Middle School: Grades 6–8

Each year at division commencement ceremonies, Rowland Hall proudly honors faculty who have demonstrated exceptional teaching and mentoring.

The Sumner/Larsen Excellence in Teaching Faculty Awards

Each year, the Sumner/Larsen Excellence in Teaching Faculty Awards are presented to outstanding faculty members in each division who have demonstrated a love for teaching and excellence in their fields. This award was established in 1985 by Kit Sumner and family, who have shown an unparalleled commitment to Rowland Hall for three generations. In 2022, Kurt Larsen, who shares the Sumners’ high regard for Rowland Hall’s faculty and dedication to the school, joined Kit Sumner in funding this award to increase its impact. The renamed Sumner/Larsen Excellence in Teaching Faculty Award is one of the highest recognitions of excellence in teaching at Rowland Hall.

Congratulations to the following recipients.

Beginning School: Melanie Robbins, kindergarten lead teacher

Melanie Robbins is, first and foremost, thoughtful. Her deep thinking—about teaching, young children and their families, curriculum, colleagues, and life itself—not only feeds her, but often sets her apart. Her insights into her students, which she frequently shares through humorous vignettes, are grounded in careful observation and a rich understanding of child development. If you’re lucky enough to converse with Melanie about what’s best for young children, prepare to leave feeling inspired and excited. Despite her gentle demeanor, she is a bold and unwavering advocate for allowing little children to be little—while earnestly acknowledging them as fully human people. Colleagues and school leaders alike know they can count on her for thoughtful, curious, and constructive dialogue on a wide range of topics. She’s always eager to learn something new, reminding us often that her teaching will never be “laminated”—that is, never fixed or final. Like her young students, it’s always growing. For more than a decade at Rowland Hall, she’s held space each day for children to grapple with the real stuff of life: balancing individuality with community, finding freedom and grounding in nature, the value of self-sufficiency—and, more recently, how to safely build and cook over an open fire.

Lower School: Susan Swidnicki, McCarthey Campus music teacher

Susan Swidnicki’s impact is far-reaching, consistent, and deeply felt. Every week, she engages with 442 students—more than any other Rowland Hall faculty member—and every child from 3PreK through fifth grade knows the sound of her voice and the joyful learning of her classroom. This year alone, Susan prepared for no fewer than 11 concerts and music shares, led a weekly lunchtime chorus, and guided students through the Lower School Chorus Concert and the All-School Chorus Concert. Her dedication doesn’t end when the bell rings. Susan accompanies the fifth grade to the symphony, attends after-school recitals and Puttin’ on the Arts, and never hesitates to give of her own time to support and celebrate students. Susan brings that same spirit of care to colleagues. This year, she collaborated on multiple interdisciplinary music and art integration projects. Her ability to see the connections between disciplines and to make those connections meaningful for students is a hallmark of her teaching. But what truly sets Susan apart is her heart. She is deeply curious about her students as people. She listens, adapts, and connects. She believes in the transformative power of music, and the importance of her work shines in every lesson she teaches and every child she mentors. She is a tireless, kind, and inspiring presence in our school community, and a remarkable educator in every sense of the word.

Middle School: Sam Duffy, PE teacher

Sam Duffy is a role model, leader, and community builder who’s made an extraordinary impact on our Middle School and community at large. Sam brings energy, positivity, and a deep sense of purpose to everything he does. His classes focus on inclusivity and personal growth, helping students build positive self-identity, resilience, and collaboration skills, and empowering them to develop lifelong habits that support their physical and mental well-being. Sam radiates enthusiasm and care, seeing every student as an athlete and every day as an opportunity to help them build their confidence, teamwork, and perseverance. This year, Sam launched a new eighth-grade PE elective, already a student favorite, that offers choice, personal challenge, and variety in how eighth graders engage with fitness and wellness. He also developed a strength-training program in the Upper School so popular that student-athletes are meeting before school to participate. Outside the classroom, Sam’s coached a wide range of sports in the middle and upper schools, focusing on sportsmanship, personal growth, and team dynamics.

Upper School: Jeremy Innis, music theory teacher and choir director

Jeremy Innis has demonstrated a love for teaching and excellence in several fields. Perhaps more than any other faculty member in recent years, he’s touched the lives of students through core classes and electives in multiple disciplines and several divisions, as well as through the role of interfaith chaplain, where his infinite wisdom, thoughtfulness, and community-mindedness shone through in the Chapel program, Candle and Carol, and a multitude of other events, from concerts to ceremonies to school traditions. It cannot be emphasized enough how important Jeremy’s words have been to the community, providing food for thought, inspiring reflection, bringing solace, celebrating diverse voices and traditions, and always elevating others. He always knows the right thing to say to meet the moment, whether solemn or celebratory. In the classroom, Jeremy has inspired learning through courses as diverse as World Religions, Ethics, Historical Foundations, Choir, Orchestra, and Advanced Topics Music Theory. His students describe him as kind, patient, smart, inspirational, calm, and calming. His love for the humanities and the arts shines through in his teaching and extensive contributions to the Rowland Hall community.

Cary Jones Faculty Mentor Award 2025

The Cary Jones Faculty Mentor Award is presented to Rowland Hall faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching, serve as mentors to others, and contribute to the Rowland Hall community. This award was established through an anonymous gift to the school in honor of Mr. Jones’ dedication to the faculty when he was the chair of the Board of Trustees.

This year’s Cary Jones Faculty Mentor Award has been awarded to Mike Shackelford, political science teacher and debate coach.

Mike Shackelford is well known on Lincoln Street Campus. Whether or not a student has had him as a teacher or coach, they’ve all experienced Mike’s purposeful walk down Upper School hallways, his relentlessly positive and supportive demeanor, or his entertaining announcements at assembly. Mike and his students win numerous awards, year in and year out, such that it is easy to take for granted just how excellent our debate program is thanks to him. What’s lesser known, though, is how Mike serves as a mentor to others and shines through his commitment to our community. Over the years, Mike and his debaters have supported efforts to build dialogue and have provided coaching on listening and working through challenging, controversial issues in a collegial and productive way, most memorably during election season. Mike also helped develop Deliberate Dialogue, a set of skills teachers use to foster critical thinking and productive, open-minded dialogue in the classroom. Mike has stepped up to be an advisor to students in the class of 2027, and serves as an ombudsperson for Lincoln Street Campus faculty and staff who would like additional support in a difficult conversation. He teaches electives in the middle and upper schools, and last year extended his Middle School Model UN and Mock Trial programs into the Upper School. His students are already garnering results; some even ventured to New York City this year to showcase their new skills. This is in addition to the very special Taiwan debate trip he planned last fall. Mike is the ultimate team player and a supportive educator who approaches everything with care, flexibility, generosity, and integrity. He knows when to push and when to pull, creating pathways to elevate everyone around him.

People

At this year’s graduation ceremonies and end-of-year events, student speakers shared reflective and inspiring stories about their experiences at Rowland Hall.

We've posted their speeches for you to enjoy.

Student Voices

Some people consider teaching an art; others say it’s a science. For Molly Lewis, it has quite literally been both.

During her 30-year career at Rowland Hall, Molly not only taught science foundations as a sixth-grade teacher in the Middle School, but also ceramics in the Upper School. While the two subjects may seem to have little to do with each other, she approached them with the same mindset.

“A good science class was one where I set the kids up and let them go, where I had them be hands-on and engaged,” Molly said. “And that’s exactly the same as a good art or pottery class.”

She made it okay not to do my best the first time around and showed me that trial and error is okay.—Abby Downs, class of 2025

In all her years at the school, Molly’s intention has been to let the students lead, and for her to facilitate their learning as needed. Students came to think of her not only as a teacher, but also as a friend. “On the sixth-grade team, she was the only one who went by their first name,” said former colleague Mary Lawlor. “Over the course of the year, the kids would eventually shift over to Molly, where the rest of us, they just kept us right there in our last name.”

By building those types of relationships with students, Molly created a safe space for them to explore, fail, and try again. It didn’t matter if it was a bad grade on a science test or a bowl that just didn’t quite turn out, she was there to support them to give it another go and correct previous mistakes. Senior Abby Downs had Molly not only for science in sixth grade, but for ceramics in the Upper School.

“I wanted to make a vase, and every time Molly would say, ‘Try it out, if it doesn’t work I can help you fix it or you can try again,’” Abby said. “She made it okay not to do my best the first time around and showed me that trial and error is okay.”

While Molly fostered an environment where students could learn from failure, she was also always ready to cheer their accomplishments. In her ceramics class, she encouraged each student to write a reflection every time they finished a project. And at the end of the semester, they each made a bowl to use at an ice cream party.

“She always loves celebrating student work,” said senior Evan Weinstein. “It’s really important to her that we just have fun and enjoy a frozen dessert out of something that we made.”

Creation was always at the heart of Molly’s teaching style.

Creation was always at the heart of Molly’s teaching style. Even before she transitioned to teaching art full time, she was interspersing projects into her curriculum. Students learning about animal adaptations had to create a model of their animal and its habitat to go along with their written work.

“She was always trying to figure out how to get the kids to create something artistically with her science curriculum,” said former colleague Mary Jo Marker. “She wanted things to be hands-on and interactive to help the students connect with the lessons.”

Molly was passionate about introducing students to the arts beyond the classroom as well. She was a proponent of the Artist in Residence program in the Middle School, which brought in working artists once a year to help the kids with projects like colorful styrofoam fish or pottery monsters.

“The kids' brains are in a different space when they're doing art,” said Molly. “They're just chill, they're relaxed, they're creative, they're talking, but they're working all this stuff.”

Art was just one of the tools Molly used to get kids to engage with the curriculum. She also worked to make the subject matter relevant to them by showing them how it directly impacted their lives. When studying environmental science, she had students track air quality around the school using a purple air sensor. They then looked at ways to improve the problem and called on lawmakers to address the issue.

“The kids were really engaged. It was relevant to their lives, and they gobbled it up,” Molly said. “I think it's wonderful if I can build on kids' strengths and let them tackle the project.”

That willingness to let students be so hands-on let them experience science on a deeper level, and made many of them more curious about the subject. It created a lot of future scientists. “She started my love of science in middle school,” said Abby. “I’m going into STEM in college, but coming into middle school, I hated science.”

While Molly let the students take the lead, she was always there to guide them and get them back on track. She also did that for her colleagues, who viewed Molly as someone willing to go with the flow, unless she saw the flow needed a bit of help. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind when she felt something needed to be said, and was never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty.

“We had terrible weather one year on our sixth-grade camping trip. All of our tents had been blown helter-skelter, and everything was wet,” Mary Jo said. “Molly was nonplussed. She was very matter-of-fact, telling the kids to shake their tents out and get everything cleaned up. She was a calm anchor.”

This has been 30 really wonderful years working here. I can't imagine a better place to be a teacher.—Molly Lewis

Molly is weighing anchor from Rowland Hall and is ready to go see the world. She’s planning to travel to Italy and New Zealand, and see where else the wind takes her. But she will always remember her time at Rowland Hall.

“This has been 30 really wonderful years working here,” she said. “I can't imagine a better place to be a teacher.”

Molly’s ability to blend the precision of science with the creativity of art defined her unique teaching style for three decades. Her retirement shouldn’t be viewed as the end of an era, but a celebration of the countless ways she inspired students to take risks and trust in their potential.

“We are so lucky to have had Molly at this school for so long. Whether it was experiments in science or throwing clay in ceramics, she gave kids the confidence to make mistakes and believe in their abilities,” said Middle School Principal Pam Smith. “She is a rare combination of teaching talents and will be missed.”

People

“I used to be scared of flying,” said eighth grader Ike C.

The middle schooler isn’t alone. Many Americans (experts estimate anywhere from 15% to 40%) have some level of anxiety about flying, which most work to manage—though few have taken the same path as Ike. He conquered his fears by studying aviation at Rowland Hall.

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“I’ve taken the drone class and introductory and advanced flight,” said Ike, referring to three of the Middle School’s current aviation classes. Ike said learning how airplanes work, including how they stay airborne, played a major role in easing his anxieties and completely changed how he thinks about flying.

“I have a test flight on Tuesday,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting in the air.”

Ike’s story is just one of hundreds of positive experiences middle schoolers have shared since Rowland Hall’s aviation program was established by retired Navy pilot Bill Tatomer in 2009. First introduced as a six-week elective, this ever-popular program has continued to grow. Today, the division offers four classes: Primary Flight School, which introduces students to the field; Flight Design, an engineering course focusing on aviation design; Advanced Flight School: Top Gun, a deep dive into operating private and commercial aircraft, including drones; and Advanced Photography and Drone Photography, added in response to students’ excitement around the emerging world of drone technology. The program has also expanded to the Upper School, allowing interested students to continue their studies into their high school years—some have even gone on to earn their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 commercial drone operator license and FAA private pilot license.

“It’s a very rare experience in Utah,” said Bill, and one that gives students choice and voice in learning. Students can dip their toes in with the primary class, then choose to go deeper in advanced courses. The deeper they go, the more opportunities they have. Middle schoolers first learn on X-Plane 11 flight simulators, earn their FAA TRUST certification to fly drones, and, by the advanced class, pilot a real plane alongside Cornerstone Aviation instructors. Rowland Hall is also the only school in the state that takes field trips to Collins Aerospace, where students learn from software and design engineers.

Whether or not a student dreams of working in the industry, it’s no surprise why these classes have stayed popular year after year: they provide fun, hands-on ways to learn the science and mathematical principles that make flying possible. As a former math teacher, Bill believes practical applications of material are the best ways to help students understand concepts—as well as inspire more meaningful learning.

It’s no surprise why these classes have stayed popular year after year: they provide fun, hands-on ways to learn the science and mathematical principles that make flying possible.

“It’s tactile,” he said of why this approach works. “You can touch, and see a reaction, versus someone telling you about it.”

And aviation offers a bounty of tactile learning experiences that help students grasp concepts—like engineering a foam board glider to protect a raw-egg passenger or conducting fluid and pressure experiments to understand Bernoulli's principle. It’s no wonder so many middle schoolers get hooked.

“I remember learning about Bernoulli's principle and the four forces of flight—lift, weight, thrust, and drag—and being mesmerized on how these principles can keep thousands of pounds of metal in the air and flying,” said eighth grader Zoe H. And, added Ike, these lessons help make connections across subjects. Like Zoe, he called out Bernoulli's principle, noting that the knowledge he built in aviation prepared him to revisit the topic when his science class was studying physics. It also goes the other way, said Ike, like when he used the skills he sharpened in math to accomplish flight tasks such as figuring out an aircraft’s weight balance.

Aviation benefits aren’t limited to STEM, though. These classes also build skills in areas including critical thinking, collaboration, working under pressure, and public speaking.

“Taking aviation helped me overcome my discomfort with speaking publicly. We do this whole unit on communication and how to use your voice,” said Ike. He also appreciates the life skills nurtured in class, like when Bill taught students the difference between a professional and a “dead fish” handshake.

“Most of the time it’s not like he’s teaching us how to fly. He's teaching us how to live our lives,” said Ike.

Hearing about experiences like this, it’s easy to understand why Bill has continued to share his love of aviation in the classroom rather than make a move to the commercial airline industry (his initial plan after retiring from the Navy). He said he’s grateful to be at a school where he has the time and flexibility to tailor lessons to bring out the best in his students—and, often, watch them blossom with confidence as they tackle tasks not often associated with the middle school experience. “That’s probably the most rewarding,” he said. “That’s why I’m not flying for an airline.”

My confidence has grown so much, in ways that I never would have expected it to.—Zoe H., class of 2029

Zoe can certainly attest to this. As she wraps up her Middle School aviation classes (she plans to take more as an upper schooler), she reflected on just a few of the aviation tasks she can now do with confidence: run preflight checklists, communicate with tower and ground crews, read runway signs and markings, and stay nimble while in flight.

“My confidence has grown so much, in ways that I never would have expected it to,” she said. “What I have learned about myself is that I can do the unexpected, even if it seems impossible at first.” 

It’s an experience Zoe can’t wait for others to have.

“For students considering the class but nervous to take it, just do it, because you can do the unexpected, even if it feels impossible,” she said. “Trust me, you will have so much fun and learn so much.”

STEM