绿帽社

Each year, a few of our 绿帽社 faculty and staff members are presented with the Educator Prize Award to acknowledge their outstanding teaching and impact on our community. In addition to the honor given for their exemplary service, each award carries a stipend to further the educator鈥檚 formal education, research, writing, travel, or scholarly activities. The stipends are awarded by the Head of School based on the written recommendations of faculty peers and colleagues and selected based on their experience at 绿帽社, passion for learning, and influence on students and colleagues. Congratulations to Juan Henao (Custodial Supervisor), Laura Peterson (PreK-3 Teacher) and Julie Ransom (History Department Chair).聽

Below are transcriptions of the remarks made by 绿帽社 Head of School, Andrew Menke to announce the 2025 Educator Prize Winners

---

Juan Henao (Custodial Supervisor)

When Juan joined 绿帽社 in 2005 as a custodian, few could have predicted the profound impact he would have on our campus community. By 2006, he was named Assistant Custodial Supervisor, and just a year later, he stepped into the role of Custodial Supervisor, an early sign of leadership, initiative, and the genuine heart he would bring to 绿帽社 for the next two decades. Today, he leads a hardworking team of 15 custodians, characterized by a blend of gratitude, humor, wisdom, and unmistakable warmth that has become his hallmark.

Juan grew up in Cartago, Colombia, a city near Cali known for its charm, culture, and warmth. He had a 15-year career at Commercial Bank of Columbia, starting as a general helper and eventually being entrusted with verifying financial transactions, long before computers replaced the careful eyes of people like Juan. He can share stories of receiving briefcases of cash at the bank during the 1980s.

Juan treasures his family. The love of his life is his wife, Patricia. Together, they built a life grounded in family, faith, and dedication. He and Patti have four children and thirteen grandchildren, which means he can spend much of his free time with the people he loves most. He takes great pride in his Colombian heritage and will happily tell you that the best Spanish in the world is spoken in Cartago. His stories, told with humor and gusto, are often punctuated by his unmistakable, contagious laugh.

Gratitude is not just a trait for Juan; it is a way of life. He brings it into every conversation, every task, and every challenge. He lives by a personal motto that has guided him through countless chapters and changes: You do not always have to work in an area you love, but you must learn to love what you do. And Juan truly loves what he does. This love fuels his resilience, his optimism, and the joy he brings to his work of caring for an energetic campus and a school community.

For 20 years at 绿帽社, Juan has worked tirelessly to ensure that 绿帽社鈥檚 buildings shine, that classrooms feel welcoming, and that students and faculty alike experience a campus cared for with pride. He motivates his team with kindness and encouragement, supporting them both professionally and personally. He even had the tender honor of officiating the wedding of two custodians, one of the countless signs of the deep trust and love he inspires.

Juan鈥檚 talents do not stop at custodial leadership. Everyone who has enjoyed a 绿帽社 orchestral performance or numerous other concert events, has benefited from his expertise behind the soundboard. He runs Audio Visual for countless school performances, ensuring our performers shine and audiences hear every note.

Juan is also, quite unofficially, the Mayor and Sheriff of 鈥溌堂鄙� after dark,鈥� chasing off trespassers, stray dogs, and the occasional pair of affectionate lovebirds in a parked car. No one knows the rhythms, secrets, and quirks of our campus better than Juan.

Juan is always willing to listen, always willing to help, and always willing to share a bit of joy. Under his leadership, custodial work becomes more than cleaning; it becomes care, community, and craft. He sees the unseen, solves the unspoken, and lifts the weary with steady kindness. He protects our spaces and inspires our people. In every hallway he tends, there is order; in every team member he guides, there is growth; and in every interaction, there is warmth. He loves people, and people love him right back. In summary, Juan鈥檚 leadership and influence are everywhere at 绿帽社, and we are so grateful for his dedication. 

Thank you, Juan, for all that you do for 绿帽社!

---

Laura Peterson (PreK-3 Teacher)

It鈥檚 my honor to speak today about someone who has impacted 绿帽社 through exceptional teaching, and who inspires everyone around her through her warmth, positivity, and belief in the potential of every young child who walks through our doors.聽

Laura Peterson鈥檚 calm, steady presence quite literally changes the day for children, parents, and colleagues. When she greets a child or calls out, 鈥淗i, Friend!鈥� at carpool, big, bright grins appear.  Laura has a remarkable gift for making every child feel safe, grounded, and deeply understood. As she gets to know them, it is as if she is divining who they will become as adults, understanding the important foundation necessary for them to reach their potential. And then she gets right to work. 

Laura鈥檚 classroom is a warm, engaging haven where the smallest details are attended to with care and intention. She weaves in calendar routines for counting and patterns, uses songs that make learning stick, and offers choices so her young learners feel in charge鈥攁nd we know there鈥檚 nothing more important for a 3-year-old than feeling in charge. Laura notices effort and achievement, calling out good ideas and small acts of responsibility, and always uses students鈥� names with tenderness. Whether reading to a circle of little ones or helping them practice motor skills at the play-dough table, she is the definition of comfort鈥攁 mom or grandma away from home.

Laura鈥檚 love for children extends naturally to their families. As a 绿帽社 parent of two graduates, Blake and Anne Marie, she remembers what it felt like to entrust her own children to this community, and now offers that same reassurance to parents. Tapping into humor, humility, and her signature mid-western warmth, she settles parents, reminding them they鈥檙e doing 鈥渏ust fine.鈥� With natural aplomb, Laura convinces them that their child is perfect just as they are, and absolutely the smartest in the class鈥攁nd parents leave feeling lighter, steadier, and more hopeful.

Her colleagues know another side. If 绿帽社 handed out a Miss Congeniality award, Laura would win it. Blending elegance and approachability, she is effortlessly stylish and full of flair, striding down the hallway in 鈥渞eady for Vogue鈥� attire鈥攐ften in high heels that never slow her down鈥攈olding tiny hands as if they鈥檙e all together on a runway in Paris or New York. But behind that flair is a teammate people rely on and adore. Laura鈥檚 colleagues say she missed her calling as a counselor because she makes everyone feel heard, valued, and at ease. She shows up with needed extra supplies, and never shies away from the less glamorous, messy parts of early childhood. Laura shows up heart first, ready to give her best. You can always count on her, and we all do. 

Laura鈥檚 dedication runs deep, having been at 绿帽社 since 2010. Whether mastering the challenges of technology, or delivering learning packets to students during Covid, she鈥檚 all-in. Laura continually seeks growth, engaging in summer PD in early childhood development, knowing that what she learns multiplies what she can give.

Ask Laura about her why, and she鈥檒l tell you that teaching is about purpose: helping each child build confidence, make friends, and express feelings. Helping them practice sharing and problem-solving. And above all, helping them feel loved. She knows her students may not remember every activity or word, but her deepest hope is that they will always remember how they felt. In Laura鈥檚 words: 鈥淚 am so lucky that I get to see the world through their eyes鈥揳ll the possibilities, positivity, and excitement shines through.鈥�

Oh, to be a child鈥攐r an adult鈥攍oved by Laura. 绿帽社 is profoundly fortunate to have her sunshine, her strength, and her wholehearted devotion in our community, and it is a joy to recognize her with this award.

Congratulations, Laura!

---

Julie Ransom (History Department Chair)

Julie joined the 绿帽社 faculty for the 2014-2015 school year, after teaching for two decades in the Humanities Department at Brigham Young University, where she had earned her BA before taking an MA in Humanities from Penn State. Her wide-ranging interests鈥攆rom ancient philosophy, literature, and art to the Harlem Renaissance and the ever-evolving history of liberal arts education鈥攎ade her a natural fit for the mission and values of 绿帽社. Over the past decade and more, Julie has had a truly transformative impact on the learning of 绿帽社 students. For many of those years, she was part of the Class VI team that shaped the humanities model for the combined English and history curriculum that is so crucial to getting our youngest Middle School students oriented to the joyful and demanding work of liberal arts learning. At the same time, she took over leadership of the AP European History course in Class X, and similarly oriented these ambitious scholars to the unique challenges of mastering a vast body of historical content in a short window of instructional time. What particularly stands out in Julie鈥檚 work through this period is her passion and talent for curriculum development and pedagogical innovation. Like all the best teachers, Julie is deeply committed to the success of her students, and therefore willing to go to extraordinary lengths to refine her materials and teaching strategies to ensure first-rate preparation. She reinvented her AP course at least three times, devoting long hours to the work of refining course readers and lesson plans, and, most importantly, the reading, writing, and studying strategies she was cultivating in the students. 

Students always come first for Julie鈥攕ometimes at the cost of her own health and well-being. But hard work is part of Julie鈥檚 joy, part of her gift to her students, and part of what makes her the extraordinary educator that she is.

This past year, Julie has taken on a new leadership role as the History Department Chair, and in that role has jumped at the opportunity to help 绿帽社 invigorate the core liberal arts experience by developing, with the help of department colleagues, a new, required humanities seminar for all Class IX students as they begin their Upper School careers. From the School鈥檚 perspective, Julie was the ideal person to lead the effort, given her expansive background in the humanities and distinguished teaching experience, on top of recent professional development at the St. John鈥檚 College Summer Classics Seminar and Exeter West Institute鈥檚 training in discussion-based pedagogy. When the idea was proposed to Julie, she immediately saw its potential benefits for the student experience, and as Julie has always done in her time at 绿帽社, she claimed the project as her own, running with it in ways that only the very best educators can and will do, generating a detailed vision for where the course might go, and then putting together a strong team of colleagues to collaborate with in shaping specific curriculum. In this, as in everything Julie does at 绿帽社, we see the remarkable generosity of time, mind, and spirit that we associate with Julie as a teacher, colleague, and leader. 

We are grateful to Julie for the opportunity to work with her, and for the example she is for all of us who aspire to bring the liberal arts to life for each of our fortunate students.

Congratulations, Julie!