
Faculty
Gwen Hornig
Eighth Grade English 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 four years ago as an apprentice in upper school drama classes. After this year-long apprenticeship, Gwen developed and taught the sixth grade Socratic seminar course in addition to teaching seventh grade drama for two years. She began teaching eighth grade English in 2021. Gwen teaches the after-school drama club and is one of soccer coaches for the BPC soccer team. She has a very silly kitty named Twix, 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.