Meet Meg Sideris
Meg Sideris is a longtime Wayfinder supporter and former board member. She is a co-founder of Peopleplace Cooperative Preschool, where she got to know Community School co-founders Dora Lievow and Emanuel Pariser and their sons. Not only was Meg an extremely active and involved board member for many years, as the former owner of High Mountain Hall in Camden, she hosted many Community School/Wayfinder graduation ceremonies and other school events over the years. Meg served on a number of board committees, was board vice-president for four years, and showed up for students and staff in countless ways, from attending student presentations, open houses and graduation ceremonies, to helping with fundraising events, assisting with bulk mailings, working on strategic plans, and everything in between. We caught up with her this winter.
WS: What drew you to the work of The C-School/Wayfinder?
MS: What the C-School and now Wayfinder has always done well is to create relationships–relationships with community members, employers, educators–and through that find avenues of fostering self-worth. They accept each student as they are; making education about the practical, ordinary issues of life - how to interview for a job, how government works, how to eat well on a limited budget, etc. The C-School was clearly a different option for how school might function.
WS: What is one of your earliest memories of The C-School/Wayfinder?
MS: One of the first events I went to in support of the C-School was a silent auction and spaghetti supper, held in the public middle school cafeteria. I was amazed at the cross section of people who came. It was such a feel-good evening!
WS: What do you wish people knew about Wayfinder?
MS: I wish people knew how cost effective the Wayfinder ‘way’ is. That you can deliver personalized education, in a one-to-one format, efficiently. And giving young parents the opportunity to both complete their high school education and improve their parenting skills, home life, nutrition, and budgeting ability is a huge net gain for our communities and state.
WS: What is one of your favorite memories of The C-School/Wayfinder?
MS: The first Dancing with the Local Stars was a huge success. The Camden Opera House was packed and there was so much good banter as people supported their dancers. I felt as though many locals who knew little about the school before came away with an understanding of what was unique about it. Another great memory is of residential graduates marching through town with their flags held high, ending at a very moving graduation ceremony at High Mountain Hall.
WS: What makes you most proud of your affiliation with Wayfinder?
MS: I was proud of being on a constructive and very friendly board. The ten years or so that I was on the board were full of both positive change and tumult. The school founders moved on, the school expanded to a second campus, the residential program was changed to a 9-month program. I’m particularly proud of the changes made in the curriculum when we hired Lead Teacher Carrie Braman and Residential Program Director Joseph Hufnagel. Likewise, the Passages Program expanded around the state, clarified their mission, and found significant funding. The board clearly understood and embraced the school’s mission and worked hard to ensure its survival.
WS: What did/do you do in your professional life?
MS: I went back to school after college to get my teaching certificate, but I was not thrilled about public schools in the early 70’s, so I spent about eight years in retail, managing departments and then stores. When I was pregnant with my first child, I met some other women who wanted to form a playgroup. This group eventually became a non-profit preschool (Peopleplace) and I worked at many jobs at this school, including teacher and executive director. In my later years, after the death of my husband and father, I wound up in property management, which I still do. The highlight of this ‘chapter’ was the renovation and management of High Mountain Hall, in Camden. That chapter has ended with the passing of the building to Bay Chamber Concerts - to the delight of myself and many others in the community.
WS: What did you want to be when you were young?
MS: I wanted to be a teacher, wife and mother, a traveler.
WS: Who was one of your favorite teachers as a child/teen and why?
MS: In second grade, my teacher, Miss Topping, told wonderful stories about our country and the future. I loved to read and she kept us supplied with good books (as did my book-mobile!) In high school, in my first year at boarding school, I had Irma Erickson as my English teacher. She told me my grammar needed work, so I joined a small after school group to work on that and now grammar is a particular interest of mine. She also taught us about the concept of universal truths, something that is invaluable in the world today.
WS: What do you do in your spare time?
MS: I like to read and hike. Sometimes I write, knit, cook. I love being a grandmother (Mimi) and playing with my little gang of boys.
WS: What is one of your favorite things about living in Maine?
MS: I love the beauty of the natural world in Maine. And because many people live here for that same reason, it seems there is more focus in being outside. This is good for everyone, but especially for children. Outside is where imaginative play and calculated risks are fostered. Both of these - and so much more - help children problem-solve, learn their strengths, make good decisions.
WS: Anything else you’d like to add?
MS: It speaks well of the school that so many of those who work to keep it thriving, have been there a long time. They stuck it out through some very difficult times. They clearly believe firmly in the mission and have brought prodigious skills to their work. I add my gratitude to that of many, many students and their families.