How does staff Professional Development benefit our children and us as parents?
Let’s take
Emily Allen, Abintra’s Office and Communications Manager, for instance. Many of
you have probably seen Emily walking around with a camera in hand capturing our
children doing their work, engaging, and having fun. Or how about the personal pictures of our
kids emailed directly to us or the postings on Facebook and the website? All of
these photos are glimpses into our children’s day-to-day experiences at
Abintra. How nice is it to have that visual
connection as a parent? So, when a spark
of passion turned into a serious interest that would also benefit Abintra, the
Annual Fund made it possible to send Emily to Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Studio to
study photography. Not only do we
benefit as parents, but she now shares that educational experience with
students who show interest in photography. The Annual Fund also provided funds
to purchase a professional camera and lens, which Emily uses to take all
“formal” school pictures. We’re able to benefit by having someone who knows our
kids and is great at capturing them in their element. Here are a few words from Emily on this topic:
“My photography role at Abintra began with me
taking iPhone photos and posting them to Facebook. When I started intentionally taking photos, I
realized that I was really drawn to the art form – especially when it allowed
me to capture my love of Abintra and display it to the outside community. I signed up for a beginner’s photography
class at the Sarratt Studio at Vanderbilt for professional development, and the
pure excitement I felt when I had a camera in my hand confirmed that I had
found “it” – that passion that doesn’t feel like work.
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| Photo by UE photography student Lillie |
During my time at Abintra, I’ve been able to hone
in on developing my photography skills by capturing images for social media,
the website, advertisements, and my favorite – school photos for the
yearbook. I appreciate the fact that my
relationship with the students allow me to represent our community in its
truest state. To me, finding my love of
photography through working at Abintra has been my own Montessori experience. I am so grateful that I get to do work that I
thoroughly enjoy in a way that benefits the school and the community.
The biggest impact I’ve noticed on the community is
that parents feel more connected to the school when they are sent photos of
their children at work. Just a simple
photo of their child smiling and engaged will make a parent’s day – especially
if that parent is new to Abintra and their child is very young. This small gesture can put a parent
immediately at ease.
I also enjoy teaching upper school students
photography after school. I’ve noticed
quiet students find their voice with a camera in their hands, distracted
students gain focus through being aware of their surroundings, and very
different students connecting through a shared interest.
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| Photo by photography student Lillie |
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| Photo by photography student Kiki |
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| Photo by photography student Michaela |
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| Photo by photography student Liliana |
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| Photo by photography student Lily |
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| Photo by photography student Marissa |
I use the camera (purchased from contributions made
to the Annual Fund) multiple times each day to capture the spirit and character
of our community that is sometimes difficult to put into words.
The new camera and lens allow me to visually
represent the school to current and prospective parents to the best of my
ability. I greatly appreciate the
resources that allowed me this opportunity.”
Emily Allen
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| Photo by photography student Kiki |
If you have questions about the
Annual Fund or ways and how to donate, please contact annualgiving@abintra.org.
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