GDS Magazine | 25 During the full faculty meeting on Monday, May 7, Parents’ Association President Isabelle Kramme recognized the recipients of the Teacher Enrichment Endowment Fund grants for 2017-18, totaling more than $17,000. The following Greensboro Day School faculty and staff will participate in a variety of professional development conferences, workshops, trainings, and educational opportunities this summer.  Linda Register ’79 will attend the National Association of School Nurses 2018 Conference in Baltimore. Randy Mintz will participate at the Aebersold Jazz workshop. Rebecca Parker will travel to France this summer to scout the area for future GDS educational trips. Ken Field will participate in the CrossFit Level 2 coaching certificate course. Peter Buxenbaum will travel to visit the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs. Jeremy Shearer and Jenna Gilfillan will travel to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to observe and participate in the Global Volunteer Program in Montana. Tim Martin will travel to explore Hawaii’s active volcanos this July. Ninoshka Boylston will participate in the Connection Collections 2018 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Sarah Rose Mostafa ’06 will participate at the UNCW Marine Quest Field Day. Emilee Transou, Melissa Lehman and Elizabeth Wilson will participate in the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Washington, DC. Parents’ Association Awards more than $17,000 for Professional Development Greensboro Day School welcomed Ann Clark ’76 as the 2018 Commencement Speaker.  Ann has devoted her entire professional career to edu- cation. She currently works as an Executive Leader- ship Coach, providing one-on-one and team coaching to school leaders. She was previously the superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, responsible for 150,000 students. Ann began at Greensboro Day School in 1970, the School’s first year and was one of 34 graduates in the 2nd graduating class in 1976. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Davidson College and a Master’s in Special Education University of Virginia.   During her speech, she reminded the audience of a few guiding principles that have helped to shape her leadership and life journey • That the person rowing the boat seldom has time to rock it • That the speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack • That respect is an undeniable birthright of each person • That as leaders we need to be in the fire prevention, not the firefighting business • That equity and excellence go hand in hand • That it is important to remember what the mama whale told the baby whale---when you get to the top and start letting off steam, that’s the time when you are most likely to get harpooned • That one should avoid the use of IF at all costs … if only we had more money • That there are two ways to climb an oak tree … one is to climb hand over hand and the other is to sit on an acorn.