July 18, 2019

Jeffrey Thielman, Esq., CEO
International Institute of New England
2 Boylston Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02116

Dear Jeff,

Antoinette “Annie” Willis will join The Guild as chief education officer on Monday, July 22, Chief Executive Officer Amy C. Sousa announced.

Students in Liz’s classroom learned an important lesson about goodwill this spring as they organized a bake sale at school and then presented the proceeds to a nearby animal shelter during their recent visit.

When she first arrived at The Guild for Human Services as a teaching assistant in 1999, Sharon DiGrigoli-Couture did not expect to stay long. A certified guidance counselor (grades 5-12) with no experience in special education, she figured she might remain a year.

For the 12 years he worked for and later helped manage the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center’s after-school program in the Josiah Quincy Elementary School, Andrew Kilgore often fielded one particular question.

“You are so good with the kids, why don’t you become a teacher?” parents and colleagues would frequently ask him.

“I don’t know – maybe someday,” the Boston University graduate typically answered.

Several weeks ago, Guild School student Thomas “T.J.” Sheppard was scheduled to have his wisdom teeth removed. To help the difficult procedure go smoothly, The Guild offered to send a member of the residential staff to accompany T.J. and his mother, Karen.

To the surprise of no one, Renel Desjardins, assistant residential manager of Cedar House, joined the Sheppards. T.J. and Renel have established a close, trusting relationship over the last year, a bond that has eased T.J. during challenging times and helped the 20-year-old cope better.

To Molly Weiner, it’s a straightforward concept: “We have to take care of each other,” The Guild School counselor declares, “so, in turn, we can take care of the students.”

Molly and her colleague Jovana Bass did just that last month, soliciting money from fellow employees to express their gratitude to The Guild’s hard-working day housekeeper, Fanny Martinez. They presented her with a generous gift card, flowers, teddy bear and a thank you card. One of the Bridge classroom students carefully selected the teddy bear and card, and led the presentation.

For Julie Finke, collectively creating beautiful music has nothing at all to do with the quality of the sound.

As a music therapist at The Guild School, the object of her sessions with individual classes is to provide students with non-musical personal growth benefits: enhanced communications, strengthened connections to peers, feeling a sense of mastery and improved cognitive skills.

The monthly menu reads like that of a popular neighborhood restaurant: grilled salmon with brown rice and seasoned broccoli; lemon chicken with quinoa and roasted carrots; and three-bean soup with zucchini sticks and pineapple.

These are not the dinner options at a four-star restaurant, but are among the typical daily offerings on the lunch menu at The Guild School’s cafeteria. The focus on nutritious, wholesome meals prepared from scratch is a key ingredient (pun intended) of The Guild’s commitment to healthy eating.

Once reluctant to shave at all, Peter Anastasi now confidently gives himself a close shave with an electric razor.

“I like shaving,” the 21-year-old tells Nicole Anulewicz, his occupational therapist at The Guild School, during a recent OT session.