When some men turn 40, they buy a motorcycle. Taylor Hollander decided to teach school.
Taylor Hollander, Orchard House Middle School teacher (Photo courtesy Orchard House Middle School)
Now 64, Hollander will retire from Orchard House Middle School next year. “It was a long and windy road to becoming a middle school teacher, but it’s a decision I’ve never regretted,” he says. “Teaching is a small contribution to making the world a better place.”
At Orchard House, an all-girls school in the Fan, Hollander found an opportunity to build the history program from the ground up.
While his lessons have been known to incorporate costumes, art, songs and raps, they also include deep discussions that help students connect the past with the present. Hollander often uses the city as a classroom, taking his students to the John Marshall Courts, Shalom Farms and Virginia Commonwealth University.
Hollander has written numerous articles and book reviews, developed national curriculum, and published an award-winning book about the history of Canada, where he was born and raised. He’s currently working on a book about Richmond in the early 1900s.
According to Hollander, one of his favorite things about teaching middle school is seeing the girls cross the bridge from concrete to conceptual thinking — plus, he adds, “It’s never boring.”
Hollander went into education because of the teachers who inspired him from grade school to graduate school. Now, many of his former students credit him for their careers in education — several have even become history teachers. He notes that even more important than creating lessons plans is building trust with students.
“Because we have these positive interactions, they’re more willing to take academic risks, demonstrate courage by trying new things and find their voices — and they’re more willing to make mistakes and realize it’s a valuable part of learning,” Hollander says. “Students aren’t going to remember everything you taught them, but they’ll remember how they felt in the classroom and if they enjoyed learning.”
Orchard House just announced a campaign in Hollander’s honor to help provide tuition assistance for qualifying girls throughout Richmond. While he is touched that his name is on the campaign, he’s quick to give the whole team a nod. “Teachers interact with students in the classroom, but staff keep the school running and provide students with a lot of support,” he says. “No contribution is more important than any other.”
Tech Innovator
“It’s never too early to teach coding,” says Laney Kortas, creative technology teacher at St. Catherine’s Lower School in the West End.
After getting to know a few of the classroom robots, her students construct their own robot out of Lego blocks and program it to move on command — and that’s just in kindergarten.
“St. Catherine’s is like teacher Disney World,” Kortas says. “These girls are not only learning vital skills for the future, we’re all having fun doing it.”
Last year, Kortas attended the International Society for Technology in Education conference in Denver, where she led seminars on coding, weather, 3D printing and computer-aided design. She also learned about developing technologies such as AI and met her fellow Sphero Heroes, an elite international group of teachers selected by the robotics company.
“It’s really fun to see what they’re doing in other countries and bring those ideas back, not only to my classroom, but help my colleagues incorporate technology into their lesson plans, too,” she says.
In May, Kostas received the school’s inaugural Totty Faculty Recognition Award, which celebrates someone who leads by example and embodies the school’s values.
“Teachers like Laney are such an asset,” says Dr. Lang Liebman, an alumna, physician and seventh grade parent. “St. Catherine’s has always told girls they can do anything. I love that my daughter is empowered to try STEM activities, whether she’s competing in the state robotics championship or just having fun with the 3D printer.”
Bryna Swinson, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School front office manager (Photo by Jay Paul)
Office Support
Schools are made up of countless moving parts, and at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Lakeside, front office manager Bryna Swinson is the glue holding everything together. The former dental assistant loves the fast-paced environment where she can make a difference.
“Teachers stay busy and are constantly on the go,” Swinson says. “It’s been so rewarding to help students and teachers and get hugs from the kids walking by.”
In her position, Swinson is always ready to jump in where needed. Some days she might watch a class so the teacher can step out for a minute, and other days she might sit with a student who’s had a rough day. Recently asked to grow the after-school program, Swinson created activities including Spanish Bingo and clubs dedicated to Lego blocks, school spirit, running and the outdoors to keep students engaged while their parents work.
Principal Carey Mae Jacobsen says the school sets high standards for learning and recognizes teachers can’t do it alone. “We value our support staff at Lourdes,” Jacobsen says. “Bryna is someone who sees the vision of the school, then focuses on the details that ensure everything is running as it should.”
A Servant Heart
Catherine Braun has taught elementary, middle and high school students on four continents. She’s made her mark on both classrooms and communities, whether organizing soccer games in Cairo for children living in poverty or providing blankets and food to the elderly in Ukraine.
“It’s been really quite an experience for myself and my family,” she says. “I wanted my children exposed to different cultures and to see the world in a different view.”
Now Braun is teaching high school theology and AP psychology at Powhatan’s Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Catholic School, which her grandchildren attend. “In class, we often talk about how we can be of service to others, not just in our country but in a wide global community,” she says.
Braun was drawn to Catholic education because “it’s rooted in prayer and something greater than ourselves,” she says. “It doesn’t just form the mind with knowledge, but the heart.”
In May, Braun received the Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, the highest honor given to a teacher by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. “I don’t look at it as a personal achievement,” she says. “We have a big, supportive group. We collaborate, learn together and share the same mission. One of our teachers is in her 80s and is so amazing and sharp. I’m inspired by my colleagues constantly.”
After three decades of teaching, Braun is still looking forward to another year — especially carpooling to school with her grandchildren.
Cuong Nguyen, Saint Bridget Catholic School athletic director (Photo by Jay Paul)
Dedicated Coach
Cuong Nguyen has always loved sports — he even named his son Michael and his daughter Jordan after his favorite player. When Jordan was a student at Saint Bridget Catholic School in Tuckahoe and asked why there wasn’t a soccer team, Nguyen was determined to find out.
One obstacle was not having the space on campus, so Nguyen set out to find a solution. He worked out a lease agreement with the city to use the Westhampton field on Patterson Avenue and was ready to advertise the school’s new soccer program.
“I was expecting 20 or 30 kids, and we got 105 kids signed up,” he recalls.
Nguyen invited other Catholic schools in the area to compete, and a league formed. After that, he introduced flag football, golf, boys tennis, volleyball and swimming.
While he loved volunteering at school, his career in mortgage sales was uncertain. “I went to the priest at Saint Bridget, and I told him I was lost,” Nguyen recalls. “He told me to step back and listen to what the Lord has in store for me.”
Inspired by those words, in 2015 Nguyen asked Saint Bridget for a paid position, promising he’d run the sports program and do any other job they needed. Today, he’s not only the school’s athletic director, but he also drives the bus, helps the maintenance crew, shovels snow, and attends every practice and game he can, always offering an encouraging word. “This is my actual calling,” Nguyen says.
Under Nguyen’s leadership, Saint Bridget now offers 16 sports, including a new cheerleading program.
“We don’t do any cuts because we want everybody to try a sport,” he says. “Sports teach you how to win and how to accept losses. They build confidence and character and teach a strong work ethic — and sports make you feel good.”
Nguyen’s daughter is now a teacher at Saint Bridget, and his son is a student at Randolph-Macon College, where he manages the men’s basketball team.
“My wife is also a teacher, and I’m so proud to see our kids following in our footsteps, doing something they’re passionate about,” Nguyen says.
