Faculty Honored During Founder’s Day

On Founder’s Day, October 1, friendly competition was in the air. But there was one thing that Deltas and Phis could agree on: honoring the six faculty members who earned accolades for their dedication to their subject and their service to the School.

Cheers rang out on Graduation Terrace during the All School Meeting as Head of School Laura Danforth presented awards to Anna Cabral Drew, upper school mathematics teacher; Lisa Green, upper school English teacher; Morghan Lewis, middle school science teacher and eighth grade dean; Roberto Mercedes, upper school Spanish teacher; Bruce Robbins, middle school visual arts teacher; and Eric Shapiro, upper school history and religion teacher.

Danforth noted that these awards were created in the 1960s and 1970s, leading up to the School’s centennial in 1977. 
 
“The Masters School raised funds to establish a series of endowments to support faculty through individual awards for excellence,” she said. “Our parents and alumnae felt it was their duty to pay forward the great education and experiences they had had with Masters.”

A nine-year veteran of the math department, Anna Cabral Drew received the Parvin Fund for Mathematics Award. Rodman Parvin was a trustee and treasurer of the Board from 1942 until 1957. 

The Maureen Fonseca Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award went to Lisa Green, a member of the Masters community for 22 years. The Fonseca Chair recognizes a distinguished member of the faculty who displays a deep commitment to student-centered teaching and learning, and embodies the belief that our students can be a power for good in the world. 

Morghan Lewis, who has taught at Masters for three years, won the Margaret Coulter Fund for Science Award for excellence in the field of science. The Fund was established by Lillian Hall Fisher, Class of 1937, in honor of Margaret Coulter, who attended the School from 1900 to 1903.

The recipient of the Illinois Fund for Languages for outstanding teaching of languages was Roberto Mercedes, who has taught upper school Spanish at Masters for 16 years. Spearheaded by former trustee William Collins of Chicago, the Illinois Fund is derived from the 10 Chicago-area donors who established the fund over several years. 

Bruce Robbins, who has taught at Masters for 31 years, received the 1977 Centennial Fund Award. The Class of 1977 Centennial Faculty Award was created in honor of the School’s 100th anniversary. Parents of the graduating Class of 1977 raised funds to create this special award to recognize an outstanding member of the faculty whose love of teaching and excellence in the classroom rises above the norm. 

Winning the Lightner Fund for History Award was Eric Shapiro, a member of the Masters faculty for the past 12 years. The genesis of the fund was the Lightner/Meads family’s love of Masters and the teaching and learning of history. 

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