By Yoon Cha and Melissa Lopalo

Barbara Graves

After 27 years of service, Barbara Graves, Upper School English teacher and legend, will retire from teaching.

"The analogy that I kept on thinking of was one from Throeau’s statement on leaving Walden: living there had been wonderful, but he lived that life. That’s how I feel: I’ve loved my life at Greenhill. But it’s time to live another."

When Dr. Graves first came in 1980, the school was looking for someone to completely redesign the school’s American history course.                                                        photo by alexa kutler

"It was a hard decision to make because I was teaching at a private school I absolutely adored in Oregon," Dr. Graves said. "The idea created an opportunity for me to create a whole new curriculum—a course that takes philosophical structure, which I was familiar with."

Through his experiences as both a colleague and a student of Dr. Graves, John Perryman ’86, Upper School English teacher, has gained insights from her teachings.

"Dr. Graves provided a framework for looking at all facets of American civilization," Dr. Perryman said. "She was very good at communicating how art history has influenced the larger culture and shaped our understanding of the world."

Her scholarship was never without stories that revealed her sense of humor. Dr. Graves also wrote a book on rock and roll that has been used in over 180 colleges, and she decorated her classroom with posters of Pink Floyd’s album "Dark Side of the Moon," and of Jimi Hendrix.

"With cool rock and roll posters, you knew she had to be a pretty hip teacher," Dr. Perryman said. "In addition, she is very thoughtful and perhaps the most learned person on campus. Her ability to put contemporary issues in a larger historic perspective was great."

Dr. Graves’ influence on students partly stems from the respect she gained as a knowledgeable but approachable teacher.

"She always had a funny anecdote for every possible situation, and we enjoyed her stories," former advisee Amanda Kasten Bersie ‘96 said. "She obviously loved academia, language, and especially poetry. Her love of dissecting each word was contagious. She opened my eyes to the magic of language."

Dr. Graves’ made the decision to retire last summer.

"I have been a passionately dedicated teacher since the spring of 1968," Dr. Graves said. "And for most of that time, I could not even conceive the idea of not being a teacher forever."

Three main factors contributed to her decision to retire. The first lies in her desire to continue working on her writings.

"I was enchanted with Sheila’s book because it was similar to oral story-telling, but in print," she said. "The concept of taking an oral form of art into a text was fascinating."

So far, Dr. Graves has written four to five stories and has a list of about 50 more.

"I have a really powerful desire to continue working on my own writing," she said. "The goal is not necessarily for the stories to be published but to do it as a legacy to my grandchildren. I have a knack for turning oral stories into written things. A sense to start concentrating on my writing started growing. I also have a number of scholarly projects in the wings, as well as returning to writing a murder mystery I had to bring to a halt when the character I thought was the murder turned into a victim."

Another reason for her retirement is to have more opportunities to spend time with her grandchildren.

"My oldest grandchild will be in high-school," she said. "I want to have the freedom that allows me to be more involved with him. The youngest lives in California, and I want to experience more of his childhood. I’m finding it increasingly frustrating to find any ‘vacation times.’"

During Dr. Graves’ 14-year stay in the history department, she invented the 1960s class as well as the women’s history course, which was created and founded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

She also served on the first Honor Council committee.

"Dr. Graves is a genuine Renaissance woman," said Tom Perryman ’81, Assistant Head of School. "She has been the role-model of a true scholar. She is an intellectual and a perfect school-person."

Dr. Graves’ first teaching experience in college encouraged her to pursue that profession.

"My first teaching experience happened when my logic professor called me up and asked me if I could tutor a blind student in symbolic logic," she said. "It was a difficult task but he ended up with a B in the course. The feeling of personal gratification made me understand that I was actually a teacher."

During her years of teaching, she grew close to Ray Buchanan and Sue Roman, former Upper School history teachers, along with Christine Eastus, former Upper School English teacher, and Marilyn Stewart, Upper School English teacher, and gained a valuable experience from them.

"I have been working alongside true legends," Dr. Graves said. "I’ve gained a lifelong appreciation for the importance of private schools but most of all, I’ve gained a lifelong conviction that the only way to have a really good school is to create an environment that sets teachers free to follow their passions and creativity."

The absence of Dr. Graves in the next school year will affect many.

"I’ve greatly benefited from her experience and willingness to share the depth and breadth of her perspective," said David Braemer, Head of Upper School. "She has helped me understand the school far better than I otherwise would have. She has set a standard for high level scholarship across a range of areas."

Dr. Graves hopes that the English department will maintain its collegiality and strong community of teachers and learners.

"In 27 years, this has been a department that has stood out for its creative and cooperative relationship," Dr. Graves said.

Although her absence will be felt, the school will not dwell over her departure.

"While she clearly will be missed, I think her legacy will live on even if she isn’t here with us," Mr. Braemer said. "In that way, her impact will be felt in a positive way by the school for years to come."

After 20 years of service to the fine arts department, Marilu Gruben, Upper School fine arts teacher, will retire from teaching.

"Mrs. Gruben has brought a passion for art that has been infectious," said David Braemer, Head of Upper School. "Her ability to draw a broad range of students into her studio and share with them her passion has had a tremendous impact on the school."

A major factor in Mrs. Gruben’s decision to retire is her mother, Esperanza Flores, who is 95 years old and suffering from ill health.

"I realized when I was there this past Christmas that I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible," Mrs. Gruben said.

When she first came in 1986, Mrs. Gruben taught Upper and Middle School art. As an artist with a Master’s Degree in art and experience teaching at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Mrs. Gruben was hired for her excellence and experience.

During her stay, Mrs. Gruben designed the figure drawing and oil painting classes, and the annual alumni show. She was the first Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art teacher and has taken on roles such as coordinator of art colleges.

Mrs. Gruben was also instrumental in designing the first cultural arts program with Ray Buchanan.

That first year, the program invited artists from Japan, Africa, and Mexico to the school to spend two weeks teaching students from all levels.

"Students who are thinking about pursuing art now have more options by the time they are seniors," Mrs. Gruben said. "Many students are being accepted to top art schools or major universities with strong art departments."

Mrs. Gruben has worked with Lesley Rucker, Lower and Middle School art teacher, for 12 years.

"I’ve worked together with her more closely the past five years," Mrs. Rucker said. "Marilu has been awesome and fun to work. She’s very passionate about what she does."

Students have made her Greenhill experience truly unforgettable.

"When I think back on what I’ll remember most about Greenhill, it’s definitely the students," Mrs. Gruben said. "Students here have a great sense of humor, are extremely creative, and truly love the arts."

Andrew Mack ‘05 still remembers and appreciates the support he received from Mrs. Gruben throughout his high school career.

"She was always willing to work with her students and was very easy to talk to," Andrew said. "She really cared a lot about my college selection and really helped me develop a good portfolio to send. Mrs. Gruben always gave me individual attention and was one of the best teachers I’ve had."

Mrs. Gruben also appreciates the support she receives from the community.

"When I first came to Greenhill, Mr. and Mrs.Michael Manes and Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Foote went to my art exhibit before I began teaching," she said. "I felt the support as an artist immediately, instantly. I’ve also had many of my colleagues come to mine as well as my students’ art exhibitions. That kind of support has always meant a lot to me."

She decided early to become a teacher.

"My mother was a teacher and an assistant principal," Mrs. Gruben said. " I felt from the time I was young that I was talented in drawing and teaching. I knew I wanted to be an art teacher."

As the only AP Studio Art teacher for the past 20 years, Mrs. Gruben has brought professional experience into the program, working closely with students to produce quality pieces.

"I think her experience was really helpful for the AP class," junior Kristen Davis said. "She’s also very kind and provides great input based on her experience as an artist."

Gabe Oros ’06, who now attends University of Southern California, remembers his experience with Mrs. Gruben as a student of her AP Studio art class.

"I will never forget how energetic and encouraging she is; no matter what anyone was working on or what level it was, she found something strong about it and encouraged the student to advance their skills with it," he said. "She seemed to be able to understand the learning styles of each student and advance his or her skills through them. I did not think that her positive attitude was so unique because I grew up with it, but in the college level design programs, professors focus more on what you are doing wrong. It really made me cherish the positive attitude that she gave throughout high school."

The school will miss Mrs. Gruben’s enthusiasm and boldness among other qualities.

"I will definitely never forget her vivaciousness," Ms. Rucker said. "She’s feisty and funny and never afraid to speak her mind, and I appreciate those qualities. I respect the amount of love she has for her art and the passion and love she instills in her students. That’s a gift and not every educator has that."

Karen Hagood, sixth grade literature teacher and team leader, will end a 32 year tenure at Greenhill at the end of the school year. She said that she would miss the school’s community so much that she would return to visit her legacy group from time to time.

"I just really enjoyed the people here: the families, the kids," she said. "The Middle School faculty is great. I’ve had several kids from the same family, too, and it’s just kind of like being home. It’s a home to me."

While she is reluctant to leave, she is glad to have the opportunity to leave on such a good note.

"I just love this grade and I love my advisory group and everything was just going so well, and I thought; why not leave when everything is going great?" Mrs. Hagood said. "After I made the decision, there were several days when I went up and down and up and down like, ‘did I do the right thing?’, but now I’m getting excited about it."

Mrs. Hagood said that the upbeat personality of the school is what kept her tied to Greenhill.

"A sense of humor is really important, and I just think that these students have a wonderful sense of humor," she said. "Laughter is what keeps people young and energized."

Freshman Lauren Moon, a former student of Mrs. Hagood’s mentions Mrs. Hagood’s helpfulness as what made her stand out to her students.

"If she saw that you were having trouble, she always made an effort to help you personally instead of just talking generally to the class," she said. "She would always encourage you to come and talk to her outside of class, too."

Henry Paolissi, sixth grade math teacher, who has been working with Mrs. Hagood for almost 20 years, agrees with Lauren.

"She is patient and understanding and uses a variety of teaching styles to make sure she reaches every student," he said. "She loves what she does and it shows every day."

Keith Nannie, sixth grade French and Spanish teacher, will replace Mrs. Hagood as the sixth grade team leader. While Mr. Paolissi said that Mr. Nannie would make a great leader as well, the sixth grade teachers would feel the loss of Mrs. Hagood deeply.

"There will definitely be a void that we will all feel for a very long time," he said. "Although there are no words to describe just how much we will miss her, we will do our best to remain a strong, caring, flexible, creative, and fun-loving team. We have a great deal of faith and confidence in Mr. Nannie as the new team leader."

Lauren also feels that the loss of Mrs. Hagood will leave a permanent impact on the sixth grade team.

"I definitely don’t think that it will be the same," she said. "Whenever I think of the sixth grade, I think of Mrs. Hagood. Her experience and her leadership won’t be there anymore."

After retiring, Mrs. Hagood plans travel more, along with volunteering as a museum guide at the local museum.

"It will be a great thing to sort of teach, and sort of meet people at the same time," she said.