Faculty Spotlight - Karen Axelrod

In January, Karen Axelrod received the W. Hayden Thompson '45 Chair for Exceptional Faculty Leadership. This profile, along with 3 other US teachers, was published in the 2016-2017 Philanthropic Impact Report.

Karen Axelrod’s face lights up when she’s asked about the impact of the Thompson Chair funds. “Where do I start?” she asks. “Anytime a teacher needs something, I can say, ‘yes!’”

Karen’s interest in teaching began while she was pursuing a doctoral degree in chemistry at Ohio State University, and a chance encounter with two University School teachers at the Woodbury Elementary School rose garden turned her interest into a life-long passion. It was there she learned about the University School Teacher Apprentice Program, a teacher education program in the 1990s that granted master’s degrees through John Carroll University. “I felt supported by the teachers at US right away, and knew I wanted to stay there.”

Twenty-two years later, Karen is still energized and excited about teaching. “I like that I’m never ‘done.’ I’m always thinking about what I can do better or differently. Just the other day, I was thinking, ‘How have tenth-graders changed? And what does that mean for my chemistry curriculum?’”

Now a little over one semester since she was awarded the W. Hayden Thompson '45 Chair for Exceptional Faculty Leadership, Karen has already made a deep and diverse impact through her allocation of the funds. She began by funding a K-12 science curriculum analysis this past summer, during which all US science teachers had a chance to examine national science standards, re-examine curriculum, and make improvements. “When teachers work as hard as ours do, I feel their work in the summer should be paid. It honors their commitment and makes them feel appreciated.” The funds were also used to pay upper school teacher Eric Bunce a stipend during the summer while he developed a new post-AP Biotechnology course.

Karen was also able to say “yes” to a student — the only student in Ohio who qualified Karen Axelrod to compete in the national ISWEEEP (International Sustainable World Engineering Energy Environment Project) Olympiad. The competition took place in Texas, and Thompson funds helped pay for the boy’s flight.

All of these enhancements and opportunities are exactly what Hayden Thompson ‘45 hoped for in 1982 when he first began funding faculty professional development at University School. An alumnus and long-time member of the Board of Trustees, Hayden understood “the vital importance of getting the right adults to guide and shape the boys of University School.” His chair funds now provide much-appreciated support to these critical adults in the lives of US students.

Karen plans to continue enhancing US’s science curriculum by visiting other schools – both independent schools and universities – and learning about their science curricula. “I want to continue to offer new opportunities and more paths for students. I’d like to get to a point where we can almost tailor the science curriculum for each boy.

“We also need to look more deeply at how we use the Hunting Valley campus. How can we collaborate with other departments to use our resources more fully? I’d love to put together a symposium on this topic.”

Clearly, Karen has lots of plans. She acknowledges not many of them would be possible without the Thompson Chair funds and the trust the school has placed in her to use them at her discretion. “In all honesty, I feel a bit like a kid in a candy store! I am so thrilled at all of the opportunities we have before us, and will do my best to live up to the hopes and expectations that went into this very special gift to University School.”