Our Director, Megan Parry, is stepping into a new chapter and leaving Embark. It goes without saying that we are saddened to see her go, but we are simultaneously so excited for all that lies ahead for Meg as she begins a new endeavor, which she has shared more about in an open letter to you all:
Who would’ve thought that a job in education would include running a coffee shop and a bike shop? Certainly, not me. Now I can’t imagine learning for youth happening any other way. When I came to Embark from the world of project-based and deeper learning, I knew I had something to offer the team of this brand new school trying to do learning very differently. But honestly, I really didn’t know what "learner centered" meant. It’s been quite the journey these last four years, developing an understanding that learner centeredness is about trust - trusting learners, and trusting educators - to live into the brilliance that is already inside them and that our job is to help them surface it.
I’ve learned, and we’ve done, so much. We created a set of competencies that have become the core of teaching, learning, and assessment at Embark. We've honed what it means to design learning experiences embedded in our community, including and especially a coffee shop. We've developed structures that support individual educators and the team to be and feel empowered, effective, and successful. We've supported educators beyond those teaching at Embark by providing the time, space, and resources to allow the answers that are already inside them to emerge.
I’m so proud and grateful to have gotten to do this work and with this amazing team at Embark. It’s bittersweet to be leaving but I’m excited for what’s ahead as Embark continues and grows. I’ll forever be a fan and champion for all of our learners and our team. Thanks to everyone in our community in Denver and beyond who I have had the privilege of working with over these years. I hope we continue to partner and collaborate as we reimagine what’s possible for youth and adults in learning.
We are so very grateful to Meg for all that she is, and for all that she has done to shape us into the organization we are today. We hope you will join us in wishing her well in her next chapter.