And now
for Cindy's amazing, wonderful journey . . .
Attending Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School was the highlight of my teen
years and I am ever so grateful to my parents for their sacrifices that
allowed me to go. Being a Mercy girl meant so many things and has meant
even more to me over the years. Academic challenges, playing sports, and
ministry activities were key points in the GMA life just as they are
today. In the 70’s we called ourselves “Big Red” and although Mount
games were really big, so many of us had friends there by the time we
were seniors, the bigger rivals were Merion, Villa, and St. Basil’s.
Today, all four of these teams spark spirit and competition.
GMAHS afforded me a terrific education with other young women who were
curious, intelligent, focused, and goal-oriented. We shared talents and
inspired each other to do more, try harder, meet boys, and gain greater
achievements than we thought possible. We helped each other with
personal doubts, troubles, and tragedies. We made friends, we lost
friends, we grew and matured and learned that life can be a very
different experience for each one of us.
Gwynedd did not have softball teams when I attended but Springfield
Township Recreation Department had a league for 10-17 year olds. I
played the sport for all those years and loved every strategy,
collaboration and competitive edge our team could conceive. From third
base to short stop to my favorite spot, catching (I guess that made my
dad, Erv Antoni, proud!) the game made an impact that lasted
through my life. Receiving the MVP of the league award still amazes me.
I learned to play hockey when I was a freshman under Maria Lutz McHugh,
and played varsity hockey sophomore through senior year as a fullback
when I was awarded “Defensive Player of the Year.” Developing
friendships in classes and through activities or sports was such an
enjoyable and special growing experience. Taking food and gifts on
Christmas Eve to a poor family and seeing their expressions of
gratefulness taught me to be thankful for what I had with my family. I
belonged to Student Council, Magnet, Glee Club, French Club, CSC and
Ministry, National Honor Society, World Affairs, and the Field Hockey
team, and all these brought many different personalities together and I
learned much about how different people act and think, and still work
together, enjoy similar goals and efforts, and appreciate the value of
each other as a person. Playing field hockey and being part of Student
Council and studying diligently for my classes gave me tremendous
feelings of school pride and Mercy Spirit. I was truly honored to be the
Scholar Athlete that year. Every day one participates in classes,
assemblies, in saying hello to peers and teachers in the hallway, bonds
everyone together in the life-long strength of the solid foundation that
GMA can provide academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.
When I first considered teaching, I thought to follow in my mother’s
footsteps and teach French, a language I thoroughly enjoyed. But my
senior year Honors Biology teacher amazed me and challenged me to the
possibilities of that science and I changed my college major to Biology.
While deciding on going into research or teaching, I met my
husband-to-be, and decided that teaching would offer me the opportunity
to have a family and a career with time to spend with the children.
Throughout my college years and a few after, I worked and coordinated a
Springfield Township Recreation Department Camp on summer mornings. I
was involved with children aged 3-12 in sports, arts and crafts, and
music activities. Margie Koons and I coordinated a Springfield
Township softball league for Wyndmoor residents. We learned a lot about
managing teams and coaches! And of, course in both areas, I learned that
I loved working with and teaching children. It was during one college
semester I even had the chance to help out my Dad, Erwin Antoni, at the
Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, coaching the cheerleaders! That was
much more a learning experience for me than it was for the girls. They
had such fun teaching me how to sign and how not to sign!
I played field hockey at Chestnut Hill College under “Shelley”
Schellenberger and was chosen captain in senior year. One of our
finest triumphs had to be over the University of Pennsylvania (both my
parents’ alma mater). In a very competitive match, I caught a hockey
ball to the chin, but stayed in the game because there were no
substitutes “in those days.” We won 3-2. My Dad played the exacta at the
track and gave me the winnings! I graduated in 1975 with a B.S. in
Biology, cum laude. I was married to my husband, Don, in June of
1975, and started teaching at GMA in September 1975. Yes, a big year! I
was a bit overwhelmed realizing that I was only three to four years
older than my senior students! Interestingly enough, from their
perspective I was a whopping 30! I am laughing harder at that now than I
did then!
When I received the opportunity to teach at Gwynedd, I was amazed and
excited imagining myself teaching in the biology lab. I knew I would
feel “at home” because of my wonderful high school experience. I also
felt I could share how my Mercy Spirit was still part of me and how it
is special for all who claim it for themselves. I was eager to share my
love of biology with students and show them how fascinating the study of
living things can be and what one could actually do with this
information and the scientific process during their lifetime whether
they made it a career or not. Throughout the years I am heartened by
young women also mesmerized by the subject and its inherent
opportunities to care for and help others. So many Mercy girls have
become doctors, nurses, researchers, veterinarians, and other health
care related professionals because of the foundation given at GMAHS and
the level of curiosity piqued by teachers in the science department.
I taught sophomore biology, physical science to juniors, and Honors
Biology (college level) to seniors. Administration and teachers were
wonderfully supportive as we had our children and I continued my career
as well as enjoyed the growing family. I started teaching Honors Physics
as well around 1985 and in the next couple years we wanted to develop
another science elective, which turned out to be Zoology. This course
came to be a unique and terrifically fun course to teach. From
one-celled and worm parasites to students hosting a Zoology Luncheon
each spring -- where we ate the animals we studied; don’t worry, we
saved the seafood animals for that -- it inspired many students for many
reasons. Seeing the needs of the students and the changing demands of
scientific literacy these last two decades I developed a course called
Applied Scientific Research. As a seminar course, research based, and
following current events and students’ interests, students had major
control over the topics covered, with certain teacher direction, and
learned to present information and write critically about their new
knowledge. I adapted lab activities and experiments for these topics or
the students brought their ideas for experiments and we ordered supplies
and performed them. Then curricula changed again and I worked on Anatomy
and Physiology courses for college preparatory and honors levels.
When I first realized that I was teaching the daughter of a classmate or
an alumna that I taught, my first reaction is to be amazed that time had
passed to allow that to happen. Then I enjoyed recognizing the
daughter’s qualities, characteristics, even mannerisms or facial
expressions her mother showed as a student. It is great fun to hear the
daughter’s comments or the mother’s comments of what each feels or
remembers about GMA or my classes. I love to recall the faces, and even
the moments in class that remind me what an impact and responsibility I
have for these young women and what an impact they have made on my life.
As department chair for a number of years I found working with members of
the science department a valuable collaborative effort, with each
teacher’s thoughts and educational experience and perspectives a
valuable asset to the goals of the science department. I have worked
with many wonderful, energetic, innovative teachers who always put the
students first. I was part of the science department that renovated the
science labs in the '80s and again in the last four years. Updated
furniture, laboratory equipment, and technologies have kept GMAHS
recognized as one of the most competitive educational institutions in
the area.
One of the GMA Belief Statements is: “Learning is a life-long process.”
The science department’s mission is to develop the innate curiosity of
the young into mature critical thinking skills that will engage the
learner her whole life, reinforcing the joy, excitement and success each
new learning experience provides. Science is a process. More important
than facts is the process of unveiling facts, of learning. It is the
philosophy of the science department that learning processes are the key
to our students’ successes. Learning critical thinking skills,
discriminating fact from fiction, valid from not valid, assumption
versus inference versus evidence, drawing conclusions based on careful
observation and experimental data, analyzing information gained and
applying it to other situations or experiments or experiences are
valuable tools that will enable the young women who graduate with a
Mercy diploma to be effective and innovative. These young women enter
the science or health-related fields with skills that will set them
apart and ahead of others in those areas. And these skills provide women
with self-confidence, assertiveness, and reasoning abilities that will
serve them well no matter what career they choose.
When our boys were looking at high schools, I sent a resume to La Salle
to see if they had an opening, going for the free tuition possibility.
Father Rene spoke to Sr. Mary Alice and I was never
offered a position. Talked to the admissions director there about that.
He has all daughters. Same problem -- no help on tuition breaks at other
schools.
When I first started teaching at GMA, I coached 7th-8th grade field
hockey (the elementary school was part of the present building) and
varsity softball for three years. I really enjoyed working with the
girls outside the classroom, and learning of their talents, enthusiasm,
determination, and goals beyond academics. Solid relationships develop
between teacher and student based on trust, effort, motivation,
competition, and love of sport. Teaching team strategies and watching
the girls work those strategies with excitement and determination and
instinctively developing their own plays was quite rewarding. My last
softball game I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with our first son, Douglas.
After Doug was born in 1978, I changed my extracurricular activities. I
coached cheerleaders for a few years – yes, GMA had great cheerleaders,
uniforms and dance routines included! (There are some alum moms who can
attest to this.) I moderated Spirit Club when cheerleaders disbanded. I
had two more sons, Donald Jr. in 1980 and Timothy in 1982,
and I took a year’s maternity leave (1982-83). Upon returning to Gwynedd
I again adjusted my schedule to be home for them. Throughout the years I
moderated Environmental Club, and helped out with CSC projects and
ministry activities. Somewhere along the way, I came to be in charge of
the lockers for the school, and maintained that job. I was a Eucharistic
Minister for liturgies and communion services. I was a Kairos leader and
one of four coordinators for the program. I accepted the duties of
graduation preparation and practice. I have also helped the Admissions
department spread the good news of Mercy Education to 8th graders
throughout the area. I have had the honor of reading applications for
the Alumnae Scholarship.
I was on the Planning Committee for Middle States Accreditation in 1989
and co-Coordinator of the Accreditation for Growth Middle States process
with Sister Kathleen Boyce in 1999-2000 and remained in that
position until 2006. I worked on the Capital Campaign Steering Committee
in the late '90s. That committee gathered information from parents,
administration, teachers, students, and community, and produced the
impetus to renovate the school and begin building the new Art, Music,
Learning Commons areas and the new Performing Arts Center. Most recently
I worked on the Mission Statement Revision Committee bringing our Mercy
Heritage and message of Catherine McAuley’s vision for the education of
all young women into the future.
Some of the awards I have received include:
The Society of Plastics Engineers: certificate and contest award for
enlightening students and contributing to the awareness of plastics
engineering.
Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science Outstanding Educator Award
(1996)
MONTCO Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Educator Award (2003)
Margaret Beirn Barger ‘35 Distinguished Alumna Award (2012) for my
contributions to GMAHS
Delaware Valley Engineers Week “Outstanding High School Science Teacher
Award” (2017)
Throughout my teaching career, Don always supported my work and
efforts at being the best I could be at my career. The boys
were always -- OK, sometimes -- really having fun with lab experiments
that we could do at home, and even help them out with science fairs. Don
is thrilled there will be no more liver stored in the freezer. (All you
need to do is add a little hydrogen peroxide and bubbles everywhere.
Tell me if you figure out the chemical reaction.) I always enjoyed
workshops and courses that enhanced my science background and kept me
abreast of scientific breakthroughs, new teaching methods and
innovations. In 1999 I started taking graduate credits and in 2004
graduated with an M.S. in Education, the same year our son Tim,
graduated from college.
In May 2006 and more recently in 2018, I have had heart surgeries. In
each case I was really happy to return to teaching at Gwynedd, and
became re-energized by the students whose pensive questions, innovative
ideas, and sustained determination reminded me why I teach – to bring
young minds to new awareness, to facilitate them as they make sense of
the world and find their place in this world. The future is theirs.
Gwynedd graduates need to have the tools and know that they have the
power to make wise decisions and choices that will lead to the good of
humanity. From the first day of teaching where I could hardly stop
shaking from nervous anticipation (and that first day feeling lasted at
least three years ) to the last day when I actually felt so calm and
perfectly right in making my decision to retire, I enjoyed and
appreciated the “aha!” the “I get it now” of watching a student come to
understanding something. Teaching is not always easy and perhaps not
always interesting to some students. My Mom gave me great advice one
time which I have shared a zillion times. When students become unruly or
disruptive, become more quiet. Just wait and maybe speak very quietly to
the students right around you. Rather soon, the room quiets down trying
to find out what is going on, what are they missing. And I guess I have
a pretty good “stern” or disapproving face. Fris will tell you that too.
With all the virtual teaching this past spring, Don, my husband, had the
opportunity to listen to my classes and our various interactions. He
heard how students performed at home labs, how they solved physics
problems, how they came to understand the immune system and how it
attacked the coronavirus. In fact, he said he learned more in those
three months than he did in all his years at High School (name the
school only if you need to ). In his defense, he added, I had his
attention more than his teachers did.
My husband, Don, managed a trucking operation for 35 years. Our oldest
son, Doug, who worked with my husband for years, works in transportation
logistics. Doug’s high school highlight was hitting a home run in a
McDevitt High School baseball playoff game at La Salle University. That
is the only one on record! Doug married a GMA alum, Molly McGann
’96 in 2005. Molly taught in the Philadelphia public school system for
seven years and now works with the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit
as a reading specialist. They have two daughters. Donald, Jr. earned a
Masters’ Degree, is a 7th - 9th grade teacher at Eisenhower Middle
School in Norristown and was married (2005) to Lacey, who is a
labor and delivery nurse at University of Pennsylvania Hospital. They
have a daughter and a son. Tim has a Masters’ Degree in Special
Education and teaches in the 8th grade, and holds an administrative
position, in Stetson Middle School, a charter school in Philadelphia. He
married his high school sweetheart, Marisa, in 2010. She taught
elementary school in Philadelphia. Now they have 4 children, two of whom
have middle names Josephine and Erwin, my parents’ names. My
family is the greatest joy of my life. It is amazing to see them so
wonderfully grown and making their own successes in life. |
