Path to Follow Podcast

Why are libraries important? Why read in the first place? What do librarians do? All of these questions (and more!) are answered here. //

Diane Fuller is the Director of Libraries at Gilman School. She has always loved books, and after working as an archivist, discovered she could turn a passion into a profession. //

In Episode #25 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Diane discuss recent changes in Gilman's Edward R. Fenimore Jr. Library, Young Adult (YA) Books, banned books, why it's sometimes okay to judge a book by its cover, how Diane became a librarian, how the Fenimore Library has changed over time, the process of organizing a library, e-books versus print, "Green Lights" by Matthew McConaughey, audiobooks read by authors, the Gilman News school newspaper, arts at Gilman, and Diane's two book recommendations: "Small Great Things" (2016) and "Thirteen Reasons Why" (2007) by Jay Asher. //

Enjoy the episode? Please follow the Path to Follow Podcast (@pathtofollowpod) on all platforms. There's so much more content coming your way. //

A special thank you to our listeners. Nothing would happen without the work of all-powerful Cesare Ciccanti.

“If you were a podcast host and could have somebody [from history] on to talk to, is there an individual who sticks out?” //

Matt Baum ‘93 is the History Department Chair at Gilman School and teaches two courses: 10th grade “Making of Modern Europe” and a 12th grade elective, “U.S. Since 1960.” He coaches basketball and golf, and loves “end[ing] every day on a court or a field.” //

In Episode #24 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Matt discuss debate-oriented discussions, activity variation in the classroom, memorable quotes from Dan Christian, tri-school coordination, the influence of Jerry Thornberry, living through history, Netflix-browsing paralysis, "Bobby Kennedy for President," JFK’s assassination and whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, Joe Rogan’s open mind, Alexander Hamilton’s opinion of the Broadway musical, "John Adams" on HBO, the brilliance of Thomas Jefferson, the absurdities of the Vietnam War, Tim O’Brien’s "The Things They Carried," LBJ’s commitment to civil rights, Bryan Cranston in "All the Way," distrust of institutions today, the insanity of 2020, Modern Family, and Matt’s book recommendation, "The Unwinding" by George Packer (2013). //

Order "The Unwinding" by George Packer: https://www.amazon.com/Unwinding-Inner-History-New-America/dp/0374534608 // I hope you enjoyed the episode. Please subscribe and follow @pathtofollowpod on all platforms. //

If you’d like to stay updated in a more personal way, sign up for the Path to Follow monthly newsletter here: https://pathtofollowpodcast.substack.com/embed //

Big ups to Cesare Ciccanti for all of his hard work!

"I don't want to be a teacher who gets forgotten along the way. I want to make sure I'm staying with [Gilman students] through [their] pivotal growth moments." //

Chris Bendann ‘03 is a Gilman “lifer,” middle school ancient history teacher, admissions coordinator, Skidmore College graduate, shot put athlete, avid world traveller, and beloved mentor. //

On Episode #23 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Chris discuss teaching middle school students during the pandemic, Chris’s time at Gilman as a “thirteen-year man,” his favorite memories and influences, shot put under the legendary Mr. Johnny Foreman, ancient Greece and Rome, traveling to Istanbul, Athenian versus Spartan values, root languages and Latin, what “success” means and the role others play in one’s personal successes, what separates Gilman, the longevity of Chris’s advisory, Reddy Finney headstands, our perception of heroes versus villains, and Chris’s book recommendation, Circe by Madeline Miller (2018). //

Order Circe by Madeline Miller: https://www.amazon.com/CIRCE-New-York-Times-bestseller/dp/0316556343

Enjoy the episode? Please subscribe and follow @pathtofollowpod on all platforms. //

If you’d like to stay updated in a more personal way, sign up for the monthly newsletter! https://pathtofollowpodcast.substack.... //

As always, thank you to Cesare Ciccanti for all of his efforts on the technical end.

"COVID unfortunately shut down so many things. The silver lining for me is that my dad and I get to work on [baseball] daily, and we get to put in hours of time. And it's really cool, not just in the sense that I have a great baseball mind [that I get to work with] - that's a blessing. And the other blessing is I get to have more father-son time...I definitely don't take that for granted." //

Ryan Ripken '12 is a proud Gilman School alum, first basemen for the Baltimore Orioles organization, absolute presence on the pick-up basketball court, and overall class act. //

On Episode #22 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Ryan cover everything from similarities between different sports, to coaching tips from Cal Ripken Jr., to overcoming failure in competitive baseball, to Ryan's book recommendation, Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat. //

Enjoy the episode? Excellent. Please return for many more to come. And don't forget to subscribe and follow @pathtofollowpod on all channels.

ALSO - the Path to Follow Podcast has a brand new newsletter. The top ten unmissable podcast topics will appear in your inbox on the last day of every month. Sign up here! https://pathtofollowpodcast.substack.com/embed //

And as always, shoutout to the legendary Cesare Ciccanti for being a legend.

"When you see [someone], you're really only seeing a snippet of who they are..." //

It was an educational hour with Ms. Sarah Lloyd - an art history and history teacher at Gilman School, swimming and water polo coach, former Penn Fellow, Kenyon Lady '17, Peddie School Falcon '13, and scholar on all things pirates, Dutch paintings, and African-American art history. //

In this eclectic episode of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Sarah touch on the Lloyd family business, Sarah's experience as a NCAA athlete and swimmer at Kenyon College, time-management skills learned through sports, growing up on-campus at Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ, Black Beard and Sir Henry Morgan, the Baroque Period, Caravaggio and "The Calling of St. Matthew" (1599-1600), Vermeer and "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" (1665), Rembrandt's etchings, the French Academy, Monticello and neoclassical architecture, whether or not "Salvador Mundi" (1500) was painted by da Vinci, Jean-Michel Basquiat's disturbed genius, Sarah's book recommendation: The Fire This Time (2016) by Jesmyn Ward, David Foster Wallace's incredible commencement speech at Kenyon, and global citizenship. //

The Fire This Time (2016) by Jesmyn Ward - https://www.amazon.com/Fire-This-Time-Generation-Speaks/dp/1501126350 Enjoy the episode? Please become a loyal subscriber and follower of @pathtofollowpod on all channels. Merch coming at you soon. //

Big thanks to the great Cesare Ciccanti and his technical artistry.

"I went to Ghana, and that was what shifted my trajectory...There is so much that we share in common with one another that we don't think about very often." //

Erika Cabrera is a Penn Fellow at Gilman School where she teaches middle school geography and U.S. History. She attended Dartmouth College, studied sociology, played rugby, and traveled to Ghana and the Dominican Republic on service trips. //

In Episode #20 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Erika discuss what it's like to teach middle school students, the differences between football and rugby, Erika's passion for teaching history, life-changing experiences in Ghana, traveling abroad through Dartmouth, service projects in the Dominican Republic, Erika's first visit to Gilman, frequently-used teaching strategies in the middle school classroom, the Penn Fellowship and Erika's year-long inquiry project on critical thinking about history, Abraham Lincoln's virtues and downfalls, how humans perceive history, and James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me. //

Enjoy the episode? Please make sure you subscribe and follow @pathtofollowpod on YouTube, Spotify, Google Podcasts, PodBean, Instagram, and Twitter. //

As always, thank you to the great and powerful Cesare Ciccanti for his technical expertise.

"That's probably the best thing about Gilman...having faculty and staff who are just so dedicated to helping their students and to what they're teaching." //

Tucker Hebert '21 is the school president at Gilman, a soccer and lacrosse player, budding history buff, future Wahoo, and the linchpin of the 2021 class; he's lived in South Africa, read Joyce's Ulysses with Patrick Hastings, and recently delivered a stunning senior speech on isolation during COVID-19. In Episode #19 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Tucker discuss the challenges of leading the student body in 2020, Tucker's digital campaign for presidency, proactivity as a skill, the college essay writing process, navigating the college search through virtual tours, Tucker's senior speech on living abroad in South Africa, athletics in the MIAA, how exciting volleyball games are, Tucker's role models at Gilman, reading Ulysses with Patrick Hastings, Hemingway's Farewell to Arms, Tucker's passion for history, the student perspective on virtual learning, and Path to Follow dri-fit apparel (on the way!). //

Thanks for tuning in! If you enjoyed the episode, there's more. Check out @pathtofollowpod on all social media platforms, and don't forget to give us a follow. //

A special shout out to Cesare Ciccanti for his technical expertise.

"What we really hope students think about are all those variables of 'fit' [in the college process]." //

Anna Follensbee is a college counselor, director of Senior Encounter at Gilman, former 10th-grade English teacher, Franklin & Marshall graduate, voracious reader, Vermont native, and nature-lover. //

In Episode #18 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Anna discuss Senior Encounter at Gilman, Anna's professional background in college admissions, factors high school seniors should consider in selecting the "right" college for them, Anna's upbringing in Vermont and her decision to attend Franklin & Marshall, the effects of high expectations on the mental health of students, mindfulness meditation, the art of crafting the college essay, assembling the mosaic of the "whole student" in the college application process, the necessities and downfalls of standardized testing, and The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré. //

Thanks for checking out the episode! Please like, share, subscribe, and follow on all digital avenues - @pathtofollowpod. //

As always, thank you to the great Cesare Ciccanti for his hard work and expertise.

"Isn't it exciting that your love for reading can be transferred into teaching?" //

John Rowell is a talented writer, passionate English teacher, brilliant stage director, lifelong Truman Capote admirer, chronic book-buyer, and the first person to realize there will never be another Snow Day. He's a dear friend and beloved colleague, and this could just be the best episode yet. //

In Episode #17 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and John discuss Sondheim and Weidman's award-winning musical Assassins, the bizarre story of Charles Guiteau, the enormous literary influence of Truman Capote, Capote's "A Christmas Memory" and In Cold Blood, life-altering learning experiences, exuding passion in the classroom, the secrets to assembling and directing amazing school musicals, the similarities between stage direction in theatre and offensive coordination in lacrosse, Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" (*spoiler alert*), the universality of literary themes, reading for pleasure as English teachers, John's patent on the end of Snow Days, shorting Zoom when the vaccines arrive, and adapting to the 2020 classroom. //

Thanks for checking out the episode! Please like, share, subscribe, and follow on all digital avenues - @pathtofollowpod. //

As always, shouts to the powerful Cesare Ciccanti for his technical genius.

Larry Sheets is a former MLB outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and Seattle Mariners. He's currently a Lower School teacher and the Head Baseball Coach at Gilman School. //

In Episode #16 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Larry discuss lessons from the New Zealand All Blacks in James Kerr's Legacy, the glory days of the Baltimore Orioles, life lessons learned from a career in baseball, the influence of Cal Ripken Jr., "defense-first" mindsets, baseball coaching strategies, how the sport has changed, motivating all-stars to "sweep the sheds," the future of Gilman Baseball and the upcoming season, the 1989 Orioles, and the character required to claw out of a slump. //

Thank you for listening! Please subscribe to the YouTube channel and follow @pathtofollowpod on Spotify, Instagram, Twitter, Google Podcasts, and PodBean. //

Shout out to our brilliant tech guru, Cesare Ciccanti.