Community Spotlight: Melony Swasey & Eric Warasta

Melony Swasey and Eric Warasta have been on our Board of Trustees for the past nine years. Melony has served as the Chair of the Board, Eric has served as the Treasurer, and both are rolling off the Board this month. We took the opportunity to learn more about their relationship to the Eliot School and what their hopes are for the School’s future. 

Transcript

Melony: I'm Melony Swasey, and this is my dear and longtime board colleague, Eric Warasta. We've been really just honored to be Trustees—long-term serving Trustees—of the Eliot School Board, just wrapping up nine years. And a good portion of that time, I've also been privileged to serve as the Chair of our Board. 

Eric: And I was the Treasurer for a period of time, and Melony and I co-chaired a committee together for the past two years. 

Melony: That's right. We’ve been like, buddies. I'm gonna miss you! 

Eric: I'm gonna miss you, too. 

What is your favorite artistic medium? 

Melony: Well, my first thought is wood. I mean, I love the smell of wood, so I like how it impacts the senses, not just visually and in terms of touch, but the smell of wood. And that you can make functional pieces, functional art. What about you? 

Eric: Same, also wood! It can become so many different things. It can become an instrument. It can become a table. 

What has kept you involved with the Eliot School all these years? 

Eric: I think it really comes down to the people. And it's true that my colleagues on the Board, the staff, the teachers in our programs, and the students—it’s just a tremendous organization. 

Melony: It really is. What’s kept me is like the beginning and what continues after us. So, for me, I was first introduced to the school learning about the commitment to racial equity and commitment to deepening the awareness in the school community of all the work that the Eliot School does in Boston Public Schools and at community centers. For me, that was just so enthralling, honestly, and that's kept me. So that fact that that work continues. And then also, anywhere I go, anywhere in the Boston region, I mention the Eliot School, and people's faces just light up. People always have a story about the Eliot School. Across all walks of life, someone has a child or an elder relative who had some interaction with the school at some time. And there's just this kind of deep affection and abiding love for this institution, and so I’ve been so proud to be an ambassador.  

What are your hopes for the future of the School? 

Melony: You know, we're about to mark the 350th anniversary—100 years older than the nation—and people need to know that story. What I hope for the school is that more and more institutions, as well as people, individual donors and institutional donors, can know about the work we do, can know about this abiding impact, and want to be part of it. So, I'm hoping for a bigger reach, bigger partnerships, and more support, deep level support for our work. What about you?  

Eric: Yeah, that's really well said. I mean, I think it's going to take the continued support of the community through donations, taking classes, getting involved, being a teacher, being a Board Member, to help foster and deepen that connection to the community that's been going on for so long and keep it going in the future.