Courageous Faculty and Staff Embark on George Taylor Grant Experiences

This rewarding sabbatical was named in honor of George Taylor, Bush’s former Dean of Faculty and English teacher, who emphasized the importance of pursuing passions through travel, study, and reflection. For decades, Bush has funded travel grant opportunities for faculty and staff to rejuvenate, meditate, and immerse themselves in new environments and cultures, which they share with their students upon their return. 

Marga McChesney, Lower School Administrative Assistant, and Catherine (Cathy) Hamblet, Lower School STEM Dean, visited Ireland, the land of Celtic culture, pubs, and vivid greenery that earned it its nickname, "The Emerald Isle."
 

“The idea to take this walk in Ireland had been percolating since the fall when my sister happened upon a brochure for Dingle Way,” Cathy shared. “It seemed like a good way to see the Irish countryside, learn a bit more about the culture, and visit my daughter, who is a college student in Dublin.”

With Cathy and Marga both eager to connect with their Irish roots, they traveled alongside Marga’s two sisters for a journey full of breathtaking views and familial visits.
 

“We first participated in a seven-day gentle hillwalk tour through the Dingle Peninsula,” Marga shared. “You begin the tour at your camp, which provides bed and breakfast, and then you travel through each town while tour guides transport your luggage along the way.”

The four women embarked on a multi-day hillwalking tour to explore the lush southern countryside, where they took in the highlights and history of each destination. Each day offered a different view of the peninsula. Some days, they encountered sheep pastures, and on others, they walked the gorgeous Celtic Sea coastline.
 

“Truly, I have never laughed so hard in my life,” Cathy said. “A walking adventure brings many points where the path diverges a bit. I mean – walking through a herd of cattle was hilarious! So many moments like that. Also, the music – it was everywhere, and so many times we heard songs that we heard our dad sing when we were children – the best!”

 

During the last leg of the tour, Marga and her sisters encountered an Irish couple who inquired about their surname, McChesney, and shared an incredible discovery about her roots.

“They told us we weren’t really from that area, and that our family roots actually originated in Scotland,” Marga said. “I was shocked they knew their people and last names so well. It was great to learn that our roots go deeper than I thought. Now we’ve got to visit Scotland!”

Their trip provided them with the connecting experience they were looking for. Not only did Marga and Cathy learn new facts about their Irish lineage, but they also got to relive the nostalgic moments of their childhood together as adults. 

“What I took away from this trip was sisters matter. It was a great way to connect as adults,” Cathy said. “We not only got to catch up with each other, but we also played a few card games and sang songs from our childhood. We realized our Irish history is a bit richer than we first understood. We are actually from Northern Ireland and are considered Scots-Irish. Although our family is from County Monaghan, we came via Scotland many centuries ago. But as we learned in the Epic Museum in Dublin, this is the story of Ireland – people come, and people go – it truly is a culture that rides the wave and adapts.”

Marga and Cathy weren’t the only ones to enjoy the summer of a lifetime in Europe. Mike Jackson, Middle School History Faculty, ventured to London, England, to explore the British Museum. An enthusiastic historian, he aimed to teach his students about the artifacts essential to our world’s history
. 

“I found this book: The History of the World Through 100 Objects,” Mike said. “And I built an opening lesson plan for each day of the year. Starting at the beginning of the book, I have the students learn and study these artifacts. The wonderful, yet problematic, thing is that all the objects in this book were from the British Museum. It was such a privilege to go on this pilgrimage to see these objects in England after having taught them for five years.” 

On the way to England, he pondered the complex history surrounding the British Museum's stolen artifacts and how best to approach the subject with his students. His goal was to use a recent professional development experience to build a more discussion-based class environment centered on discussing challenging topics. 

“In the course of teaching this curriculum, those conversations come up in the classroom, and we really dive deep into them,” Mike said. “Instead of avoiding the subject and only discussing objects that haven’t been stolen, it gives us an opportunity to talk about colonization.”

Mike spent two days visiting the museum alongside his partner, who has roots in England. They traveled through small towns in the south, connected with local history enthusiasts, and even visited Bath, England, to view the Roman ruins there.

“My partner lived in England when she was young, so I wanted to see a part of her history and better connect with where she lived as a little girl.”

Stepping out of his comfort zone and traveling to meet people in a new place took a level of courage for Mike, and he hopes to instill the same bravery in his students during class time. 

“For Sixth Grade students, who are still figuring out their identities and who are deeply influenced by their peers,” Mike said. “Having the courage to share their opinion, as well as listen to others’, is important. I also wish for them to have the courage to allow others’ opinions to impact their own.”  

After the release of her award-winning debut collection, The Sea Gives Up the Dead, Molly Olguín, Upper School English Faculty, used her George Taylor Travel Grant to embark on a national book tour to Manhattan, New York, Portland, Maine, Kansas City, Missouri, and Los Angeles, California. 

“I had an amazing summer,” Molly said. “In Manhattan, I did a book reading at the Manhattan LGBTQ Center, in a bookstore called the Bureau of General Services Queer Division. I read with poet Jason Schneiderman, who recently wrote a book called "Self-Portrait of Icarus as a Country on Fire."

Molly spent time connecting with other writers while in Manhattan and gaining insight for her future works. After her book adventures in New York, she traveled to Portland, Maine, where she helped lead a panel on The Horror and Hope of Queer Fiction in 2025. 

“I did the panel with two local writers from Portland, Rebecca Turkewitz, and Rylan Hynes,” she said. “Rebecca wrote Pure in the Night, which is a collection of spooky short stories, and Rylan’s book is forthcoming. I enjoyed both of their writing.” 

Molly connected with Rebecca and Rylan, who are also both educators, and discussed the challenges of balancing writing and teaching. She spent time visiting various bookstores, meeting other writers, and engaging in her own personal writing. 

“I used to live in the Midwest, and a lot of my former colleagues came to see me read,” Molly said. “I read at Next Chapter Books in Saint Paul, and met Catharine Savage, another incredible writer.”  

In addition to her George Taylor Travel Grant award, Molly also received the Jack Hazard Fellowship Grant, whose purpose is to support new authors in their writing journey. She made great use of both opportunities by completing another collection of short stories called THE GIRL IS GOING TO LIVE.