Before we welcome our students back for a new school year, we are excited to share how a couple of Meridian teachers spent their summer preparing for a great 2026-2027 school year.
One way Meridian supports our faculty’s professional growth is through the Ellen Toole Fund. Established in 2003 to honor our retiring Head of School, Ellen Toole, the fund’s mission is “educating teachers to educate children.” Since its creation, the Ellen Toole Fund has made it possible for countless Meridian faculty and staff to attend conferences, classes, and workshops across the country and around the world!
Thanks to the Ellen Toole Fund, Art Specialist Marika Fagan and Creativity Lab Specialist Kelsey Vollmer attended a professional development institute for educators in Reggio Emilia, Italy! “The Language of Computation: Constructing Modern Knowledge” aligns with Meridian’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning and hands-on inquiry. In the Reggio Emilia Approach®, students express their understanding through “a hundred languages,” including sculpture, light, shadow, coding, and construction. Marika and Kelsey’s goal is to merge digital computation with physical art and design, transforming technology from a passive screen experience into a tactile, expressive medium. After the workshop, they’re inspired to create integrated units where students design computational art like interactive light installations, code-driven art, algorithmic textiles, or sound-reactive sculptures!
They were also inspired by the Reggio Emilia concept of seeing students’ environment as a “third teacher.” They hope to bring back ideas to make the Creativity Lab and Art Room environments more like the open-ended, invitation-based Ateliers that encourage tinkering, exploring, and discovery.
Marika and Kelsey shared, “We frequently search for relevant, integrated professional development opportunities for STEAM subjects, specialist teachers, and best classroom practices, and ‘Constructing Modern Knowledge’ at Reggio Emilia uniquely brought all of these pieces together in their workshop. This was an incredible opportunity for high-quality professional development that can literally be found nowhere else in the world.”
Investing in professional development is central to Meridian’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and lifelong learning. By empowering our educators to refine their skills, explore emerging industry practices, and pursue advanced knowledge, we enhance the quality of education we provide our students and families. These opportunities for growth not only support our staff’s professional journeys, but also help us cultivate a vibrant, forward-thinking community.
We’re looking forward to an inspiring school year ahead, enriched by the new ideas and energy our teachers bring back to Meridian! Thank you, Marika, Kelsey, and the “Language of Computation: Constructing Modern Knowledge” institute in Reggio Emilia.
