Gail Griffin Battles
A relative transplant to Branford among the indigenous and long-established specimens, Gail Griffin Battles was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and reared in Wilmington, Delaware. After graduating in 1966 from the College of New Rochelle (New York) with a major in English Literature and related courses in writing and journalism, she went to New York to seek a job (and possibly fame and fortune) in publishing. Like many others, her idea was to discover, if not write, 'The Great American Novel." Serendipity (and moderately competent typing skills) landed her a job as secretary in the elementary-high school Language Arts Department of Holt Rinehart & Winston, where she both met her future husband and was plunged into the world of educational theory and application, and worked her way up to editorial positions.
Married in 1974 to Howard Battles, then managing an educational consulting firm, Gail continued as an in-house editor for major publishing companies until 1976 when the couple found New York prices unaffordable for two work-at-home adults, a baby6and someone to take care of the child so they could work. Again serendipity intervened, and close friends who had blazed the trail led them to Branford. Gail's free-lance writing work continued and expanded beyond language arts to include social studies, home economics, and health at levels ranging from kindergarten through college. Her pioneering literature-based process writing texts for Grades 1 and 2, published in 1981, are still in use today.
Despite her own parochial and private-school education, both Gail and her husband were committed to public education for their children, believing that it afforded more diversity and broader opportunities for them. Certainly, though, it had to be the best education possible! One way to ensure that, it seemed, was to get involved, find out what was going on, and see what contributions might be needed; and volunteering with the PTA seemed a good way to learn more about the schools.
Before all was said and done, Gail had served ten terms as president of a PTA (sometimes two concurrently) and five terms as PTA Council president. She and Howard together volunteered to teach process writing to a third-grade class at John B. Sliney School and also taught it for one summer session. Also together, with input from many others, they developed a summer reading program at the Intermediate School. (Gail learned first-hand the meaning of a "slow-news weekend" when her phone rang on the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend in 1987. A New York Times reporter was following up on a front-page story in the New Haven Register decrying the idea of requiring students to read two books over the summer.) In addition to her PTA involvement, Gail has served on a number of other committees in the school system.
Although only briefly an employee of the system (in the Intermediate School Library Center), Gail was employed by the town of Branford in 1992-93 under a state grant. Her activities during this time resulted in the continuing grant that funded the School-Based Health Center at Walsh Intermediate School. Presently secretary/office manager for St. Therese Church, Gail continues to be involved in school and lay community concerns. In the parish, she also chairs the Liturgy Committee; and she credits sons Paul and Andrew for enriching and broadening her own musical education, which she continues to explore by singing in the church choir.
Despite awards and citations from former Boards of Education, PTA Council, and CEA, Gail cherishes most deeply the collaboration and collegiality of the parents, teachers, and administrators with whom she worked in the school system and the many lasting friendships that have resulted.
Married in 1974 to Howard Battles, then managing an educational consulting firm, Gail continued as an in-house editor for major publishing companies until 1976 when the couple found New York prices unaffordable for two work-at-home adults, a baby6and someone to take care of the child so they could work. Again serendipity intervened, and close friends who had blazed the trail led them to Branford. Gail's free-lance writing work continued and expanded beyond language arts to include social studies, home economics, and health at levels ranging from kindergarten through college. Her pioneering literature-based process writing texts for Grades 1 and 2, published in 1981, are still in use today.
Despite her own parochial and private-school education, both Gail and her husband were committed to public education for their children, believing that it afforded more diversity and broader opportunities for them. Certainly, though, it had to be the best education possible! One way to ensure that, it seemed, was to get involved, find out what was going on, and see what contributions might be needed; and volunteering with the PTA seemed a good way to learn more about the schools.
Before all was said and done, Gail had served ten terms as president of a PTA (sometimes two concurrently) and five terms as PTA Council president. She and Howard together volunteered to teach process writing to a third-grade class at John B. Sliney School and also taught it for one summer session. Also together, with input from many others, they developed a summer reading program at the Intermediate School. (Gail learned first-hand the meaning of a "slow-news weekend" when her phone rang on the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend in 1987. A New York Times reporter was following up on a front-page story in the New Haven Register decrying the idea of requiring students to read two books over the summer.) In addition to her PTA involvement, Gail has served on a number of other committees in the school system.
Although only briefly an employee of the system (in the Intermediate School Library Center), Gail was employed by the town of Branford in 1992-93 under a state grant. Her activities during this time resulted in the continuing grant that funded the School-Based Health Center at Walsh Intermediate School. Presently secretary/office manager for St. Therese Church, Gail continues to be involved in school and lay community concerns. In the parish, she also chairs the Liturgy Committee; and she credits sons Paul and Andrew for enriching and broadening her own musical education, which she continues to explore by singing in the church choir.
Despite awards and citations from former Boards of Education, PTA Council, and CEA, Gail cherishes most deeply the collaboration and collegiality of the parents, teachers, and administrators with whom she worked in the school system and the many lasting friendships that have resulted.