Amundson, Sagar Awarded Sabbaticals

Virginia, who teaches Middle School science, will explore opportunities in field research and lichenology, giving her experience as a practicing field research scientist and naturalist. She will study at the Humboldt Field Research Institute, Earthwatch Institute and the Tuckerman Lichen Workshop, traveling to Maine, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Jersey and the Bahamas, and she will develop working relationships with professors and nature artists in Canada and the U.S.  Virginia also plans to document her naturalist observations with journal entries and digital photography with the goal of capturing her experiences in stories of her adventures, which she hopes will inspire her students and heighten their interest in environmental learning.

Michal, the Visual Arts department head, will spend the year working creatively as an artist, focusing on art inspired by La Convivencia, a term that describes the relatively peaceful coexistence of Jews, Muslims and Christians in southern Spain from 711-1492. She will travel to Europe, studying in Spain and working and visiting museums in France and England. Michal will develop her experience with encaustics (paints made from pigmented beeswax on a “canvas” of weathered wood) by studying paints and printmaking at studios in New York and Minneapolis, and she will work extensively in her own studio. Michal looks forward to modeling what she teaches students by having this opportunity to explore her subject matter from new viewpoints.

In his memo to faculty and staff, Head of School Edward Kim concluded, “Please join me in congratulating Virginia and Michal on their winning proposals and thanking all the faculty members who applied for their vision, thoughtfulness and dedication to professional growth.”