Summer is a time for relaxation, reflection, and some well-deserved fun. However, for one middle school teacher, Ms. Danielle Snyder, she went above and beyond this summer to hone her craft. Ms. Snyder, our seventh and eighth-grade humanities teacher, attended three week-long workshops this summer. Each of which had extensive reading and writing assignments she had to complete before arriving. Right after school ended in June, she went to Yale University in Connecticut where she explored central themes and questions relating to everyday life during the colonial period of American history (roughly 1600–1775). In July, she traveled to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia where she worked with experts to deepen her knowledge of the history and modern understandings of Separation of Powers through the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Also last month, Ms. Snyder went to Concord, Massachusetts, where she attended a National Endowment for the Humanities workshop on writing deliberately, studying how Henry David Thoreau’s writing was shaped by his experiences, observations, reflections, and discoveries in his hometown of Concord.

Danielle reflected on her trip this week as she returned to campus with her colleagues for teacher professional development, “The opportunity to learn from scholars, tour historic sites, and collaborate with teachers from across the country was both enlightening and energizing. I’m excited to share my experience and what I learned with my students. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to learn new skills and show my students that learning never stops…even for teachers!”

Thank you, Danielle, for going above and beyond for our students this summer.