Learning to Life in the Forest High atop Avon Mountain, Renbrook School’s 75-acre campus is more than a scenic backdrop—it’s an extension of the classroom. Guided by a spirit of stewardship and scientific inquiry,…

Celebrating Excellence in Education: 2025 Cramphin Award Recipients

July 15, 2025

At the heart of Renbrook School is a deep commitment to excellence in teaching, dedication to community, and the belief that educators shape lives far beyond the classroom. Each year, that spirit is honored through the Jane and Doug Cramphin Excellence in Education Award, a meaningful tradition recognizing faculty and staff who go above and…

Renbrook School Dedicates Hiking Trail to Retired Kindergarten Teacher, Steve Arnold

May 2, 2023
When Steve Arnold retired from Renbrook School in June of 2022, he left a legacy for students of all ages. During his 32 years of teaching, Mr. Arnold demonstrated his love of the outdoors and his commitment to outdoor teaching and learning in part through the miles of trails that he created on the Renbrook campus atop Avon Mountain.

Dr. Kelly Bird presents at Independent School Management Conference

December 2, 2022
Five Ways to Make Your School Makerspace a Thriving Space of Belonging
 
Dr. Kelly Bird, Director of Renbrook Beginning School, joined Margaret Powers, founder of Creative Thinking Partners LLC, and ISM Consultant Joshua Nelson, as presenters in a webinar on makerspaces for Independent School Management this week.
 
Makerspaces are dedicated areas where students use hands-on techniques and tools to design, experiment, build, and invent. These spaces foster learning through inquiry and help develop students’ real-life, critical-thinking skills. But teachers often find it challenging to use their school’s makerspaces effectively and equitably. Dr. Bird and her colleagues discussed the value of makerspaces and how to ensure these specialized areas support student belonging and fruitful learning.
 
Key Points included:
  • Scheduling tips to promote collaboration and ways to create connections across subjects for interdisciplinary projects.
  • The benefits of designating a makerspace coordinator in each school division.
  • The importance of creating a scope and sequence for specific skills students can choose from.
  • The impact of the environment’s physical design on student interest and sense of belonging.
  • Concrete steps to build a shared commitment to learning through “making.”
Dr. Bird received her Doctorate in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Her dissertation, MAKING Space: Teacher Perceptions of How
Participation and Choice are Mediated in Maker Education in Independent Schools has informed her important work here at Renbrook School and beyond.
 

Why I Teach by Nancy Reynolds

October 31, 2022
I always felt lucky, that at an early age I knew what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” I was extremely shy in elementary school, I remember clinging to my mother’s legs and running after her back then, as if it was the end of the world. But low and behold, I felt the caring of teachers around me, who were kind and attentive, and made me see school as a happy place – a place that felt safe and comfortable, almost like home.

A Conversation with Steve Arnold, Kindergarten Teacher

April 19, 2021

Mr. Arnold has spearheaded creative use of the Renbrook campus for 30 years. He recalls the origins of our trail system.        

“You can see the remnants of Frederick Rentschler’s estate on the Yellow Trail and the part of the Blue Trail that leads from the bridge down to the Brook. Rentschler built stone steps in steep places, and they’ll still take you down to Canal Road and from the highest point on campus to below the ELC.”

A Conversation with Howard Wright, Science Department Head

April 12, 2021
“Last year seventh-grade Life Science students were outdoors about 50% of the time. This year I can count on one hand the number of classes held indoors.” In their study of dendrology, students ask, “Why do leaves fall?” They go into the woods to find out. As Mr. Wright reads to them from The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, “ ‘A tree is not a forest . . .’  they listen to leaves falling, then jump up and try to catch them. We discuss the interdependence of trees, and that leads to the importance of community; we take care of each other as trees do.”