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.”