Curiosity and Molly Gurner

The Newman School welcomes a new Art teacher this school year, Molly Gurner. She is a former Newman student and has experience in both educational and non-profit settings. Furthermore, she has expertise in health and wellness, coaching, and graphic design, reflecting her curiosity in a variety of fields. From teaching art to organizing social media to teaching soccer, Gurner adds plenty to the Newman community. 

Since her return to Newman, one of the most rewarding parts of her role is the connection with students. Gurner emphasizes the importance of building relationships and making sure students feel supported. She is an active presence at Newman, engaging with students in different settings to foster a sense of community.

She explains, “Engaging with students is one of my favorite parts of my role here and keeps everything interesting. In practice, this means building relationships with students, making sure that they know who I am, and that I have their best interest at heart and am here to support them. I go out of my way to get involved and attend a lot of different things around school like sports, theatre, poetry out loud, etc so that students can see familiar faces consistently showing up to support them in whatever they’re passionate about here at Newman.”

Beyond student engagement, Gurner values the core elements that create a strong community. She believes that accountability, trust, and fun are essential for a thriving school environment, where students and teachers support one another, both academically and socially. 

She describes, “I think in terms of the school community, things like accountability, trust, and also just having fun are all super important things that everyone can contribute! Accountability as far as students holding each other accountable for things like taking care of the space and doing the right thing when nobody's watching, and then teachers holding students accountable when it comes to reaching their full potential, and really just everyone holding everyone accountable [...] And then trusting that everyone has everyone else’s best interest at heart within the community, and lastly, of course having fun makes all of our time here within the school community worthwhile. Being able to have fun while doing things that may come off as boring is a game changer within community environments.”

In addition to her teaching and community involvement, Gurner also plays a key role in showcasing the diverse talents and accomplishments of students, making them visible to the wider school community.

She shares, “I want to make sure that every aspect of Newman is being highlighted!  From middle school to high school and all smaller groups within. We do a lot of cool and unique things here at Newman and I feel that it's important to put it out there for everyone to see whether it is students seeing their hard work being posted, families seeing what's going on within the school, prospective students and families getting a glimpse of our school to help them make decisions, etc.”

With her experience in social media management, Gurner understands the impact of online platforms on students. She encourages young people to maintain a healthy perspective when engaging with social media. 

She advises, “I would say for younger people on social media, to not take everything they see so seriously, and to remember that most are just posting their highlight reels. People don’t often post about their downs, mostly their ups, but that doesn't mean they’re not also experiencing them too so don’t compare yourself to what and who you see on there!”

Creativity is another essential element Gurner brings to the Newman community. She believes that creative expression strengthens connections between students and contributes to a vibrant school environment.

Gurner comments, “Creativity is so important to breathe life into communities! Even for those who don’t consider themselves to be creatives, it can be so relaxing and calming to engage in a simple craft project or to do an activity with your hands. Students coming together to create and find inspiration from one another can definitely create more community!”

As someone who has many interests, Gurner is excited to continue learning and growing at Newman. She is eager to see how the school evolves now that she has returned. 

She says, “I’m curious about how Newman will continue to grow over my time here. It seems like there are a lot of things in the works that have the potential to be really great once implemented. The school has already grown and evolved so much since my time here as a student and I really love the direction it is going in!”

With her enthusiasm for education, creativity, and community engagement, Molly Gurner is sure to have a lasting impact at Newman.