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A Pair of High Notes for Faculty Dream Grant Recipients
Congratulations to Katie Kaplan and Peter Valera - recipients of the 2018 Faculty Enrichment Award!
The music department’s Peter Valera and Katie Kaplan are poised to fulfill long-held dreams thanks to the annual Faculty Enrichment Award, generously donated by former St. Luke’s parents Liz and Steve Goldstone. The awards, also known as the "Dream Grants," are given each year to as many as three faculty members, who have been with St. Luke’s for at least five years, to pursue a personal project or journey that will enrich their lives.
Peter Valera has been dreaming about a new saxophone for two decades. His proposal detailed a journey from elementary school through high school and beyond fueled by the drive to play and learn the sax. "I would carry that heavy case to and from school every day so I could play when I got home," he explained. "The first time I heard a Charlie Parker recording, it felt like my skin was on fire and I was hooked. In high school, I worked a part-time job and saved my money for years to purchase the tenor saxophone I still use. That acquisition was a life-changing moment for me."
Valera’s grant will allow him to continue as a lifelong learner of the saxophone while enjoying the many technical improvements made by manufacturers along the way. "I’ve played my saxophone for hundreds of thousands of hours," says Valera. "I’m looking for a new instrument that has a bright tone, big sound, fast keys, good intonation, and one that will last me another 30 years."
Katie Kaplan won her grant with a proposal to visit Israel for the first time with her husband and members of her Stamford synagogue. "In an effort to fully explore my roots," she wrote,"I wish to travel to Israel and stand at the Western Wall, ride the cable car to the fortress atop Masada, behold the Jerusalem skyline with my own eyes, and literally walk in the footsteps of my ancestors."
Kaplan’s itinerary includes many of the major sights in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Golan Heights, The Dead Sea, and more. "This trip will provide a tremendous opportunity for growth, reflection, and spiritual connection," she wrote. "I believe it will help us strengthen the foundation on which we are building a family, supporting our communities, and engaging in Tikkun Olam (repairing the world)."
Past "Dream Grant" recipients include:
2017: Math teacher Nancy Walsh went to Ireland with her sisters to trace their maternal family heritage and English teacher Susan Doran visited the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales in Great Britain (an area associated with literary greats such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, and the Brontës).
2016: MS Art Chair Nancy Sarno to re-learn the piano, Asst. Head of MS Mark Chuhta to rebuild a ‘68 Mustang engine with his son AJ and Director of College Counseling Sonia Bell for an Albany-to-Los Angeles train ride with her sister.
2015: Director of Educational Support Services Daphne Teittinen-Schreck for cooking classes with her husband and Physical Education Teacher Pat Raffaele for homemade craft brewing.
2014: Former Director of Technology and horse-enthusiast Elizabeth Preston for dressage riding sport lessons and Math Teacher Elaine Greene to take a treasured family trip to Ireland.
2013: Director of Character Education Kate Parker-Burgard to acquire bees and expand her family’s vegetable garden and Math Teacher Colin “Bucky” Buchanan to take a special cruise with his wife.
2012: Computer Science & Math Teacher as well as WSLX faculty advisor Jeff Kress to create his own home radio station and US Health & Wellness Coordinator Camille DeMarco-Havens to take an anniversary trip with her husband, MS Science Teacher David Havens.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
