About Us

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=241 BGCOLOR="#A6CAF0" TEXT="#080000" background="09ae4603.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="101e4610.png" border=0 width="228" height="97" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meridian Academy"><U>Home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mission"><U>Mission</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Curriculum"><U>Curriculum</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Admissions"><U>Admissions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FAQs"><U>FAQs</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="student.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Student Information"><U>Student Information</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News and Information"><U>News and Information</U></A></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">About Us</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How to Help"><U>How to Help</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Directions"><U>Directions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Employment"><U>Employment</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> About Us</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="737" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 57 WIDTH="731"><div> Meridian Academy was started by a group of over 40 Boston parents and educators. Many of the founding participants were teachers or parents at the Neighborhood School, an independent elementary school in Jamaica Plain that shares and has inspired many of the goals and approaches of Meridian.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>Faculty</B></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="738" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 179 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="0e092a00.jpg" border=0 width="146" height="160" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="3"></B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="566"><div> <B>Joshua Abrams, Head of School, Mathematics and Science</B></div> <div> B.S. in Biology, Yale University; M.A. in Mathematics Education, Columbia University.</div> <div> Josh has been a teacher, curriculum developer, and teacher leader for over twenty years. He has taught mathematics and science research in a variety of schools including positions as Master Teacher of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science, a state-wide, public, magnet school and Mathematics Department Head at The Rivers School, a suburban, independent, day school. Josh has also worked with students on extra-curricular activities including Model United Nations, Amnesty International, Math club, and gender issues. In 1998, he was a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics from President Clinton.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="733" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 180 WIDTH="536"><div> <B>Caroline Beasley, Art</B></div> <div> B.A. in Art, Austin College; M.A.T. Art Education, Austin College.</div> <div> Caroline Beasley has studied art and its influences in an array of environments.  In her preparation to become an art teacher, Caroline studied studio art in Florence, community art in El Salvador, and art therapy at The Center for Survivors of Torture in Dallas.  Caroline has also taught elementary and secondary art in school settings.  Caroline believes that art is connected to every facet of life.  Particularly, she is fascinated with art's relationship with history, community, politics, nature, cognitive growth, and emotional intelligence.  By teaching studio skills and art history, Caroline strives to give her students a broader scope and inspires deeper understanding of the world's workings.</div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="186"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0fd7a990.jpg" border=0 width="122" height="153" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="738" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 180 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="10fa09e0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="158" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="566"><div> <B>Lenny Brown, Physical Education</B></div> <div> B.A. in Black Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston.</div> <div> Lenny has been working with youth in educational settings for over seven years. He is very committed to physical activity and has a varied background of activities that he enjoys: lacrosse, boxing, basketball, martial arts, long distance running, hiking and mountaineering, bike riding, swimming, snow skiing and snow boarding, rollerblading and gardening. He has lived in Boston his entire life and knows that it provides unlimited opportunities including the Charles River and Minuteman biking trails, hiking in the Blue Hills, and nature walks at the Audubon, Emerald Necklace, or Franklin Park. He shares his lifetime of love for, and learning from, the outdoors, sports, and experiential education with his students.  When not teaching, Lenny cares for his two young, very active boys.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="734" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 218 WIDTH="538"><div> <B>Elizabeth Grant, Humanities</B></div> <div> B.A. English and Secondary Education, Simmons College; M.A. English Education, Simmons College</div> <div> Elizabeth (Betsy) Grant has been teaching high school English and history for the past eight years.  In each position she has held, she has developed curriculum that seeks to integrate the often-fragmented academic experience of adolescents.  For the last four years, she has taught creative writing, American literature, American history, and expository writing as well as provided college counseling and supervised myriad activities at Montclair College Prep in Los Angeles California.  Her passions lie in creative writing and Thoreauvian studies and in American handcrafts such as knitting and sewing.  Betsy believes that education needs to be experiential and skill-based rather than content driven.  She encourages students to take ownership of their learning experiences and to push their comfortable limits to grow as individuals.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0cab4d40.jpg" border=0 width="180" height="212" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="737" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 367 WIDTH="731"><div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="738" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 192 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="112a0b40.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="180" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B>Christian Kiley, Spanish, Performing Arts</B></div> <div> B.A. in Acting, Bard College.</div> <div> Christian has studied Spanish language and culture at La Universidad de Complutense in </div> <div> Madrid, Spain. He has taught Spanish at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge and the </div> <div> Chestnut Hill School in Newton.  He instructs students in a </div> <div> project-based Drama and Video class at the Fessenden School's English </div> <div> as a second language summer program. A recovering "faculty brat," he </div> <div> has been intimately involved with many Boston area independent schools, </div> <div> and still spends a great deal of time with his family, who live and </div> <div> work at the Fessenden School in Newton, MA. In his free time, Christian </div> <div> continues to audition and act. His favorite kind of performance is </div> <div> comedy, although his bilingual stand-up routine has yet to be unveiled.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>Christine Stodolski, Assistant Head of School, Mathematics and Science</B></div> <div> B.A. in Urban Sociology and Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Swarthmore College; M.A. in Educational Leadership, Columbia University.</div> <div> Chris joins us after four years of taking care of her two young daughters and tutoring on the North Shore of Boston. Her background is in independent schooling. She taught at a special-education school in Boston called Bay Cove High School and then moved to her high school alma mater, the Waring School in Beverly, MA. There she taught math and science, knitting and gardening, soccer and lacrosse. She also had a variety of administrative responsibilities including Admissions Director and Dean of Students. Chris is looking forward to teaching an integrated Biology and mathematics curriculum this year, which will include an ecological research project at a site nearby.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="733" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 178 WIDTH="536"><div> <B>Jai Underhill, Art</B></div> <div> Jai has integrated her work as an artist and teacher for more than twenty five years. After studying jewelry and metalsmithing at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Jai opened the Newbury Street gallery <I>Harvey & Company</I> in 1986. Starting in 1995, she focused on commissioned works and teaching. Jai has taught adults and teens silversmithing at the Eliot School of Fine Arts in JP and at Derby Academy in Hingham and has been the art teacher at the Neighborhood School since 1998. Jai is also a dancer. She will be teaching metalsmithing </div> <div> and tap dance at Meridian this year.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0d69eac0.jpg" border=0 width="158" height="172" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="733" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 180 WIDTH="536"><div> <B>Carolyn Leung, Visiting Scholar - Community Service</B></div> <div> Carolyn is a transplant from California and a current resident of Jamaica Plain. She is currently a doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her dissertation focuses on the life stories of Asian American activist scholars. Prior to graduate school, she worked with different Asian American communities around the country on issues of parent and community involvement in education. Research and community activism are two of her greatest passions and so she is excited to have the opportunity to work with Meridian students on the Community Action Program. In her free time, she enjoys reading, art-making, writing, and throwing parties.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="186"><div> <B><IMG SRC="0ec79a70.jpg" border=0 width="121" height="167" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="737" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1436 WIDTH="731"><div> <B>Board of Trustees</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Joshua Abrams, President</B></div> <div> In addition to his experience listed above, Josh has held leadership positions helping schools during their initial accreditation and reaccreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), has assisted with college guidance, and has had responsibility for budgets and personnel decisions. Josh founded Meridian because he wanted to provide an option for secondary students that valued their ideas, understood their need to be useful members of their communities, and welcomed them as junior researchers within and between the disciplines. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Max Bauer, CPA, Treasurer</B></div> <div> B.S. in Accounting and Finance, Boston College.</div> <div> Max began his career in public accounting over eight years ago.  He currently works for Newton-based CPA firm Abrams Little-Gill Loberfeld PC. His clients include a broad array of enterprises, including manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, biotechnology, and non-profit organizations. Max is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.</div> <bR> <div> <B>John Connolly</B></div> <div> A.B., Harvard University. J.D., Boston College Law School.</div> <div> John is a former teacher at the Boston Renaissance Charter School and Nativity Mission School.  John now works as an attorney at Hanify & King, P.C. in Boston advising  a variety of businesses on legal issues. John has advised many non-profits and schools on legal issues, and he has worked with Meridian Academy since its inception.  John is a lifelong resident of Boston and he also serves on the Board of Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD).</div> <bR> <div> <B>Kathleen Ennis</B></div> <div> B.A. in History, Brandeis University; M.A. in English, Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College.</div> <div> Kathy has been an educator for 30 years including four years at Needham High School and six years as Head of Humanities at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science. Kathy is currently Executive Director of <A HREF="http://www.primarysource.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.primarysource.org"><U>Primary Source</U></A>, an organization dedicated to helping teachers develop and incorporate curricula that include traditionally underrepresented peoples, inspire an openness to new information and ideas, and lead students to pursue cultural and historical accuracy based on primary sources of information. Kathy believes strongly that interdisciplinary work leads to a deeper understanding of the world. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tricia Morrow</B></div> <div> B.A., Knox College.</div> <div> Tricia Morrow has enjoyed her role as a Teacher/Director at Neighborhood School in Jamaica Plain since she co-founded the purposefully small, independent elementary school in 1986. Her trek from Illinois to Boston in 1982 was stimulated by a strong sense of calling to live and work with children in an urban, multicultural environment. With teaching certification in elementary and special education, followed by graduate coursework in educational management and parenting studies, and then parenting three children, Tricia is committed to the rich, personalized learning and family connections that small schools cultivate. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Advisory Board</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Stephen Abrams</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Thomas Cohen</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Nicholas Deldon</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Arlene Mack McLaren</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Publications Design </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Myra Grand, DB</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><I>•</I></FONT><B>design, Brookline, MA.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Pro Bono Supporters</B></div> <div> Meridian has been the beneficiary of outstanding and generous service from a number of companies who are supporting this project. Our special thanks go to:</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.ropesgray.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ropesgray.com/"><U>Ropes & Gray, LLP</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.hktarchitects.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.hktarchitects.com"><U>HKT Architects</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.bravercpas.com/cpa/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bravercpas.com/cpa/index.htm"><U>Braver and Company, P.C.</U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="483" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 67 WIDTH="236"><div> <I>School/Classroom Address</I></div> <div> <I>Meridian Academy </I></div> <div> <I>50 Morton Street</I></div> <div> <I>Jamaica Plain, MA 02130</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="236"><div> <I>Business/Mailing Address</I></div> <div> <I>Meridian Academy </I></div> <div> <I>182 Durnell Avenue</I></div> <div> <I>Roslindale, MA 02131</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 39 WIDTH="473"><div> <I>617-522-1118</I></div> <div> <I><IMG SRC="105dc140.png" border=0 width="220" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="503" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 115 WIDTH="491"><div> <I>Meridian Academy admits students of any race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, or handicap to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, or handicap in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>