"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."
Christina Moustakis
Minute of Appreciation
Christina Moustakis
Teacher of English Faculty Emerita
Lively. Effervescent. Entertaining. Theatrical. Vivacious. Passionate. These are the adjectives offered by students, effusively and unanimously, to describe Christina Moustakis (a.k.a. The Moose) - who for 27 years has guided her students on informed, adventurous, ever insightful journeys through the nuances and splendors of literature. Christina served as Chair of the Friends Seminary English Department for 12 years (six when Joyce McCray was principal and six with Rich Eldridge). She has been the recipient of several grants and fellowships including a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Independent Study Grant and a Klingenstein Fellowship, and credits all of them with helping her in the development of courses given at Friends. Christina's contribution to the School's English curriculum, thus imbued with great scholarship and initiative, stands at the core of her legacy - spanning the centuries and artistic genres. Her development of a unit of biblical studies, now a requirement for the ninth grade, serves as one of the foundations of the Upper School English program. Her acquisition of Bible slides, a signature feature of the Bible curriculum, illustrates Christina's appreciation of the profound relationship between literature and the visual arts…an appreciation that infuses her teaching and inspires Friends Seminary's nascent scholars. Among Christina's fondest memories of her years at Friends are the triumphs of students and the major accomplishments of her colleagues. She is admired by her colleagues for her humor, keen intellect and commitment to her students, and cherished by her students past and present - each of whom she has held to high standards of scholarship, and for whom she has shown the deepest respect. We express heartfelt gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Christina has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor her as Faculty Emerita.
Christina Moustakis
Teacher of English Faculty Emerita
Lively. Effervescent. Entertaining. Theatrical. Vivacious. Passionate. These are the adjectives offered by students, effusively and unanimously, to describe Christina Moustakis (a.k.a. The Moose) - who for 27 years has guided her students on informed, adventurous, ever insightful journeys through the nuances and splendors of literature. Christina served as Chair of the Friends Seminary English Department for 12 years (six when Joyce McCray was principal and six with Rich Eldridge). She has been the recipient of several grants and fellowships including a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Independent Study Grant and a Klingenstein Fellowship, and credits all of them with helping her in the development of courses given at Friends. Christina's contribution to the School's English curriculum, thus imbued with great scholarship and initiative, stands at the core of her legacy - spanning the centuries and artistic genres. Her development of a unit of biblical studies, now a requirement for the ninth grade, serves as one of the foundations of the Upper School English program. Her acquisition of Bible slides, a signature feature of the Bible curriculum, illustrates Christina's appreciation of the profound relationship between literature and the visual arts…an appreciation that infuses her teaching and inspires Friends Seminary's nascent scholars. Among Christina's fondest memories of her years at Friends are the triumphs of students and the major accomplishments of her colleagues. She is admired by her colleagues for her humor, keen intellect and commitment to her students, and cherished by her students past and present - each of whom she has held to high standards of scholarship, and for whom she has shown the deepest respect. We express heartfelt gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Christina has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor her as Faculty Emerita.
Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.
Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.
