October 2022
As a university laboratory school, we benefit from having undergraduate students participate in our school in a myriad of ways. From interns to student teachers to research methods students to student employees, our ongoing relationship with these students is mutually beneficial to all parties involved. We are also occasionally lucky enough to have local high school students who are interested in careers in early childhood education work as interns in our classrooms. This year, we have ten undergraduate student employees working as classroom assistants, one undergraduate volunteer, and two high school interns. Seven of our undergraduate classroom assistants are returning from last year, and three of the students are new to the Children’s School. Throughout the year, we will introduce you to all these wonderful individuals in the Undergraduate Spotlight section of our newsletter. We feel very fortunate to be able to have them at our school each day!
Intern Skyanna Baker (Kindergarten, M / R afternoons)
This year, we have a high school intern from the City Connections East School. City Connections is a program through Pittsburgh Public Schools that provides continued programming in community-based settings for individuals ages 18-21 with mild to severe disabilities. Skyanna Baker joins us from the program. Skyanna, who comes to our school with her aide Stacy Faust, can be found working with our Kindergarten class on Mondays and Thursdays. Meet Skyanna!
“Hi! My name is Skyanna N. Baker. I go to City Connections East, and I’m currently working at Square One Café. I love horses very much, and I get to go to a therapeutic horseback riding center called Elliott Acres. I also really love to cosplay. One of my favorite cosplays is Christine Daae from Phantom of the Opera and from Love Never Dies. I really love doing makeup, and I love to do art like painting and coloring. I also love to sing Billie Eilish and Broadway songs!”
November 2022
Meet one of the undergraduate student employees working as a classroom assistant. All our undergraduate employees enrich the children’s experience by bringing a diverse set of talents to our educational team.
Student Employee Kate Russo (Preschool 3’s, T/R midday)
“Hi! My name is Kate Russo. I am a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon in the BHA Program majoring in Art and Social & Political History. I started working at the Children’s School this fall. Outside of my classes and time at the Children’s School, I am the co-director of the student-run Frame Gallery and a member of the women’s club water polo team. Getting to know the children in the classroom and on the playground is a much-appreciated change of pace as the children never fail to put a smile on my face and the staff continually makes me feel welcome. I have always found spending time with children to be a refreshing and joyful experience, so I am so thankful to have the opportunity to be a part of the Children’s School team. As the year goes on, I am especially excited about how I can use my love of art to further help the children engage with their creativity.”
December 2022
Meet an undergraduate student employee and a high school intern, both working as classroom assistants. All our support staff enrich the children’s experience by bringing a diverse set of talents to our educational team.
City Charter High School Intern Alayah Rose (PreSch 4’s, afternoons)
"Hi, my name is Alayah. I am a Pittsburgh native from the east side area. I’m a senior from City Charter High School currently interning at The Children’s School. My school requires all seniors to do an internship in a place that will help them gain insight and experience in their future work field. Since I want to get into psychology, my school placed me here at the Children’s School to be mentored by Mrs. Bird. So far, I’ve been working with the Green Room educators and Red Room team in the afternoon.
Throughout this time, I’ve gotten to learn so many things like activity preparation, proper organization, and how to build relationships with different kinds of children based on their personalities. In the future, I hope to use the knowledge and experience I gained from the teachers here at the Children’s School to become a psychologist."
Undergraduate Classroom Assistant Ellie Durr (Preschool 3’s, mornings)
"My name is Ellie, and I'm a Carnegie Mellon sophomore studying Music Performance. I'm originally from Grinnell, Iowa. At the Children's School, I work primarily in the Preschool 3’s Red and Blue Rooms, and also in the kindergarten. I adore working with children, and I'm hoping to be an educator in the future.
My favorite thing this year has been watching the 3-year-olds grow as they become more confident in going to school and become excited to be here. Outside of The Children's School, I'm involved in TEDxCMU and Cru Campus Ministry. I enjoy swimming, listening to jazz, and cooking in my apartment with my friends."
January 2023
Meet two undergraduate student employees who are working as classroom assistants. Summer Abraham is also serving as a teaching assistant for Dr. Carver’s Principles of Child Development course this semester.
Undergraduate Classroom Assistant Aria Eudaimond (Preschool 3’s)
Hi, my name is Aria Eudaimond! I'm from Indiana and live in a city just a couple of minutes north of Indianapolis. I am a sophomore here at Carnegie Mellon and am planning on graduating in 2025. I will be majoring in Psychology, with an emphasis in developmental, with a double major in Film Studies. I very much enjoy playing music, as I play several instruments, but I especially love my acoustic guitar. I enjoy watching movies and tv shows so much so that my mom calls me an 'expert'. I also enjoy basketball and football. I've been a Steelers fan since I was 2 (thanks, Dad!). I also love hanging out with my little sisters and going on drives to get slushies with them. They are one of the main reasons why I am working at the Children's School here at CMU. My sisters are 4 and 6, and they are a huge part of my life. I work with the Preschool 3’s each week and always have a good time. I really enjoy my job here as it provides a nice break in my hectic school schedule, and the children and the work are so fun that it oftentimes doesn't feel too much like work.
Undergraduate Classroom Assistant Summer Abraham (Preschool 3’s and 4’s)
Hi Everyone! My name is Summer Abraham, and I am a senior from Chicago majoring in Psychology & Decision Science with a minor in Design for Learning. I have been working at the Children’s School since my freshman fall semester, and it was a large part of why I chose CMU in the first place. I have worked with all the different classes during my time here, and I have greatly enjoyed getting to know so many of the friends! I took Dr. Carver’s Child Development Practicum class last year and interned with the Red and Blue Room friends, who I now get to see on Fridays in the Green Room. This year, I am still working in the Red and Blue Rooms, and I’m enjoying learning things about transportation that I never knew! The Children’s School is my favorite place on campus, and I love how welcoming and friendly all the teachers and administrators are and how playful and loving the children are. Outside of working at the Children’s School, I enjoy playing the cello, doing embroidery, and exploring Pittsburgh - sometimes based on recommendations from the friends! I’m not sure what I will do after graduation, but I definitely want to continue working with children. I’m excited to see what adventures the next semester will bring!
February 2023
During the spring 2023 semester, three undergraduate interns are taking Dr. Carver’s Practicum in Child Development course. They support our children and educators in the classroom six hours per week, while also engaging in a seminar with Dr. Carver every Tuesday. One, Ellie Durr, is also a Children’s School student employee whose bio was included in the December 2022 newsletter so there are just two new bios here. Ellie’s internship is with the Preschool 4’s class.
Intern Lauren Stampfli (Preschool 3’s)
Hi! My name is Lauren Stampfli! I’m from Park City, Utah and am currently a sophomore studying Mathematical Science with a concentration in Statistics and an intended minor in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon. I enjoy painting, cooking, and reading. I also always appreciate a good hike; Acadia National Park will likely forever remain one of my favorite parks. I have recently taken to bouldering! I took Professor Rakison’s Principles of Child Development class last semester and enjoyed the material so much that when the Child Development Practicum was mentioned I decided that I wanted to be able to apply myself there as well. Even more than that, I have always loved working with and teaching children and am excited to spend the remainder of my sophomore year interning at the Children’s School.
Intern Sunny Bok (Kindergarten)
Hi everyone! My name is Sunny Bok, and I'm a sophomore studying psychology and minoring in creative writing. I've taken Principles of Child Development and am familiar with the activities and community of the Children's School, so I'm happy to say that I'll be working with the kindergartners this semester! I hope to become a child psychiatrist in the future and am planning on working with children in my career. I'm looking forward to watching and encouraging the kindergartners to grow in a nurturing environment, and I'm continually fascinated by the bonds that children form with the people around them. Outside of the Children's School, I enjoy painting, playing the flute, and dancing! I know many different types of dance, such as ballet, jazz, and lyrical, but my favorite is tap dancing. I've also recently learned how to knit and embroider, so those are currently skills that I'm refining. I'm excited to share my knowledge and engage with the kindergartners, and I hope I can learn a lot from these friends!
March 2023
Undergraduate Employees enrich the Children’s School program by sharing their diverse perspectives and talents with us.
Student Employee Jasmine Dong (Preschool 4’s)
My name is Jasmine Dong, and I am currently a sophomore studying Business Administration at the Tepper School of Business. I am originally from New York, NY. This is my second semester working at The Children's School, and I’m with the Preschool 4’s. I am someone who likes children and enjoys playing with them, so working at The Children's School is a perfect fit. It is always so nice to hear the children say hello to me, and the teachers are always very welcoming! Overall, I really enjoy working here and will continue to do so next semester.
Student Employee Lily Hazam (Preschool 4’s)
My name is Lily Hazam, and I'm a second-year undergraduate studying Decision Science at CMU. I'm from a small town in Massachusetts, right near Boston. In my free time, I love watching movies, baking, and spending time with friends and family. I've been working at the Children's School for almost a year now! This semester, I'm working with the Preschool 4's in the Green Room but have worked with the Preschool 3's in the past. I love showing up to the school every day with a warm greeting from both students and teachers. It hardly ever feels like work when I step into the classroom, and we sing, dance, learn, and play. Every day is something new and exciting at the Children's School, which is what I enjoy most about it.
April 2023
Undergraduate Employees enrich the Children’s School program by sharing their diverse perspectives and talents with us.
Student Employee Jillian Weatherford (Preschool 4’s)
My name is Jillian Weatherford, and I am from Fayetteville, West Virginia. I am a first-year student in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. I am currently majoring in psychology and hoping to minor in developmental psychology. I started working at the Children’s School because before I entered college I had decided that I wanted to work in developmental research. When I told this to my academic advisor, she recommended that I work at the Children’s School. I work with the Preschool 4’s group, and my favorite thing to do is read with the children. I love getting to know all the children and seeing how they show off their personalities in the ways they play in the classroom. When I am home, I enjoy hiking, baking, and spending time outside. My favorite activity is snowboarding, and I have been working as a children’s snowboard instructor for five years. I am currently a member of the Carnegie Mellon Ski and Snowboard team. Working as a snowboard instructor is what introduced me to my passion of working with children, and I am grateful I get to continue that through working with the Children’s School.
May 2023
Farewell & best wishes to the Children’s School seniors graduating this spring!
Summer Abraham
(Psychology / Decision Science / Design for Learning)
Four years ago, when I was deciding what college to attend, my mom sent me an article about Dr. Carver and the Children’s School. Reading that article and exploring the Children’s School sold me on Carnegie Mellon; so as soon as I got on campus, I started working at the Children’s School. Some of my favorite experiences have been taking a tour of Carnegie Mellon Campus led by CMU’s architect with the Green Room friends, playing hide-and-seek on the playground, building with blocks, and attending the family festival. Also, I recently had the Red and Blue Room friends decorate a graduation stole that I am planning to wear when I graduate in May!
Throughout the past four years, including the pandemic, the most consistent thing in my life has been the Children’s School. The energy of the friends and the passion of the teachers is infectious, and I am eager to go to school in the mornings, and I have loved getting to know other undergraduate students who are interested in working with children. The Children’s School is truly a magical place, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to get to know the wonderful community of people around it. I hope to continue to work in the education field in the future, and my memories and lessons learned from the Children’s School will always stay with me.
Stewart Harrison
(Drama / Social and Political History)
I have been working at the Children's School for all four years I have been at CMU, and it has been one of the highlights of my time here. I started in the library reorganizing all the books, and then I started helping with dismissal and started interacting with the children here. I was blown away by their creativity, earnestness, and humor. I would ask how old they thought I was and got answers of everything from 4 to 5000. I also asked what they wanted to be when they grew up (best answer = robot). During the pandemic, I couldn’t see them, and I had to do my work after school hours. It was sad to not be able to interact with them anymore, but it was still fun to see the art they put on the walls and watch them learn and grow. As I interacted with them more in my Junior and Senior years, watching these children develop personalities and learn how to be people never failed to brighten my days. I am going to be sad to leave the Children's School behind as I graduate and head into the real world, but I will remember everything I learned here for a very long time.
See you next time, See you next time, See you next time, At the Children's School!
