“Be More Ali”:Celebrating the Life of Mrs. Pearson

On Sunday, November 30th, SNA hosted a celebration of life for Ali Pearson, a beloved teacher and staff member who passed away from cancer in November. Family members, friends, colleagues, and students gathered in the Great Room of the daycare building to commemorate her life, and multiple people spoke during the celebration to honor her and the positive impact she had on the community and everyone around her. Bernadette Chiccino, the middle and high school ELA teacher who worked closely with Mrs. Pearson, read a deeply personal speech about their friendship. Head of School Meghan Ayer read a poem titled “The Parting Glass,” an old Celtic folk poem traditionally recited at funerals that she chose as a tribute to Mrs. Pearson’s Irish heritage. Admissions Director and high school teacher Kaitlin Quinn-Stearns sang one of Mrs. Pearson’s favorite songs, “Love You ‘Till the End” by the Pogues, and Francesca Millican-Slater, a close family friend, spoke throughout and read the poem “Warning” by Jenny Joseph. When speaking about the celebration, Mrs. Chiccino said, “I was honored to be able to speak at Mrs. Pearson's celebration of life. She was my good friend, and I was happy to have a chance to celebrate her life with her family, friends, and the school community. I was deeply moved by all of the speakers.”

In addition to staff and close family friends, several of Mrs. Pearson’s former students spoke about her lasting impact on their lives, and they shared some fond memories of her with the group. These students included Kendall Brown, Braela Stearns, Matthew Chiccino, Ronan and Shane Gleeson, Jackson McDonald, Olivia Richardson Brown, and Angus McGranahan. Their words demonstrated the deep connection Mrs. Pearson had formed with her students and the lasting impact she has left on the SNA community.

Another moment that was emblematic of the impact Mrs. Pearson had on all the people who knew her was when Francesca spoke about the different attributes that defined Mrs Pearson; her sarcasm, humor, kindness, and compassion, and she ended each statement with “Be more Ali,” which the audience then repeated aloud in unison. This moment created a sense of unity in the room and showed that we should all adopt some of the values and traits Mrs. Pearson embodied.

Food and drinks were provided throughout the ceremony, giving attendees a chance to support and connect with each other. Meghan Ayer later said, “Mrs. Pearson’s celebration of life was bittersweet. It was heartwarming to see the community come together and have each person make contributions in their own meaningful way. It was deeply moving to hear students, fellow teachers, family, and friends share their cherished memories of Mrs. Pearson. Together, we honored her legacy as an educator as well as the lasting impact she had on all of us."