TRS Alumni View

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The Raleigh School
Catching Up with Jan Schnurr
Retired TRS Teacher

Jan Schnurr has lived all but one year of her life in North Carolina. She grew up in Fayetteville, the middle sister in a family of three girls. She dreamed of becoming a doctor, marine biologist, nurse, engineer, or an actress. Her mother, who was a teacher, encouraged Jan to move in that direction. When Jan went to college and was asked to choose a major, she followed in her mom's footsteps and chose education. Along the way, she found that teaching enabled her to dabble in all of the jobs she had dreamed about pursuing as a young girl. 

Jan moved to Raleigh when her husband, also a teacher and high school football coach, entered graduate school at NC State in design. She found her way to Raleigh Preschool two years later. She was looking for a well-established program and loved the idea of the parent cooperative. Jan retired in June of 2020, after spending twenty years teaching first grade. Her class, at the time, arranged for a fire truck-led surprise parade to go by her house to celebrate her teaching career which thrilled her; she still has the posters her first graders made to mark the moment. We caught up with her recently for some Q & A about her time at TRS, and to see how she is enjoying retirement.

What ages have you taught at The Raleigh School?

I had the privilege of teaching 4, 3, and 2 year-olds at Raleigh Preschool for 13 years (with a break between 1977 - 1991). I moved to teaching first grade at The Raleigh School beginning in 2000.

Describe something you especially enjoyed about teaching.

I have left a lot of my heart and soul with The Raleigh School. It is a treasure! I have far too many wonderful memories to share, but I think what I most happily remember is watching children get excited about learning and making connections to what they learned, becoming independent learners who take what they have learned outside of the classroom and continue to expand on it. What a joy!

Did any family members attend TRS?

My own children attended Raleigh Preschool through kindergarten (there was no elementary then) and then my grandson attended the preschool for three years.

What are you enjoying, now that you're retired?

I enjoy sleeping a little later. My planned self-reinvention has not gone as I expected, partially because of the pandemic. I still plan to take classes through OLLI and have taken on more responsibilities at my church. Zumba classes and walking remain stalwarts of my exercise regimen.

What do you miss about teaching?

I thought that I would enjoy the 6 weekends a year that I didn't need to work on progress reports. However, I find that I miss that time to really focus on each child. I miss everything about school, especially the children, their families, and teaching.

How do you still stay connected with TRS?

My husband and I have continued to do some gardening at the school on the weekends. I speak with some staff occasionally and they keep me connected. I also love staying in touch with my past students and hearing about what they are doing now.

Jan has always chosen school communities where parent involvement is the standard. She exemplified this at TRS as a parent, when she served as board chair, and in her role as a teacher. Jan shared this model in her tenure as PTA President at A.B. Combs Elementary, where she established parent committees and at Ligon Middle School when her children attended school there. She took great pride in overseeing the introduction of a more Raleigh Preschool focused approach in public schools.

At the close of our conversation, Jan remarked, "I truly feel honored and blessed to have been a part of The Raleigh School for all of those years. What a privilege it is to be a part of helping children grow and learn!"

TRS was fortunate to have Jan teaching and guiding young children for so many years. We are glad that retirement is treating Jan well and look forward to more opportunities to have her back on campus soon.

TRS News
Latest Updates

The Sound of Music

The halls were alive with performances by Corinne Laurey. First she earned a National Gold Medal for voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Next, this Raleigh School alum, Class of 2018, finished in first place for the Lower High School Treble Category at the NC National Association of Music Teachers (NATS) this past November.

In the past few weeks, Corrine placed 1st at the 2022 NC Classical NATS when she performed Amor Preparami by Scarlatti.

TRS 70th Anniversary

What has been going strong for 70 years? The Raleigh School. Founded in 1952, as a parent cooperative, TRS as we know it today began with parents and children first meeting in homes.

Along the way, TRS has had a few addresses, settling into our current home with both preschool and elementary classes on an 18-acre campus.

We think this milestone merits a year-long celebration and are excited to start planning now for numerous celebrations beginning in the fall of 2022.

We hope you will be able to attend one or more of the anniversary events. Watch for updates and invitations.

Managing Money

Ella Gupta, Class of 2016, and author of the book, Gen Z Money $ense: A Personal Finance and Investing Guide returned to TRS campus earlier this month.

Ella spent time with our fifth grade classes talking about financial literacy. She played a budgeting game with the students where they had to prioritize their spending based on needs and wants. 

Alumni Stories
Class Notes

Gabriella Cicuto, Class of 2015, has committed to play field hockey at Indiana University.

Gabie Craig Frantz, Class of 2003, and her husband Robert Frantz had a baby boy, Beal Brent, earlier this month.

Hayden Gridley, Class of 2005, recently got engaged. A 2023 wedding in Philadelphia is in the works.

Holden Jonczak, Class of 2021, is finding many new outlets in middle school. He ran cross country in the fall, made the JV basketball team - this year's team had the best record in Cary Academy's history, and now Holden is playing lacrosse. 

Anu Mannar, Alumni Parent, just opened a storefront for her business Masala My Life as part of The Painted Tree Boutiques located at Crossroads. Elayne Courts, Alumni Parent, also opened a booth at the same location featuring handmade products.

Blue Nightingale, Class of 2020, attends Marin Country Day School and played roles in the school production of Clue. Blue played the roles of Mr. Boddy and the Chief of Police. 

Ben Sawchak, Class of 2004, has joined Bombas as Lead Data Analyst, Business Operations.

Eva Stikeleather, Class of 2020, and #03, had an outstanding basketball season. Her team, the Fever, are the City of Raleigh 12U Champions, both regular season and in the tournament. Currently, she is playing catcher on the Leesville, Lady Lions, softball team. Eva's school volleyball team, also finished the season as undefeated, conference champs.

Tyler Stohlman, Class of 2005, is finishing up an MBA at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and has accepted a job at Regal Rexnord as a Corporate Development Manager.

Hunter Webb, Class of 2006, and his wife Caroline, had a baby boy, Charles, in June 2021.

Holden Whiteside, Class of 2008, had a Seasonal Naturalist position at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana during the summer of 2021. Holden answered questions for visitors and taught them about the resident ambassador grizzly bears, gray wolves, ground squirrels, birds of prey, river otters, fishes, reptiles, and amphibians as well as about the flora and fauna in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and how to recreate safely and responsibly while enjoying the outdoors.

Kate Williams, Class of 2021, attends Duke School and is now a member of the classic soccer league at Wake FC.

A number of Raleigh School alumni took part in the Cary Academy, Beneath the Moon production: Audrey Fan, Vikram Kommareddi, Sarah Hussain, Mickey Lewis, Corrine Laurey, Christina Polge, Bailey Greczyn, Renn Guard, Riley Moore, and Claire + Noelle Moorhead.

Alumni Events
Moving Ahead

Raleigh School MadLibs

If you could come back to TRS, what grade would you want to do all over again?

"kindergarten"

"fifth grade"

What is something you hope never changes about TRS?

"the amazing teachers"

"recess"

"the people who made me feel happy about who I was"

These are some of the answers we've heard as alumni tell us their TRS Story.

We'd love to hear your answers. You can complete the MadLib prompts here.

Class of 2015 to Gather 

We are always so happy to welcome alumni back to campus. We look forward to seeing our Raleigh School Class of 2015. A reunion is planned for Sunday, May 15. (Save the Date)

These, now high school seniors are busy determining their next destinations.

Good luck with the application and decision process!

Raleigh COOL - April 30

We are excited to plan for an in-person Raleigh COOL this year! The tent has been rented, we're ready to pour the beer, wine, and have our DJ pump up the volume for a fun party for 21 and over guests.

It has been too long and we are excited to come back to campus and raise money for tuition assistance. BUY Tickets NOW.

Have a business that you would like to let Raleigh School families know about or have an item to donate, contact Karen Green, kgreen@raleighschool.org.

Sponsorships begin at $250 - we will be highlighting COOL sponsors 😎 on the auction website in the weeks leading up to the event. 

The Raleigh School

1141 Raleigh School Drive • Raleigh, NC 27607 • (919) 546-0788

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