Theme: The Essence of an Idea

Beaver Country Day School is hosting its first TEDx event this December. TEDxBeaverCountryDaySchool’s theme is The Essence of an Idea, a broad topic designed to encompass a wide variety of talks - including climate change, women empowerment, relationships around the world, identity, technology, family, the education system, and more. TEDxBeaverCountryDaySchool will capture the spirit of TED itself: cross-disciplinary, focused on the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world.

Beaver Country Day School
175 Hammond St
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, 02467
United States

Dilce Oliveira

Student

Dilce Oliveira is a 17-year-old aspiring engineer and music artist from Stoughton Mass. A student at Beaver Country Day School, Dilce has always loved combining the things she loves in different mediums. She loves conducting research on wearable technology and robotics. She runs desiGn lab and is a member of Robo-Sub and also runs Acoustic Coffee House Club and is a Choir leader of the Beaver Country Day School Honors Choir, Select Singers.

Haley Hoffman-Smith

Speaker | Author of Her Big Idea

Haley Hoffman Smith was recently named one of today’s most influential speakers by Forbes and is the author of Her Big Idea, a Top 3 Bestseller that was named a must-read by the Tory Burch Foundation. She graduated from Brown University in 2018, and is the founder of the Her Big Idea Fund in partnership with Brown's Nelson Center. At Brown, she was the President of Women’s Entrepreneurship and started the first women’s entrepreneurship incubator. She has been on a speaking tour since Fall 2018, speaking at colleges and companies such as Harvard, Yale, Microsoft, and more, and recently founded cosmetics company Her Big Lash. Finally, she is an actress in commercial and industrial work.

Heeten Kalan

Senior Program Officer & Director of the Climate Action Fund

Heeten Kalan has a long history of working on human rights and social justice issues ranging from fighting apartheid in South Africa, monitoring the northern Ireland peace process to protecting our climate and planet. Heeten currently serves as the Director of Democracy Programs at the New World Foundation where he works on issues of democracy and civic engagement, human rights, and climate. He is responsible for funding organizations that examine our society and empower those impacted to make the change. Born and raised during the apartheid era in South Africa, Heeten was not allowed to attend the local, all-white high school in his hometown. After attending boarding school five hours away from home, he went on to complete high school at a United World College on Vancouver Island in Canada. He then studied at Dartmouth College, moved to Boston to start a non-profit, followed by a Masters at MIT.

Joe Robinson

Math Teacher at Beaver Country Day School

Joe Robinson is a high math school teacher at Beaver Country Day School with over fifteen years of teaching experience. Joe earned a degree in Education from the University of Michigan and continued his pursuit of higher education and attaining a masters degree in education administration from Boston College. Joe has served in his career as a teacher, coach, dean, and as the coordinator for the school’s senior internship program and accreditation renewal. Originally from the midwest, Joe lives with his wife and two boys in Framingham.

Margot Amoyual

Student

Margot is a senior at Beaver Country Day School. When she is not spending time with her twin, Ella, Margot loves learning about neuroscience, writing for her high school satirical magazine, playing jazz piano, listening to podcasts, reading, and walking dogs. When she grows up, she hopes to attend the Twinsburg Twins Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio.

Matthew Lippman

English Teacher at Beaver Country Day School, Poet

Matthew Lippman is a poet as well as an English teacher at Beaver Country Day School. He is also a Poet. His collection MESMERIZINGLY SADLY BEAUTIFUL won the 2018 Levis Prize and will be published by Four Way Books in 2020. His recent collection, A LITTLE GUT MAGIC is published by Nine Mile Books. He is the Editor and Founder of the web based project Love’s Executive Order (www.lovesexecutiveorder.com).

Peter Hutton

Head of School at Beaver Country Day School

Peter Hutton has endeavored to reimagine education in the context of the future of work. Hutton is a strong advocate of embracing new technologies and designing spaces to both support and shape creative problem solving, launching many initiatives with the goal of expanding the nature of school: introducing Design Thinking, implementing T he Coded Curriculum and, most recently opening a brand new Research and Design Center. In 1992 he became Head of Beaver, and today it is one of the most innovative schools in the country. Hutton believes in partnering with leading organizations and has collaborated with IDEO, Steelcase and Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has also spoken at a wide range of venues and organizations including SXSW, Catalant, Boston Society of Architects. He has consulted for M. Gemi and Rough Draft at General Catalyst Partners. Hutton has run 5 marathons and biked 10 Pan Mass Challenges (so far) and, alas, is a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan.