Our faculty spotlight series continues with an interview with Miss Elsa Lagerquist.

Q: What classes do you teach?
A: I spend most of my day with the 6th grade girls in homeroom, math, and literature/composition. I also teach 7th grade girls' Latin.

Q: What have you been reading lately?
A: At the beginning of the school year, I reread Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham for the first time in years. It was delightful! The book is based on the real life of Nathaniel Bowditch (born in 1773), who did major work in the field of navigation. It follows Nat's journey from boyhood to manhood in post-Revolutionary War Massachusetts. In the story, 12-year-old Nat is taken out of school and indentured as a bookkeeping apprentice. He's devastated because he would rather study and attend Harvard. Since he's under contract, though, that option is closed, and he takes learning into his own hands. On his own, he devours books, learns languages, and studies math. He spends a lot of his life "sailing by ash breeze" and looking to the stars for encouragement and perspective. He's a good man with amazing discipline, motivation, and love for others as well as learning. A friend of mine studying at a maritime academy said they still use his major work The American Practical Navigator as a textbook!

Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I own a lot of books, regularly buy myself flowers, and bake often. Perhaps most importantly, though, I love textiles. I especially enjoy surface pattern design and dyeing fabric (which you can see here: www.elsakdesign.com). I designed my first fabric print in high school, but this year I am taking more serious steps to make my art into a little more than a hobby.