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20 | on the mountain winter/spring 2012
A
brief story. A number of years ago, Steevie “gently” inquired if I
might be interested in a set of science books from a Time-Life series.
She thought I might be able to use them in my physics class. Well,
since she was the Head of School and I was just a math/physics teacher, I
said “sure”with appropriate enthusiasm. Heaven forbid Steevie ever having
to throw away a book! Then about a week later, she brought in the books.
They were in excellent condition, exceeded twenty in number and were of
excellent quality. She asked me to open one of them, and the letters “bhc”
were inscribed inside the front cover. I hadn’t a clue. What did it mean?
Then she spelled it out to me. It stood for “because he cares.”
Now we can justifiably debate the accuracy of this statement as it
applies to me, but we certainly can’t debate its accuracy when we think of
Steevie (other than the obvious change to “she.”). For more than anything,
she cared and cares very deeply for all “her” students. More than anything,
she pushed all of us to do better in educating “her” students. And it was
always about her love for “her” students and her drive to educate them
well. It was in everything she did and believed in — down to the tiniest
corpuscle of her being. I couldn’t have asked to work with and for a better
person. BSC! (Because she cares!)
—Scott Hunt, Chair of SKS Math and Science Depts.
S
teevie loves people. She loves children espe-
cially. In our decade long and lovely relationship,
I’ve been amazed at the intimate details she
retains for thousands of students, the sheer joy in her
eyes when she can turn a kid around as well as the per-
sonal failure she feels when a child proves irreparable.
Her grasp of intellectual topics is vast and this she has
brought to bear on the curriculumat StormKing, moving
the School’s education fromamediocre level upward to
embrace the 21
st
century with excellence. This has been
echoed in both the college acceptance rate of StormKing’s
graduating seniors, and the ever-improving standard of
institutions they are accepted to.
The Mountain Center, a special school within the
school for educationally challenged young people,
has been very successful, both in the marketing of the
concept through admissions networks, and the prod-
uct of self-assured young adults who emerge from the
process.
The genius of this approach to educationally chal-
lenged young people is being able to give them special
attention with specially trained teachers, without the
stigma that usually follows. Instead, they are embraced
in the rest of the school community; arts, theater,
sports, and the other extra-curricular activities enjoyed
the school community as a whole.
Her work to bring our school together as a com-
munity of learning excellence, her astute marketing
of educational concept and well crafted admissions
policy, as well as the creation of a well run develop-
ment office have been comprehensively welded into
an institution that will thrive in the 21
st
century.
Storm King is very grateful and thanks you, Steevie!
Racey Gilbert, ‘60, Trustee
thoughts on Steevie...