Investing in Acceleration
Moving to Paoli from New York City, Erik and Cathy Graham sought advice about which schools to consider from Erik’s brothers Ken and Steve, who live nearby. Both advised the couple to look at Episcopal. “There was quite a buzz about the move to the new campus at the time,” recalls Erik. “We figured out pretty quickly that it was the right school for us.” Soon Erik and Cathy’s children Sam '24, Sophia '26, and Adam '28 joined their cousins, Ken’s children Celeste '19, Ewan '22, and Thane '22 at EA. The Graham family were all in.
The Grahams had always understood the role of philanthropy in keeping schools strong, but at EA they have found opportunities for investment that inspire and assure them. “When we heard about the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), we both realized what a forward-looking program it is,” says Cathy. As someone involved in the software industry, Erik knows the challenges of managing and filtering best practices in an environment in which new tools and methodologies emerge constantly. “Teachers are almost buried in discovery these days,” he muses. “We knew that the CTL was a tool that could help the school quickly identify the most effective products and resources and get them into teachers’ hands as quickly as possible. We saw the opportunity to give in a way that would immediately improve the school while our kids are enrolled. For us, that was a no-brainer.”
Then COVID hit. What had seemed like a forward-looking program suddenly became one of the essential resources that enabled the school to offer students the best experience possible. Having the CTL in place accelerated the transition to online learning and meant that teachers were better prepared than their peers at other schools. “It was really fortuitous,” says Cathy, “because there were people who could step in and teach teachers how to use all the necessary tools quickly.”
As the world emerges from the pandemic, the Grahams are once again excited to see the ways in which their philanthropy is keeping teaching and learning at Episcopal at the leading edge. Beyond the student experience, they are realizing the impact that the CTL has on faculty members and potential faculty members. “I hope it sends a positive message to faculty members,” says Cathy, “that the school and community care about them and want to provide them with the resources to do their jobs and the space for an ongoing dialogue around professional development.” They’re also realizing that the CTL has been a major asset in attracting teaching talent. Their investment in the people who make Episcopal special will serve as a magnet for the best teachers long into the future.
