On Board with Amilia

Positive School Climate Chair and Parent of Surfin’ Second Grader Zara and Upstanding Unicorn Lilah

 
Please tell us a little about yourself. What is your professional background? What are your interests?
I grew up in Southern California. I am the American daughter of Indian immigrants, although my mother is also half-British. My parents are Muslim and Zoroastrian, but I spent 6 years in Catholic school. My husband, Corey, is many generations American, raised Jewish, although his father’s family is Christian. All of this is to say that we are a very diverse family. We love to celebrate our different cultural and religious heritages, teaching our girls to see the beauty and truth in all traditions.

Corey and I met at Stanford, bonding over our mutual love of travel. We spent our post-college years working to save up enough money and vacation time for the next travel adventure. We even kept (did I say kept? I meant keep!) a running tally of who has been to more countries, always trying to best each other. (If you are wondering, I’m ‘winning’ at 32, but not without controversy. Corey claims that territories, like Hong Kong and Macau, should be counted independently, which would put him up by 2!)

We spent almost 3 years living and working in London, England before returning to our home state of California to settle down and start a family. I left my job in eCommerce to be a SAHM. Parenthood is definitely the hardest job I have ever attempted and having 2 so close together (18 months apart) left me feeling very isolated at times. Village was my saving grace; the community here is not unlike the extended family in which I grew up. I have been so grateful for the support, friendship and sense of belonging that all of you (my Village) have provided.

In our free time we still love to travel, although now with kids that looks much more like a beach vacation in Hawaii, than a road-trip through Turkey. We also love wine-tasting with friends, concerts (Mountain Winery is our favorite venue), skiing in Tahoe and pool time with the girls.

When I’m not at work or coordinating the fundraising efforts at Village School, I enjoy gardening, bike riding, hiking, fishing and camping with my family.

Tell us a little bit about your family. What are some things you and your family like to do for fun?
We are a family of 4. There’s a lot about me above, so here’s a little about the rest of the family:

Dad, Corey, works at Apple. He’s been there for a jaw-dropping 17 years! He grew up in a pretty remote area of Mendocino, where his parents were teachers in the local public school. 3 fun facts: (1) Corey’s dad was his Kindergarten, 1st and 3rd grade teacher — moving grades each year so that he could continue to teach his son, (2) Corey’s home town was a 3 hour round trip from the nearest traffic light and (3) Corey’s parents participated in a teacher-exchange program, temporarily moving their family to the even more remote Shetland Islands, north of Scotland, for his Kindergarten year.

Oldest daughter, Zara, is in Mr. Chris’ second grade class. She is curious, loves school and consumes books the way most kids consume candy. Fun facts: (1) She actually doesn’t really like candy (or chocolate) very much and, most days, would rather eat a piece of fruit (nature’s candy?), (2) She was speaking full sentences by 15 months old, but didn’t get her first tooth until she was 18 months old, making her look ridiculously comical, and (3) She is an amazing skier.

Youngest daughter, Lilah, is in Talia and Gina’s first grade class. She is always smiling, loves to sing out loud (not usually in key), and (contrary to her sister’s tastes and preferences) loves chocolate above all else. Fun facts: (1) She always has a current ‘favorite’ song and listens to it (or sings it) over and over and over and over again, driving everybody else in the family insane, (2) She swam with sharks and stingrays last year on our family vacation to French Polynesia, and (3) Her favorite color is purple… except when it comes to food, in which case, white wins out every time. (I still puree veggies and sneak them into her food to make sure she’s getting vitamins!)

As a family, we love to spend time together at the Campbell Farmer’s market, weekend soccer games, college football games (Go Cardinal!) and on the water. Corey and I are scuba-divers, and the girls are excellent snorkelers. Most of all, we love to just chill with our friends and family in and around the Bay Area.

How many years has your family been at Village School?
This is our 3rd year at Village, and my first on the Board. I’m excited to see what adventures, learning and new experiences are in store for all of us this year!

What originally attracted you to Village, and what keeps you excited about being here?
I was intrigued by the idea of fostering curiosity and a love of learning through a hands-on, engaged curriculum. I knew my kids would learn to read and write, but I also wanted them to be confident, self-motivated and empowered to follow their dreams. I was hesitant about the commitment involved in a parent-participation school, but hearing Principal David and several of the Board chairs speak at the January Open House about these same values convinced me that Village is where we needed to be.

What are some of your favorite and most rewarding moments on campus?
I have loved working in the classrooms — painting and journalism with the Kindergarteners, math games and shopping in Kid Town with the first graders, cooking classes, field trips, science activities, library visits and more.

I enjoy bringing the girls’ grandparents to campus for lunch when they visit from out-of-town. They are always amazed by how eagerly kids join us to eat, how easily they converse with each other and with adults on any and all topics of conversation, how friendly they are with people they don’t know and how respectful everybody is of each other.

As a family, the annual camping trip has been a cornerstone of our Village experience. It is where we first made a real connection with the community, and where we continue to deepen and expand our friendships from year to year.

Most of all, I just love walking onto a campus where everybody knows me and my children, where I have an open dialogue with the teachers, where parents who know and love my kids support them on a bad day, or inform me when problems arise. My girls are being raised by a Village and, for that, I am grateful.

How does your Board job (and those who report to you) work to serve the school community?
Without bias, I must say that I have one of the best jobs at Village. As the Positive School Climate Chair, I get to support school programs and activities that foster a caring, safe and respectful community… basically, the stuff that makes Village so much more than just a school.

These includes (but are not limited to)

• Our Parent Education program, which provides Positive Discipline and Project Cornerstone training, with the goal that parents working on campus will be able to apply methods and language consistent with that used by teachers in the classroom. The program also provides support, methods and tools for parenting at home, and for building our children’s developmental assets.

• The Project Cornerstone ABC Readers program, which aims to build developmental assets by creating a common language around respect and behavior, teaching skills to navigate difficult social interactions, and increasing parent engagement and presence at school.

• Community service opportunities — Respect, kindness and caring are not exclusive to campus. We believe in teaching our students awareness for the world at large, and the value of giving back. Throughout the year, you’ll see countless instances in which they do just that. The Positive School Climate team supports these efforts and also drives a large, school-wide community outreach project each year. For the last 2 years, Village School has participated in Rise Against Hunger, an amazing program that gives students the opportunity to feed thousands of people in a very hands-on way.

• Staff and parent appreciation activities, like our 5th Grade Farewell, courtyard chalkboard messages, teachers’ lounge treats, community meeting activities, alumni engagement and more.

Village school has an active, vibrant community. How can moms, dads, grandparents, and helpers roll up their sleeves to support Village School in the classroom and on campus?
My advice is to find your niche… Whatever you are passionate about, there is a way to incorporate it into your Village experience. Do you love the outdoors? Are you a bookworm, a theater geek, or an artist? A mechanic, a runner or a musician? Do you want to learn a new hobby? Is your family from a different country, culture or community? There are so many ways to use your interests, skills and personal identities to support our community. Once you’ve found your niche, a family ‘job’ no longer feels like an obligation, but like something to look forward to sharing with our Village.