Faculty
Gwen Hornig
Eighth Grade English and Eighth Grade Drama Teacher
Gwen Hornig completed her undergraduate degree at NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration in theatre, empathy, and education. Her senior thesis focused on arts education as integral to cultivating a culture of belonging in schools. She is a Black Pine Circle School alum, and joined the faculty six years ago as an apprentice in upper school drama classes. After this year-long apprenticeship, Gwen developed and taught a sixth grade Socratic seminar course in addition to teaching seventh grade drama for two years. She began teaching eighth grade English in 2021. In addition to teaching, Gwen is one of our US Outdoor Education Coordinators, and facilitates the after-school drama club and gardening club. She has two very silly kitties named Twix and Linus, loves to camp and hike in beautiful places, and has recently taken up pottery.
Why I Work with Children
I think there is profound value in a child’s candor and vulnerability. I seek to foster those qualities as sources of strength, individuality, and empathy as each child figures out how they move through the world.
A Favorite Book
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk. I am forever in awe of the body’s incredible synchronicity with the emotional mind and memory.
Quick Fact
Ask me about the time I had a magical and terrifying stand-off with a bison in the Badlands.
