Why I Give: Christian Papadellis '10

When Christian Papadellis first cracked open The Odyssey as a Fay ninth grader, he was just a teenager enjoying the monsters and mythology of Homer’s epic. Now, as an English teacher at Rumsey Hall, Christian is teaching The Odyssey to the next generation, his own ninth grade students. “I definitely brought The Odyssey here because I read it at Fay, and it’s one of my all-time favorites.” It’s a full-circle moment, and just one of the ways that Christian’s Fay experience continues to echo through his life today.

Christian looks back on his nine years at Fay as a time of discovery, where every facet of his identity was nurtured. In the Root Library, he first discovered a love for books. “It was my favorite place to go, where I always felt like I could fully be myself.” That sense of belonging extended beyond the library as well. Christian stepped into the spotlight in theater and the performing arts, but he also flourished athletically in the Color Competition and on the cross country team. 

Ultimately, it was the mentors who guided him through these years that left the deepest impression. Through them, Christian began to see the profound impact an educator can have. He remembers how his study skills teacher, Kelly Porter, would talk to him about theater, making him feel truly seen as a unique individual, and how Stephen Buck and Katie Long encouraged his love for music. He credits former Head of Lower School Lanie Schuster with teaching him about hard work and always ensuring that no student slipped through the cracks, and his cross-country coach, Michael Cassin, who served as a steady, positive role model. Christian’s Fay teachers showed him the kind of teacher he wanted to become. “Fay is a huge part of why I do what I do. How I interact with my students is modeled after the adults who were there for me when I was that age.”

After Fay, Christian attended Middlesex School and then Colby College, where he studied English literature and was on the crew team. In 2019, he earned his master’s degree in English and American Literature from Boston University. Christian spent several years working in journalism and publishing in New York and Boston. Three years ago, after gaining teaching and coaching experience at Groton, St. Mark’s, and Fay, he joined Rumsey Hall, where he teaches English and coaches football and crew. As Christian prepares to get married this summer, he is looking forward to celebrating alongside a core group of his Fay friends, a testament to the lasting relationships he built here.

Christian chooses to support the Fay Fund out of gratitude for the opportunities that he had here, as well as an appreciation for the school’s enduring mission. “Fay gave me such a great foundation to explore all of the things that I love to do,” he recalls. “I had access to a great library, a great performing arts department, and a great athletic department at a school that really encourages the growth of all of the above. A large part of who I am today is because of the nine years I spent at Fay.”