Sara Masucci faced a daunting challenge this past summer: how to decorate her new office. There definitely needed to be shelving for her books, but more importantly, there needed to be seating. With an open-door policy that turns her office into a hangout for students, it was a crucial component of the space. But what kind of seating would be best?
If it wasn’t obvious from her star turn in a video walk-through of CH-CH's newest teaching and learning space on campus, The Landry Center, Sara is ecstatic about the new building and everything it represents about the growth of the school. The Landry Center reflects how campus at CH-CH is “more than just buildings,” and exemplifies the School’s commitment not only to preserving our natural beauty but amplifying it, specifically through environmental touches like the Pollinator Garden and solar panels.
In particular, though, she’s thrilled about the impact the new building will have on the 9th graders, and how this vibrant new space acts as a physical manifestation of our curriculum, culture, and community. “Being in 9th grade can be a very strange experience,” Sara explains. The new building provides a collective space that takes out some of the guesswork, where kids can ease the transition to high school. With ample spaces to promote gathering and “spontaneous chit-chat,” she can already see how connections will more easily occur. What’s more, because the core 9th grade faculty will enjoy shared workspace in the building, adults and kids will interact with more consistency. That’s really important, Sara adds, if we want our relational model of education to shine.
By our relational model, Sara is referring to the way teachers at CH-CH know our kids as whole people, not just students. One thing we do exceptionally well, Sara believes, is “meeting kids where they are,” whether in regard to academics, social and peer interactions, or how comfortable they are stepping onto a sports field or onto the stage. “At CH-CH, we see meeting kids where they are as the starting point, from there, it's all about growth.”
With all this new growth, it’s important to remember that Sara has deep roots in the community. Her brother, Adam Masucci ‘98, is an alumnus of the school, and her parents have been dedicated supporters for decades (“My dad still has a CH-CH magnet on the fridge!” Sara jokes. “The old logo.”)
Sara further embedded her roots when she took her first teaching job here on campus, from 1998 to 2000, teaching History, English, and academic support. “The first class I ever taught was in Atwood,” she confides, “And it didn’t look too much different in 1998 than it did in 2024!” Although her family connection played a part in her return to the school in 2022 (Sara is now the Director of 9th and 10th Grade Programs), it was the whole-student approach of the school that truly drew her back.
“It isn’t just academic, and it isn’t just social. It’s all those things, and you can’t untangle them. This was a job where that was an automatic assumption. As an educator, I want to think about all the aspects of a kid all the time.” She also loves that academic support is a “baked-in,” credit-bearing part of the CH-CH curriculum, rather than relegated to the side or viewed as additional.
This brings us back to The Landry Center and the way this space gives students and faculty alike the room for this model to shine “Kids liked being in Atwood,” Sara remembers, “but that’s a testament to how much they appreciated having a gathering space. It wasn’t very nice, and yet they were in it all the time. I can only imagine how much they’ll love this light-filled, beautiful space.”
Students at the opening of The Landry Center
As the official ribbon-cutting neared on May 31, Sara could map out the layout in her new office. With windows on nearly all sides, she’s in her own little fishbowl, visible to all - colleagues and students - who will pass many times in a day. And she wouldn’t have it any other way, because connection and interaction are the core of why she does this work. “One of the things I have learned,” Sara adds, “is that our kids are really kind. And I love that.” That kindness creates a space that erodes competition, where CH-CH students strive to be better and keep growing for themselves, not at another person’s expense.
As she envisions what the future holds, Sara thinks about the tiny shrubs planted in the new landscape and how this fall’s 9th graders (Class of 2029) will see the literal growth happening over the next four years.
“That space,” Sara enthuses, “is going to GROW!”
